The Shawano County Fair’s newest entertainment attraction, the Juggler with the Yellow Shoes, is already grabbing attention after his first day of performances Friday.
Menasha resident Dan Kirk has been a full-time juggler for 20 years and started dabbling in the craft when he was 16. The yellow shoes have been part of Kirk’s act for years.
“I found some in a mall in the ’80s — and they were on sale, so I thought, ‘Oh, I can wear those when I juggle,’” Kirk said after his show Friday night behind the grandstand. “They kind of stuck.”
During the main show, Kirk was juggling flaming sticks, balls, a tennis racket, a soccer ball and more — sometimes in a stationary position and sometimes on a unicycle.
As he was juggling several small balls, the announcement came over the loudspeaker that his act “would be” starting at 5:15 p.m. It was 5:23 p.m. when that announcement came.
Kirk said he wished someone would announce the show was already happening. Shawano County Agriculture Society President Dale Hodkiewicz, who was in the audience at the time, slipped away and eagerly made the announcement himself, generating chuckles from the audience.
Kirk brought a couple of children into the act, making balloon swords for them and encouraging them to use them to hit the balls he was juggling. They were unsuccessful.
Kirk’s decision to take up juggling full-time, traveling to county fairs and other venues, came when he turned 24 and had been laid off from his third job. Kirk had originally wanted to be a chemist and went to college with that in mind, but he changed gears and got his degree in graphic arts.
“It was like, ‘OK, God, my plan didn’t work out. What is your plan?’” Kirk said. “God actually spoke to me and said to be a juggler.”
Kirk said he vowed to try and accomplish the goal within three years. Sure enough, three years later, in 1993, Kirk was juggling everything but his work schedule.
Career juggling has not always been a steady path, but Kirk has no regrets about what he’s doing. He has performed in 14 states and performed on “America’s Got Talent.”
“It’s not an easy way to make a living, but I love what I do,” Kirk said.
The yellow-shoed juggler also works with children with dyslexia, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, showing how juggling can help ease those difficulties.
Kirk will be on the midway Saturday and Sunday performing random juggling feats, with 30-minute shows kicking off behind the grandstand at 5:15 p.m. both days.
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