When I give tours of the Museum of Juggling History to other jugglers, they invariably want to handle many of the props on display. In all but a few situations, this is possible. Exceptions do exist, such as a very fragile Anthony Gatto childhood club and a mercury-filled self-lighting candle invented and used by Salerno, but they are few and far between. However, there is a portion of the museum that is specifically designed for a hands-on experience. This “hands-on corner” is located in the lower level display room of the museum.
The items on display in the hands-on corner occasionally varies, but typically includes the follow items: a set of Jay Green clubs (the first “modern juggling clubs”), a set of holy clubs, a set of Goliath clubs, a set of oversized Huel Speight clubs, a set of Pocket Clubs, a set of Anthony Gatto clubs, the world’s smallest cigar boxes (made by Obediah Thomas), a set of Wobbly Balls (made by Ameron Rosvall), the Chaos Clubs, a set of bottle clubs (made by Obediah Thomas), a cups and spoons set, a set of Harry Lind clubs, and a candle and candlestick that you can use to try to flip and catch the candle.
Here’s a video showing these items in action.
For those who have never seen the Chaos Clubs in action, check out the following videos.
I hope that you get a chance to visit the Museum of Juggling History and try the many fun props in the hands-on corner. We are located just north of Cincinnati, Ohio (USA). Tours are by appointment only. You can learn more about the museum by clicking here.
David Cain
David Cain is a professional juggler, juggling historian, and the owner of the world's only juggling museum, the Museum of Juggling History. He is a Guinness world record holder and 16 time IJA gold medalist. In addition to his juggling pursuits, David is a successful composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer as well as the author of twenty-six books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).