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Blake’s Comedy and Variety Show includes juggling,
magic tricks and madcap mayhem. Blake has been performing since he
was six years old and does around 350 events each year.
Before starting the show, Blake reminded the kids to
stay quiet so everyone could hear the show. He also asked everyone
to stay seated. Blake told everyone the show would start in an hour,
but the kids asked him to do it now.
When Blake asked who had not yet started their summer reading,
several kids raised their hands.
Blake’s mom would take him to the library when he was a “young
clown.” It was through reading books that Blake learned how to make
balloon animals, juggle, do magic and acquire many other skills. He
performs over 20 different types of skills.
Next, Blake asked if the kids would like to read a
story with him and play a role in the story. Blake’s friend Sealo
had hidden fish, so if Blake showed the kids a fish, he told them to
yell fish.
Taking out what appeared to be a lunch sack, Blake waved his hands
over it and took out a clown’s red nose. He is not a fan of these
noses because they are big and itchy. Blake waved his hand over the
sack a few more times and each time, he pulled out another clown’s
nose.
After Blake had another adult wave her hand over the sack, he pulled
out another nose and a fish.
To show they were ready for the show to start, Blake
told the kids to smile at the silk flower he brought out. The flower
kept drooping, so he asked the kids to clap loudly to fix it. As the
kids clapped, the flower would go back up, but when they stopped
clapping it would droop again. When Blake tried to put the flower
away, it appeared in his pocket.
Blake then got out a big story book his mom used to read to him and
said it was a special story. Blake told the kids sitting on the
floor they would play the role of the trees by holding up their
hands and swaying them back and forth. They would play the wind by
saying “wooo” and swaying their hands around. The adults were to act
out the role of the rain by moving their fingers up and down.
One child was chosen to play the role of a twirling
ballerina. An adult was chosen to play a crazy flamingo who would
make a sound and stand on one leg.
The book was called The Clown at the Library. As the story began,
the clown was sitting on the porch of a huge library. The clown
could hear the wind howling outside and see the trees swaying.
The trees were swaying like ballerinas in the wind. The wind picked
up and it started to rain. There was sudden flash of lightning and
then a big clap of thunder (which Blake showed by flashing a light
and clapping his hands).
Then the clown saw something swimming in the rain. The clown also
saw a flamingo in the back. The clown heard a door unlock and the
door to the library opened. Blake said the clown was finally able to
take the book and return it to the library.
For the next part of the show, Blake performed a juggling act.
First, he just held the balls while he moved his hands around in a
circle then up and down.
Finally, as some music played, Blake began juggling
three balls and soon added a fourth one. The kids asked him to
juggle five, but when Blake brought out another ball, he said it was
the sixth ball. To prove it, Blake counted them. Though there were
really only five balls, Blake kept counting the fifth ball twice.
After juggling five balls, Blake juggled three
bowling pins up in the air, then between his legs and behind his
back before adding two more pins. Blake finished the juggling act by
juggling three large rings.
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Blake’s puppet Sealo likes popcorn, so Blake prepared
it with a special device. As Blake took out a pan to put the popcorn
kernels in, the kids told him there was a fish in the pan. He said
Sealo liked to play tricks on him, so he was not surprised.
A can which was supposed to have popcorn kernels in
it instead had two snakes pop out when Blake opened it. He opened
the can several times and each time, snakes popped out.
To get the popcorn to pop, Blake had the kids rub their hands
together. As he opened the device, there was popcorn in the pan.
Going over to a case that held Sealo, Blake spoke in seal language
by doing a little seal bark. He repeatedly asked Sealo to come out
and meet everyone, but Sealo refused because he wanted to hear a
special song.
Sealo pulled up the song “It’s Raining Tacos” on Blake’s phone much
to Blake’s dismay. Blake then told Sealo to play a different song,
but Sealo kept playing the same song.
Once Sealo finally got out of his case, Sealo honked
a horn. Because Blake does not like the horn, he told Sealo not to
honk it. Blake told Sealo he was being a bad example for the kids.
What Blake asked Sealo to do was to jump through a hoop. First,
Sealo jumped over the hoop. Next, the hoop ended up around Blake’s
neck. Finally, Sealo jumped through the hoop like he was asked to.
Sealo then got his treat.
In case they wanted to do magic, Sealo had brought a magic wand.
Blake chose a boy named Theron to use the wand and do magic. Blake
then pulled out a coloring book with blank pages. To fill the pages,
he would have to do magic. In Blake’s great-great grandmother’s
knitting bags were several of Blake’s great-great grandfather’s
magic wands.
Getting out a magic wand, Blake handed the wand to
Theron, but the wand bent. As Blake handed him other wands, each one
had the same problem. The wands looked like fishing poles, so Blake
asked Theron if he was going fishing.
The final wand Blake handed his helper was shaped
like a fish. Blake then briefly put a container over Theron’s head.
Blake removed the container from Theron’s head, then Theron waved
the fish wand over the container and a colorful scarf came out.
Blake told Theron not to wiggle his fingers because it would make
the scarf longer. Theron wiggled his fingers anyway and the scarf
kept getting longer as Blake pulled more and more of it from the
container.
Finally, Blake had everyone wiggle their fingers so colorful
pictures would appear in the coloring book.
To reward Theron for helping him, Blake gave Theron a fortune
telling fish and a clown’s nose.
As the program ended, Blake thanked everyone for coming. He reminded
the kids to do their summer reading and get the special prizes they
could earn.
After the program, some of the kids posed with Blake for a photo op.
Thursday, June 27, at 10 a.m. Comedy Magician Richard Landry will
perform several fun and amazing tricks.
[Angela Reiners] |
