NEWS

 

Chairman's Report To The Membership 

Dear Fellow Jugglers: 

Here is an update on Board doings since my last report. (We apologize for the lateness of the last issue of Jugglers World which resulted from problems that developed with our contractors - you will receive all your issues ultimately! We are looking forward, however, to our new publication - read on!) 

 

JUGGLE: 

As you are reading these words you are looking at the last regular issue of Jugglers World magazine, to be followed this summer by our first new JUGGLE, the new official publication of the IJA. The Board of Directors has worked long and hard on the complex terms of our partnership with Stan Allen & Associates, publisher of MAGIC magazine, to take our magazine to the next level. We expect to have a product that will ultimately be of interest to a more general readership, in addition to our membership, and we hope this will also attract more people to the IJA and the world of juggling. JUGGLE will be published bi-monthly (6 issues per year plus a membership directory) and will contain a 4-page insert for IJA member/subscribers only. Stan Allen & Associates will be developing a stable of contributors to the magazine and you are encouraged to send suggestions, ideas and proposals directly to them as follows: 

Stan Allen & Associates - Las Vegas, Nevada. 

 

Primm Summerfest '98 

In addition to our previous announcements about this summer's festival: A Stage for Young Jugglers will be hosted by Paul Arneberg and The Wise Guys (of Minneapolis, MN) at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 13. Any young juggler who is interested is encouraged to take part. Feel free to contact Paul. 

 

Survey 

The results of our survey have been tabulated and the majority of the members responding have again made it clear that they prefer a movable festival as opposed to a permanent site. Although there would obviously be benefits to a permanent site, there remains a clear preference that we continue to move around closer to your own backyard from time to time. 

 

Club Renegade 

We are still working on our liability concerns but expect to have something worked out so that Club Renegade will continue to fill the wee hours. 

 

World Juggling Day 

Don't forget to do your part on June 20, 1998 - World Juggling Day. Find an affiliate or other group and be counted! 

 

Internet Discussion Forum 

Our discussion forum is up and running on our Web site on the Internet. Although there are other places on the Internet where juggling information in general is available, the only source of reliable information about the IJA is our site. 

 

World Juggling Day Draws International Support 

Juggling clubs and individuals from Israel to Oregon have signed up to host juggling events World Juggling Day - Saturday, June 20. 

 

The Portland "No Problem, Easy Pickup" Jugglers plan to schedule a parade during the lunch hour and teach people to juggle. Jugglers in Copenhagen will be on the main shopping street offering free lessons and selling juggling equipment. Performers at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., will put on a show and give lessons. Jugglers in North Carolina will meet on the Village Green in Davidson, N.C., will give away water-injected tennis balls to members of the public who drop by for fun and a lesson. 

 

Writing a whimsical essay about the ultimate possibilities of the event, thomas1said, "On the great day itself, EVERYONE in town (having been prepared for the great day itself by talk for weeks ahead of town) carried their props around, and juggled during every spare moment - at the bus stop, in bank lines, at the grocery store. As a result, since everyone had their props with them, impromptu passing patterns and trick workshops would break out in the most unlikely places! Why, I remember a three person feed occurring through the main intersection in town during a red light, at which point a number of people got out of their cars, brandishing clubs, and a feast broke out!" 

 

The IJA will promote the event through press releases, and event sponsor Todd Smith Products is encouraging participation by providing $2,500 worth of props to jugglers and clubs which come closest to guessing the total number of people who participate in the event. 

 

Those interested in participating should visit the IJA web site, or get promotional fliers from Bill Giduz, IJA affiliates director.