FridayCirque

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It didn't take much.

It didn't take much at all.

The sun came out for about an hour - maybe two, depending on where you were at.

But that was enough.

There was a palpable lifting of spirits throughout the town - starting at the Orchard where we could see light streaming from the skylights in the ceiling in the Mall.

I got home and promptly fell asleep - we've been going like mad for a solid two weeks - the new phones hit and then the cloudy weather insured the entire Eastern Seaboard hit the Orchard. It's been fun (pretty much) but starting to get a little wearing.

The return of some semblance of Summer was a great release. You can see where everyone's Facebook page catches the moment.

So, once up from my nap - and an impromptu counting of blessings for the day - I grabbed my camera and wandered down Doctor's Row to the Eastland, where another applet, James, was having some charcoal pieces on display. They were in an intricate triptych, rich and detailed. I hope he sells them - I wish I could afford them.

Ian was next, one of the famous pair of DJ's from the late lamented Party More. He's got work across the street, an ironic triptych of drawings the skewered contemporary media and thought. Quick work, a rapier thrust of commentary.

There were other folks from the Orchard out as well - I saw or heard of at least 6 - I'm sure more were out - we're a pretty artsy/craftsy bunch.

Still, my attention was caught by a crowd in front of the Portland Museum of Art intersection, by Starbucks. A show was in progress, the kind of street performance that brings so much fun and community interest to the city.

The group called itself the "Excuse me SirCus" and they were street performers of a particularly daring bent.

Anyone that can successfully pull off a flea circus in this day and age has an audacity sorely missed in contemporary entertainment.

It was a home-grown mix of fire-juggling, the aforementioned flea circus, pie throwing, glass walking, concrete block breaking and other feats. The Blue Man Group has a mantra - always try to open with something the audience just can't (or won't be bothered to learn to) do - no matter what, such a approach immediately sets you apart as a performer and it's easier to get an audience to go with you.

I can say for a fact that the percentage of folks on the street watching who regularly have cinder blocks sledgehammered to pieces on their chests is probably quite low.

All told it was a hoot - even more so when my friend and concierge Melissa took my camera to shoot pics of me as I answered a call for volunteers to hula-hoop (see last post).

I actually got applause.

This was followed by more fire juggling and conversation after the performance.

I heard about another show in Monument Square. This provided a good excuse to head down and have dessert at David's - though it was obvious the lowering clouds might close in again.

The Monument Show was put on by the local Goth community, a cheerful crowd of belly dancers and fire-twirlers. A story-teller/performance artist was shut down by the Fire Department over confusion as to how his fire would be handled - no need to have the course of true art go smoothly, after all.

Still the belly dancers were nice and the fire-twirler was first rate.

The organizer and I had a chance to chat about the provenance of this show - we shared a coffee at David's, she parked her fire extinguisher, billy clubs, megaphone and fire pikes in a chair. Apparently the local Goths had been sharing impromptu performances for some time. First Fridays this Summer had been invested with a commitment to share these performances with the City at large.

So it was a very pleasant evening. Of course the fog has closed back in and God only knows what the rest of the day will bring.

Still, after all is said and done First Friday was full of incident and fun. Things could have been a lot more boring - and how often do I get a chance to hula-hoop and share with the town?

Hmmm?