I got there the long way, one show at a time

The History

This August marks my 35th year in “show biz.” It began in 1974 with the legendary, the world renowned Royal Lichtenstein Quarter Ring Sidewalk Circus. All these many years later I am posting this history to my website from the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival high on the prairie in Alberta, Canada. My many friends from the streets from all around the world have gathered here to celebrate this marvelous festivals 25th anniversary!

I arrive here amidst many changes in my act. Lacey, my performing dog is romping and playing with my daughter on 17 acres in Corvallis, Oregon. She has the company of another dog, five cats, a horse, chickens, goats and the bustle of a thriving household. At twelve years of age the old dog has earned a glorious retirement from the stage and street.
That leaves me stitching together new routines, ideas, jokes, music; while figuring and redesigning the show to fit this present moment. All this is happening with the help of some of the top street acts in the world. The end of this decade marks a time of great change, one version of the act ends while a new version begins. There is still much to recommend to the act and if you are wondering about my show, the fact is 35 years later I am still here.

How did I get here? After a year with the circus in 1975 I packed my life into a pickup truck and began a long rambling exploration of the United States playing all kinds of dates across the country. By 1980 I joined a remarkable cast of street acts in San Francisco where I performed my solo show. In 1993 with the arrival of my daughter I dashed south to Arizona for a few years and then a nickels worth of years more in Oregon. By 1999 I was on the move full time again. Now I was running the west coast from Arizona to British Columbia playing all manner of dates all year long while residing in my travel trailer with my new performing dog Lacey. That run lasted until 2002. I fell back into the local scene in San Francisco. By 2005 I was living on the cheap aboard a sailboat in San Rafael, and by 2007 I was living back in San Francisco on Telegraph Hill.

I play festivals, fairs, libraries, park and recreation department programs, special events, theme parks, and one of a kind event’s both public and private. The last decade I played emcee at two state fairs, first in Oregon and then Ohio. I’ve been a regular at one of the countries top arts festivals in Tempe, Arizona. I was awarded a lifetime contribution award for my work right here in Edmonton in 2001. Most important of all in this last decade Lacey and I have together presented our show some 3000 times or more and have touched the lives of tens of thousands of children who walk away from this shows spirit feeling honored, cared for, and happy. I started in 1974 thinking I’d be some kind of entertainer and as it turns out my specialty is presenting a family show, keeping the focus on the children, keeping it smart enough to engage the elders and finding simple wholesome messages to go along with the tricks and the laughs. I got there the long way, one show at a time, over the last 35 years.