32nd Annual Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival

The location and date for the festival is confirmed at the Yaarab Shrine Center for Feb. 5-7, 2010.

Coming to the festival?  Print your map to the Yaarab Shrine Center and the Academy Theatre and a list & map of nearby restaurants.

Details

You'll find jugglers, unicyclists, yoyo pros, live music and family fun for all ages at the annual Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival. Know how to juggle? Want to pick up a few new tricks? Just like to watch and maybe learn how to juggle? Check out the fun at the 2008 and 2009 festivals. Ask at the registration table if you'd like a free juggling lesson. We're always happy to teach others.

Competition for the famous PHIL award happens Saturday at 2 PM. Rules for the juggling competition are simple -- each competitor has 4 minutes, anything goes (NO FIRE!). Judges are selected from the audience and their only qualification is "no knowledge of juggling".

NEW COMPETITION SIGNUP RULES THIS YEAR:  Cost is $5 to sign up for the competition. Sign up at the registration table. We close competition registration at 12 noon on Saturday two hours before the show or as soon as we get 10 competitors (whichever comes first). If we have to close the signup list before noon, then all others will be placed on a waiting list and two more competitors will be drawn from a hat at noon. 

You must be a registered juggler to compete. Bring your own music for your act. Any act going over the 4-minute limit gets swept off the stage. All acts will be performed on the stage (none on the floor this year since many spectators can't see acts on the floor). Note that the stage floor is commercial type carpeting. If you want to bounce balls you'll have to provide your own bouncing surface.

See the list of past PHIL winners.

The Seed and Feed Marching Abominable band opens the show on Saturday at 2 PM. The juggling competition is a free show and lasts about an hour or so. The judges confer after all the competitors finish and we award the trophies at the end of the show. Registered jugglers have a chance to win some great door prizes during the show/competition.

 

Unicycle polo will take place in the parking lot (weather permitting) on Saturday and/or Sunday. All participants must be registered for the festival.

The Late Night Cabaret will be Saturday night at 11 PM at the Academy Theatre in Avondale Estates. The DeLuxe Vaudeville Orchestra will provide music and entertainment. Anyone who wants to perform or MC this event please let us know when you register (theater and show details). Admission $5 (free for registered jugglers). Tickets will probably sell out so get yours at our registration table at the Yaarab Shrine Center.

The Light Extravaganza happens at 10:30 PM in the parking lot of the Academy Theatre. Bring your lighted props and come play outside before the late night cabaret begins (weather permitting).

The Georgia State Yo-yo Championship will not be held at our festival this year.  It has been moved to sometime later this year.

Workshops

On Saturday and Sunday afternoon several workshops will be hosted by AJA club members and guests. If there's something you want to learn, just ask at the registration table and we'll find someone to teach an impromptu workshop.

Saturday  11 AM -- Club Swinging and Poi -- Joyce Howard

Saturday 12 noon -- Club Passing -- ???

Sunday 12 noon -- Siteswap -- Justin Mullins

Sunday 1 PM -- Ball Bouncing -- Andy Ford

Sunday 2 PM -- Diabolo -- ???

Location

WE HAVE A GREAT LOCATION THIS YEAR (same as the last few years) ...... a huge gym with a smooth tile floor and lots of lights!!!

Yaarab Shrine Center Recreation Building
400 Ponce de Leon Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30308
(near the intersection of Ponce de Leon Ave. and Hunt St.) (here's a road map and a satellite image)

DIRECTIONS: Take Interstate 75/85 (the Connector downtown) to Freedom Parkway exit and go east on the parkway until you reach Ponce de Leon Ave. Turn left and go about a mile to the Yaarab Shrine Temple on your right. Look for the JUGGLING signs. Park for free in the Yaarab Shrine parking lot. We're in the recreation building in the back.  Here's a picture of the front of the building.

Transportation

MARTA is still the cheapest way to get around town. For only $1.75 you can catch a train from the airport, but don't forget to get a bus transfer.  The closest station is North Ave.  Walking Instructions: Go east on North Ave., left on Piedmont Ave., then right on Ponce de Leon Ave. (about 8-9 city blocks)

You can't hail a CAB in this town, you must call for a pickup. Rapid Taxi at 404-222-9888 runs 24 hours a day.

Cost

Registration for the entire weekend is $15 for festival participants (jugglers, unicylists, yo-yoists, hoopers, etc.) to cover operating expenses (hall rental, custodial fee, insurance, etc.). Registration fee  includes a raffle ticket for prizes (given away at the Saturday afternoon competition) and admission to the Late Night Cabaret.

