August = Very Busy!

It seems like only yesterday that I posted my last update to this newsletter. Then I realized it was way back on August 4th! Life goes by too fast sometimes.

August 5th found me doing a morning program for New Life Church in Woodbury, Minnesota. They were a great group of attentive kids, and with the group being fairly small (about 80 people), I was thankful to be able to talk with them one-to-one following the show.

I left that evening to head to northern Minnesota to help teach circus skills with Cirque du Jour at Kamp Kace, where kids and families that have been affected by cancer had the entire week to learn circus skills, and then put on a show (and it was FABULOUS) at the end of the week for their families. Watching the campers, ranging in age from 6-17, perform at the end of the week, was like being a proud parent, as if it were my own kids putting on the show. Thanks go to Chris Allison for inviting me to help teach for the week. Chris, whom I haven't seen in over 15 years, was my first roommate at Ringling Brothers Clown College way back in 1984. It was great seeing him again, and working in such a successful circus arts program.


I then rushed back home to get my stilts, and headed to Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to walk my stilts for Starkey Labs' BIG anniversary party. It was a very hot day, but a lot of fun juggling and doing close-up magic for the employees and their families.

The next day (Sunday), my daughter, Deanna, and I headed over to Willmar, Minnesota, to begin rehearsals for the Cirque Imaginings (CI) tour. Cirque Imaginings is a show that I helped put together back in 2002, and it has taken 5 years to compile the performers for another tour. Randy Christensen wrote the entire show, about a young girl that spends time visiting her old uncle Oxford. Through the exploration of Oxford's many library books, Emily learns to use her imagination. She also learns how the choices she makes can affect her for the good, or the bad. The show featured Randy Christensen (Oxford P. Nutts, juggler, skateboarder, chair balancer, stilt-walker, mime, writer, director), Greg Philips (good magician, bad magician, message-giver), Darren & Heather Stevenson (sound tech, dancer, mime, choreographer), Ben Christensen (juggler, Chinese Yo-Yo-ist), Emily Chermak (lead part, loud laugher), Micah Philips (stage manager, runner, equipment loader), Deanna Bursell (Zig-Zag girl, dancing bag, giggler), Les Chermak (coach driver, workaholic), and me.

We toured Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa (To see a good description of the show, click HERE). It was a very exhausting tour, but worth every minute of time spent with other performers, meeting people after the shows, and hearing the audience respond to the message (I had to listen from backstage) each night. Thanks to all of the folks that made the tour financially possible, and for the churches that hosted the show. It was another BIG success. I only hope we don't have to wait another 5 years to do it again.

When I returned home from the Cirque Imaginings tour, I had a day to get my stuff together, and head to the Twin Cities. I did my first live mannequin gig, on August 24th, at the Minnesota State Fair, for Mannequin in Motion. It was strange how fascinated people are with a person that stands completely still. At least 30 times a minute, I could hear people saying "how does he not blink?!?", or "that is so strange!" A FUNNY STORY: The couple that lives across the street from us in Mora (80 miles from the Fair) were talking to me the next day, and mentioned he saw a "genii robot-guy" at the fair. When I told him that it was me, he ran into his house to tell his wife the strange news. Neither of them even knew it was me behind the costume and make-up. One of my daughter's friends walked right up to me, stared at me for a minute, said, "That's weird!", and walked away. She never even knew it was me. Now THAT'S weird.

Later that night, Deanna & I both were mannequins for an event for Arthur Murray dance studios customer appreciation event. I came to life occasionally and juggled, and Deanna came to life occasionally to do some ribbon dancing. Again, it was a fun way to use my entertainment skills, in a whole new way: standing still for a long time. I never thought I could do it.

On Saturday afternoon, I went back to Calvary Community Church (for the 8th time) and presented my DonB! Variety Show for their community outreach event. Their sanctuary was packed with community people, and I presented my spinning plates routine for the finale, and broke more plates than I ever have in a long time. It's the breaking of the plates that makes the routine so much fun, for me AND for the audience.

I then headed back down to the State Fair for two more hours of mannequin work. The genii I played was a little more interactive this time, performing magic tricks with the tips dropped at my feet. To see more photos, click HERE.

I then packed my show up and headed back to Trout Lake Camp for a show for their family camp. It is the 14th or 15th time I have performed there. James Rock, the program director, requested that I do the spinning plates finale, so I did. I think I only broke about 4 or 5 plates.

Please pray that the rest of this year can be busy, profitable, and offer some good times of ministry through whatever events come our way. May God bless you as much as he has me and my family. Drop me a line anytime at donb@donbministries.com

DonB!