Up in the air

TALKEETNA — Juggling may seem like a skill too difficult to learn, but a local group is willing to teach with patience.

Members of the Green Light Circus, a 15-year-old group based in Talkeetna, wants anyone with an interest in juggling to come to the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar every Wednesday this month at 6:30 p.m.

There, event organizers say, participants will find friendly teachers hoping to share their craft with experts and novices alike.

One of those teachers, Mary Farina, the director of the circus, said she’s just hoping they have a good crowd for the class.

“Hopefully, we’ll get a lot of people,” Farina said. “ Hopefully, some will know how to juggle.”

Organizers of the class are hoping cabin fever brought on by the state’s recent cold snap will motivate perspective jugglers to come to the Sheldon hangar.

Farina said a recent movie night brought about 60 people into Talkeetna, even as temperatures hovered around 30-below.

A turn-out like that would likely put a smile on Farina’s face. The longtime Talkeetna resident said she ran a juggling workshop years ago and only one person showed up.

“We went on though,” she said.

Farina said beginner jugglers typically start with scarves, which move slower in the air and are easier to catch and toss.

From there, jugglers can move onto balls, clubs and myriad other objects.

The class has even had one student confident enough to light his clubs on fire before juggling them.

One popular item jugglers like to use is a diabolo, which is a rubber spool jugglers toss and whirl on a string by holding sticks attached to the string in both hands.

That’s the apparatus Farina says she’s does the best at, and one a lot of jugglers seem to like.

Perhaps the most important thing about juggling, however, is bringing a high level of patience to the activity.

“A lot of people will pick one thing and master it before they go on to anything else,” Farina said.

No matter what jugglers choose to toss in the air, Farina said the whole idea is to have a little fun as the winter months drag on.

The open juggling night — as the event is billed — will take place every at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday evening in January at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar. The class is free of charge and equipment is provided. For more information, contact the Denali Arts Council at 733-7929.