August 4, 2007

DonB! in Georgia & Alabama


I only have about an hour to compile all of this stuff, so I'll have to keep it short. Here goes...
On July 19th I left to start driving to Georgia to teach and perform at the TNT Christian Clown Retreat. I performed on Wednesday night, and taught 3 or 4 classes throughout the week.

I had the privilege of meeting up with some clown friends from around the country, as well as many folks that I now consider my clown friends, whom I had never met before.
I took many pictures from my vantage point, so you should go and see if you can find yourself. To see the entire album of photos from the trip, click HERE.

After camp, I stayed 2 days in Montgomery, Alabama, and took a couple of trips to Hobby Lobby (why don't we have one of these in the Twin Cities?). While at Hobby Lobby, I ended up showing a family at the other check-out counter a magic trick. As it turned out, when I headed down to Selma, Alabama (about 40 miles away), that same family goes to the church that I was to perform in! It's a small world isn't it?
In Selma, I presented two programs for their family VBS-type event. The first night was the "DonB! Variety Show" with a basic message, and the second night was the "Dr. of Merriment Show" with an evangelistic message. It was two great nights of fun and messages. I've already been invited back for next year!

While in Selma, I wanted to learn the history of the town, so a young man from Selma named Robert, took me around and showed me all of the Selma historical sites. Selma is the historic site of the mass demonstrations of African-Americans trying to achieve the right to vote in 1965. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led protesters across the Edmund Pettus bridge, where they were attacked and beaten by police officers, and caused to turn back and flee over the bridge. This event led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, giving all Selma, and then all people across the United States the right to vote, regardless of race. Selma is a city full of history, and I found it very fascinating to see the sites I had only read about in history books.



As I headed back to Minnesota, I received a phone call from my wife, Debbie, asking me if I had heard the tragic news. As all of you know by now, a main interstate bridge in Minneapolis collapsed, leaving at least 5 dead, 79 injured, and many still missing in the river. Pray for all of the people of Minnesota, that we can use this as a time to draw close as a state, and that the families of those missing or dead will be comforted in this time of tragedy. It is almost surreal when this happens so close to home.


Well, I leave tomorrow to do a show in Woodbury, MN, and then up to northern Minnesota for 5 days to teach at a circus camp. I will return to my office (if only for 2 days) on the afternoon of the 11th, and then 12 days touring with the Cirque Imaginings tour in the Midwest.
I will talk to you all when it starts to settle down around here.

Take care, and may God bless you as much as He has my family & me.

DonB!




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