Annual festival in Oregon offers entertainment galore

Sydney Reyes, 5, of Rock Falls pokes at bubbles while listening to children’s singer Rob "Babaloo" Compton of Washington, MO. The entertainer kept the kids and adults in stitches during his set at Oregon's Autumn on Parade. (Alex T. Paschal/SVN)

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OREGON - Sunday's parade stepped off moments after the morning showers gave up and departed, leaving a smaller-than-usual crowd to line the streets of Oregon for the 38th annual Autumn on Parade festival. Yet, there was plenty to see and do at the 2-day festival that began Saturday, and plenty of performers to put smiles on the faces of the thousands who attended. There were performers on stilts. Knives and fire were thrown around. There were tricksters on unicycles, and a bike that could fit in the palm of someone's hand. Bob Hunt, 45, of Chicago performed at the festival as "Circus Boy" - equal parts comedian, juggler, bicyclist, and fire-eater. Hunt amazed the crowd by juggling knives while on a unicycle, and made people laugh as he did a wheelie on a bike that fit in the palm of his hand. After 30 seconds, he fell on his behind (as part of his act), and the crowd grimaced and collectively said "Oooh." Hunt has added things here and there to his act after spending time in the circus as an acrobat. "Most started off as an accident," Hunt said. To cap off his show, Hunt, who was in the circus for 3 years, juggled flaming sticks, behind his back and through his legs. Taylor Ruiz of Rockford liked the show so much, he and his brother, 7-year-old Logan, bought an autographed DVD. "I like how he extinguished [the fire] with his mouth," 9-year-old Taylor said. Walking above the crowd were Pete and Amy Nelson of Madison, Wis. The couple are part of a Wisconsin-based group of stilt walkers called Jolly Giants. Pete Nelson was dressed as a scarecrow, and Amy Nelson was a dragonfly. "Your stilts are bigger than our stilts," Pete said to a toddler standing on her father's shoulders. The Nelsons are teachers and perform on stilts during their free time. "It's a matter of fitness more than balance," Pete Nelson said. The entertainment took place among vendors selling crafts, jewelry and paintings. Christy Seebach of Flag Center picked up a couple of seasonal signs for her and her husband Jerry's pumpkin patch. She was impressed with the talent of all the vendors. "Everything is unbelievable," Seebach said. "There's something for everyone here."