Do You Celebrate the Season or the Reason?

Sometimes it is important to pause and examine how we spend out time, talents, and treasure. While very "into" Christmas, I have to suggest that we spend a lot more time celebrating the season of Christmas than we do celebrating the reason for Christmas. Which consumes you- the season or the reason? Which one should? It is worth thinking about. . .

Christmas Stocking Talks

Thanks to Clinton Detweiler, ventriloquist figure maker extraordinaire (see his blog at www.newsyvents.blogspot.com), I have added a talking Christmas Stocking to my assortment of characters.
Leotardo (related to the Spanish word for stocking), has captured the imagination of the children in our church. While speaking with a bit of a Spanish accent, he talks about the origin of hanging stockings by the fireplace, and answers all kinds of questions about the North Pole.
Thanks Clinton for the constant creation of new and novel creations to entertain and inspire.

Ventriloquism is Back!

It has been a good year for ventriloquism. David Letterman's "ventriloquist week" was a hit, not once but twice. Jay Johnson won a Tony award for his one man ventriloquist show on Broadway. Then last night, Terry Fader, a singing ventriloquist, won the $1 million dollar top prize in NBC's America's Got Talent competition.

It is great to see that even in today's high tech world, that this old fashioned, low tech art can still captivate and touch hearts.

Louie Wolf--another picture

Louie has turned out to be a giant hit with our preschool children. They pass by my office door at church, wave, and shout "Hi Louie!"

You can have lots of fun with a puppet and just a little imagination.

New Puppet-- Brother of the Big Bad Wolf

Here he is, just in from Pavlov's Puppets in Czechoslovakia, Louie Wolf, brother of the infamous but deceased Big Bad Wolf. Louie claims that his brother was framed by a band of disgruntled pigs. As a member of the Wolf Anti-Defamation League, Louie wants to set the record straight about all of those nursery rhymes and fairy tales that picture wolves as villains. "The huffing and puffing," says Louie, "was caused by my brother's asthma. He raced to their house to warn them of the on-coming tornado. In return for his kindness, he was boiled alive in the pot of those canibal pigs." When asked about the Little Red Riding Hood story, Louie replied, "Fiction, pure fiction, made up by the Grim Brothers who were bankrolled by the Pig lobby. It is high time someone speak up for the wolves."

Ventriloquist week at FCM-- Workshop Schedule

Here is the tentative schedule for Vent Week at the Fellowship of Christian Magicians annual international convention this summer, July 16-20, 2007 in Marion, Indiana.

Monday
1:30pm Del Wilson, "Basic Ventriloquism"
2:45pm Tim Cowles, topic to be announced

Tuesday
8:30am Tim Cowles, topic to be announced
11am Liz VonSeggen, "Lip Control for Vents and Dummies"
1:30pm Steve Taylor, "Fooling Your Dummy"
2:45pm Liz VonSeggen, "Show and Tell for Vents"

Wednesday
1:30pm GloriaJean Hendrickson, "Developing Your Character"
2:45pm Steve Parker, "Vent Voice Aerobics"

Thursday
8:30am GloriaJean Hendrickson, "Basic Ventriloquism II"
11am Dave Mitchell, "My Favorite Bible Stories"
1:30pm Ken Lock, "Learning from the Masters"
2:45pm Del Wilson, "Novelty Ventriloquism"

Friday
8:30am Bob Shimer, "Walk around Vent"
9:45am Ken Lock, "Music, Monologues & Special Additions"

For registration information, visit http://fcm.org/convention_information.php

Ventriloquist week at FCM

The Fellowship of Christian Magicians (FCM) will meet for their annual convention in Marion, Indiana (1 hour North of Indianapolis) from July 16-20th this summer. If you are involved in Christian entertainment or ministry there is something here for your whole family. You can learn magic, ventriloquism, puppets, storytelling, balloon twisting, face-painting, juggling, chalk art, clowning, drama, and so much more.

Our family has enjoyed going for several years now. The variety is wonderful and there is a spirit of joy and helpfulness at this convention. People are happy to help you, show you the tricks of the trade, and encourage you. There are no extra fees for a little personal attention or encouragment to help you master a skill, technique, or trick. There are no acts that contain "blue" or questionable material. It is family friendly fare all across the board.

This year, the ventriloquism section is quite strong. Beginners and seasoned veterans alike will learn a lot from folks like Liz VonSeggen, Steve Taylor, Tim Cowles, Dave Mitchell, Steve Parker, Del Wilson, GloriaJean Hendrickson, Bob Shimer, and Ken Lock. The classes are small, enabling you to have no trouble seeing and hearing, asking questions, and getting just the help you might need to advance your skill level. There is even a late night time of discussion, sharing, and coaching for those who just can't get enough ventriloquism!

I look forward to seeing many ventriloquists at FCM this year. Read more about the convention at www.fcm.org/convention_information.php. You will find that it may be the most economical week of vent workshops you could attend.

Ventriloquism is Fun

With something as simple as a hand puppet, you can create great joy. Here, Cletus the Possum, is whispering sweet nothings in to the ear of a senior adult in a nursing home. When was the last time you let a possum nibble on your ear?