Admission is free to spectators and the public at large for all events at the Yaarab Shrine Center. Tickets for the cabaret are $5 each for the public.

Please bring cash or a check for payment. We cannot accept credit cards.

Shirts

Commemorative Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival t-shirts will be available.

Food

Special Event Catering will sell food, snacks and drinks at our festival this year during all the hours that our doors are open. They will offer hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, assorted salads ( tossed, chicken and tuna), pop corn, chips, candy bars, granola bars, fruit, soft drinks, power drinks and bottled water.

 

Herbal maté will be available in the break room throughout the festival.

Here's a list and map of nearby restaurants You can print the PDF files from here or we'll have copies on the registration table.

Vendors

The following vendors will be at our festival this year. You can call or email the folks selling juggling equipment in advance to request that they bring a particular item. This would save the cost of shipping and handling.

• Laughing Dragon Swords and Toys (Diirga Brough 404-373-0585)
• Big Apple Circus
• Infinite Illusions
• Sound, Healing and Energetic Arts (Advanced Cranial Healing Practitioner Darlene Wright Van Dyke)

RAFFLE:  We welcome all donations for our raffle at the Saturday afternoon competition. Props from all the vendors listed above will be in the raffle. The following vendors will not be at the festival but have sent us items for the raffle. We thank them for their support:

• Higgins Brothers
• Flying Clipper
• Dubé
• the Bag Lady

We welcome all vendors of juggling items to our festival.  There is a charge of $75 per table.  The tables are 8' long and 30" wide.  Each table includes one person's full registration to the juggling festival.  Each vendor will be asked to provide an item for the raffle.  Call Alan at 678-665-5876 or email ghvendors@atlantajugglers.org to reserve your tables and we'll add your name and website link or phone number here.

For More Information

email us at aja@atlantajugglers.org

Toni Shifalo: 404-299-3686

Travel Information and Atlanta Attractions

Atlanta Travel Information

Georgia Aquarium

High Museum of Art

Stone Mountain Park

Zoo Atlanta

Housing

Here's a website showing hotels nearby.

Here's a list of hotels starting with the closest ones to the main festival location at the Yaraab Shrine Center:

Hotel Indigo (special rates from $79/night -- enter code AJA) 683 Peachtree St, Atlanta 30308, 404-874-9200 (.7 miles from festival and 7.3 miles from theatre)

Highland Inn (from $87/night with free breakfast & parking) 644 Highland Ave, Atlanta 30312, 404-874-5756, 888-256-7221 (1.4 miles from festival and 6.1 miles from theatre)

Days Inn -- downtown Atlanta (from $93/night with free breakfast and internet) 300 Spring St NW, Atlanta 30308, 404-523-1144, 800-329-7466 (1.7 miles from festival and 8 miles from theatre)

Quality Hotel Downtown -- 89 Luckie St, Atlanta 30303, 404-524-7991 (2 miles from festival and 8 miles from theatre)

Super 8 Motel

• downtown Atlanta (from $69/night w/free breakfast and internet) 1641 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta 30309, 404-873-5731, 800-800-8000 (2.6 miles from festival and 9.3 miles from theatre)
• Decatur (from $60/night with free breakfast and internet) 917 Church St, Decatur 30030, 404-378-3765 (5.2 miles from festival and 2 miles from theatre)

Sleep Inn -- 800 Sidney Marcus Blvd, Atlanta 30324, 404-949-4000 (4.2 miles from festival and 9.3 miles from theatre)

Comfort Inn Downtown South (from $79/night with free breakfast) 795 Pollard Boulevard, Atlanta 30315, 404-658-1610 (4.3 miles from festival and 9.3 miles from theatre)

Holiday Inn Conference Center (from $89/night) 130 Clairemont Ave, Decatur 30030, 404-371-0204 (5.4 miles from festival and 1.8 miles from theatre)

Red Roof Inn Atlanta - Buckhead (from $65/night with free internet and parking) 1960 N Druid Hills Rd NE, Atlanta 30319, 404-321-1653 (5.6 miles from festival and 8 miles from theatre)

Courtyard by Marriott (from $79 with free internet) 1236 Executive Park Dr NE, Atlanta 30329, 800-321-2211, 404-728-0708 (5.8 miles from festival and 7.7 miles from theatre)

Quality Inn Northeast (from $50/night with free breakfast and internet) 2960 N.E. Expressway I-85 @ Shallowford Rd. exit 93, Atlanta 30341, 770-451-5231, 800-228-5151 (11.4 miles from festival and 11 miles from theatre)

Groundhog Day History and Facts

Groundhog Day (Wikipedia)

Atlanta's own groundhog General Beauregard Lee