Oregon daily emerald., July 18, 1978, Page 8, Image 8

Eugene entertained
by 4 days of juggling
Jugglers hold 31 st annual convention
By GLEN OZONEWOOD
Of the Emerald
The last month has been a hip
one for Eugene. The Dead con
cert at Autzen kicked it off, the
Rainbow Family gathered just
south of here and weekend before
last the counter-culture de
scended on Veneta for the 8th
Annual Country Fair. Thursday,
the jugglers came to town.
More than 300 jugglers showed
up at the 31st Annual Convention
of the International Jugglers As
sociation (IJA). The organizer of
the meeting, Tom Dewart, says
the timing of the event just hap
pened.
"The thing has been in the
planning for more than a year. I
had no idea those other things
would be happening.”
But Dewart says jugglers were
apparent at area events.
"For the first time ever there
was prop makers at the (Country)
Fair. There were people selling
juggling clubs and bean-bag juggl
ing balls.”
This was the first time the con
To highlight the convention held last week at the Valley River Inn a
group of jugglers paraded Saturday from the University to Saturday
Market. The dorms provided lodging for many of those at the four-day
event.
vention had been held North of
San Jose but Dewart says it's not
unusual for the annual meeting to
happen West of the Mississippi.
“It changes around, lexpectitto
be on the East Coast in 1979 and
back on the West Coast in 1980.”
A number of the jugglers stayed
in dorms at the University during
the four-day convention, most of
which took place at the Valley
River Inn. There was a party at
Alton Baker Park, a public perfor
mance at Sheldon High, a parade
to the Saturday Market and
championship competition at the
Inn. But Thursday night, Dewart
warned against letting the
schedule-become intimidating.
/“The main purpose of the con
vention is .to have fun. We have a
calculated schedule this year but
in the long run there's adot of flexi
bility in it.”
Dewart was convention co
chairer on the IJA's Board of Di
rectors. He says it’s easy to join.
“All they ask is that the person
be interested in juggling . Thre's no
grading system. You don't even
have to juggle to join the IJA.
Dewart travelled to the IJA con
vention last year to make a pre
sentation for the next to happen in
Eugene. His proposal was ac
cepted, bringing the convention to
the hopne town of upwards of 40
IJA members, the most of any city
in the country.
"There’s a lot of other things
going on that help juggling. A lot of
> -«f i*
Costumes are a part of juggling and this performer was ready. Satur
day he joined a collection of those attending the IJA's 31st annual
convention and paraded from the University to Saturday Market.
Photos by Greg Gawtowski
dance, music, mime, theater. And
Eugene is a college town, drawing
a lot of young people. It's an excel
lent opportunity to pick up on the
art.”
Dewart teaches-juggling at
Lane Community College and es
timates he’s had'over 175 stu
dents. He says those students
have in turn turned their friends on
to juggling, giving its popularity a
mushrooming growth.
“When I first learned how to
juggle, you would count the
number of jugglers in Eugene on
one hand. Now everyone does it.”
The local popularity of juggling
catches some by surprise.
‘‘A lot of people come into
Eugene and have never seen a
juggler before. Local people don't
think much when they see some
one walking down the street juggl
ing three balls. It's a casual kind of
thing. But for someone not from an
area where juggling is popular, it's
a big deal."
Handbook tells vouth how to deal with cops
By DAVID GROBER
Of the Emerald
Can a cop bust a young person
for blocking the sidewalk?
What happens to someone
busted dealing drugs?
Why is it that 16-year-olds can
smoke, but can’t legally buy
A WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS
“Accelerated Reading Strategies
Applied to Textbooks”
Friday. July 21 10 am-3 pm
• Learn to teach students strategies to improve
reading rate, concentration, comprehension, recall,
and note taking skills.
• Learn techniques to improve your own
reading efficiency!
For more information and to register, call:
686-3226
Learning Resources Center
IITilfigirriingllrglfrsirfgirfiHisiniPinslIrglligllrgllrginl^
PM
cigarettes until the age of 18?
Questions covering 19 areas of
young people's legal rights and
responsibilities, ‘ including abor
tion, hitchhiking, truancy and
police harassment, are discussed
in “Youth and the Law,” a hand
book prepared by the Eugene
Commission on the Rights of.
Youth.
Don Chalmers, director of the
ASUO Office of Student Advocacy
and head of the youth commis
sion, presented copies of the
handbook to representatives of
the Eugene Police Department
and School District 4-J Friday.
Chalmers cajls the handbook "a
productive outgrowth” of com
plaints his commission has hand
led concerning police harassment
of young people loitering in the
downtown mall.
Emphasizing that the situation
VINO'S
SPAGHEVVI
HOUSE
PIZZA
Tino’s Happy Hour
Qalzoni $2.50 ala carte
Large Pitchers $1.50
M-Th 9 p.m.-Midnight
15th & Willamette
open everyday
5 p.m.-1 a.m.
is ‘‘very much improved" from last
year, he sees the handbook,
based on Eugene teenagers'
most asked questions, as a sign of
“various segments of the com
munity working with each other.”
Police Chief Pie ;e Brooks
supports the handb *ik's content
and intent. “An excellent job, and
very fair,” he says. "I’d like to see
20,000 (copies) go to the schools.”
OnJy 2,000 copies have been
printed so far. According to Chal
mers, Lane County is financing an
additional 3,000 copies, and any
agency is welcome to reproduce
the book on a non-profit basis.
Chief Brooks offered one criti
cism of the handbook: its 8V2 x 11 ”
format. Were they reduced to
pocket size, he suggests, police
men could carry them to hand out
to young people instead of cita
tions.
Although the handbook is de
signed to increase public aware
ness of a young person's legal
standing under Oregon Law,
Chalmers cautioned that it should
not be considered a substitute for
seeking legal advice.
Copies of "Youth and the Law"
are available in the City
Manager s Office through the
Human Rights staff.