Freddy and Frieda are excited! Are you?
Get ready for the 66th annual IJA Fest! July 15 through 21 of 2013 is going to be a whirlwind week of juggling insanity! Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio is ready for the IJA with excitement already building. It’s the first time the IJA will turn to a college campus in approximately 20 years.
Fest-goers will have the option of rooming on campus in Falcon Heights. This dorm finished construction within the last year and is absolutely gorgeous. It is definitely not your old time dorm room! Those choosing the dorm option will be able to choose from two types of rooms… option one is 2 two bed sleeping rooms with two bathrooms and a seating area to share while option two has 4 one bed sleeping rooms, two bathrooms and a seating area. Another on campus housing option is camping. YES, camping! The IJA is limited to a maximum of 40 tents and maximum tent size is a 6 person tent. Pricing for both of these options is on a per person basis (not per room or per tent).
For those fest attendees wanting slightly better digs for the week there are several hotels in the area which have offered special rates to the IJA. I would suggest a car would be needed for reaching the hotels as they are all across a four lane highway from the university.
Meals will be served on campus for those choosing to purchase meal cards at the not-yet-finished Oakes. Again, campus food is not anywhere near what I remember! There are food stations throughout the dining hall… pasta bar, salad bar, entrees, pizza each lunch and dinner, even desserts and soft ice cream. Every meal includes vegetarian options as well as gluten free options. If you get on campus and decide you want to eat there you still can after registration. You can either order a card to cover the meals you wish to eat on campus onsite (it takes an hour or two to receive the card) or simply pay with your debit card paying a slightly higher price due to tax. Please try to order your meal cards with your registration to help the food service staff make sure they don’t run out of their delectable morsels.
Perry Field House entrance
The Perry Field House will be our gym for the week. It’s the size of four basketball courts surrounded by a eight lane indoor track. Workshops will be held in the adjoining Turf Room which is a spacious indoor football/soccer field. In this space there will be plenty of room to spread out and the turf drinks up enough sound so one workshop will not interfere with the other yet you will clearly hear the workshop leader give instruction.
Championships and shows will be held in Kobacher Hall. With 830 permanent seats and the ability to max out at 980 the IJA will have plenty of room for the public to enjoy our talented performers and competitors. Depending on the hang of the lights, performers and competitors will have a 30′ maximum height with which to work. This is a non-union house so we will need stage hands and ushers for each stage event. We will need volunteers to help with each show.
A view of the inside of the Cla-Zel.
The downtown of Bowling Green and their local police force has already been very helpful in organizing a jugglers parade! We will step off from the Perry Field House and marching into the downtown. The current plan is to parade into the downtown where we will then hold the busker competition. There will then be time for dinner downtown. From dinner we plan to move into the Cla-Zel, a magnificent turn of the century theater with gold leafed ceilings and so much charisma, for a late night show. This is the plan for parade day for now, but we have a long time ahead to plan so this plan might change slightly.
I am incredibly excited for the IJA return to a college campus and camping! There are more activities and surprises coming. I have put together an awesome group of people to direct shows and run various events. I am thrilled to be working with these people and will introduce you to them as each month rolls around. Each month I will also have more news about the 66th IJA fest in the eNewsletter and eJuggle. Keep your eyes open… there will be a new registration window coming to you early!
by: Kim Laird, 2013 IJA Fest Director (email: laird@juggle.org)
