Immediate release (262) 763-3946, email the non-profit museum at
thetopmuseum@hotmail.com Photos can be emailed to you, we are available for interviews.
Summary calendar at end of this page
news releases..... call us for more info....
Thurs/Fri March 4-5, 2010
Exhibits of 2000 collectible yo-yos, patches, awards and memorabilia and a demonstration. See advertising and premium items, posters, a soap promotion, antique yo-yos, Duncan items, and meet someone who has yo-yoed with the Smothers Brothers.
Try the I Spy Hunt and try some unusual spinning gizzmos, too.
Demonstrations of a few classic yo-yo tricks for visitors, too. The 15th Annual Yo-Yo Convention runs March 4-7, 2010, and each day is different. Contests and workshops are held on other days.
Thursday and Friday exhibition is open from 2 to 6 pm, with other times available for groups. Admission for this day is $5/person, all ages.
Classes to learn to yo-yo can be arranged for a separate fee. The gift shop is open during the exhibition with more than 400 kinds of tops, yo-yos, diabolos, and gyroscopes for sale.
Parking is free. www.topmuseum.org 262 763-3946 Spinning Top & YO-YO Museum, 533 Milwaukee Av, Burlington, WI 53105
Saturday March 6, 2010
RUBIK'S CUBE WORKSHOP Learn to do the Rubik's Cube
Ages 8 to adult are invited to a special workshop during the 15th Annual YO-Yo & Skill toy Convention in Burlington, Wisconsin.
There are many skill toys during the 4 day event, and the cube will be the fun on Saturday afternoon at 5:30. Participants will receive a magic cube to keep, and learn how to solve it.
The session is from 5:30-6:15. Participants will want to attend earlier sessions of other skill toys during the day. Those have separate times and admissions with all of the details on the website www.topmuseum.org The Rubik’s session is $5 per person. Parking is free. Advance registration is suggested.
The instructor is Rachel Bruflodt, from Iowa. The workshop is at the non-profit Spinning Top Museum, 533 Milwaukee Avenue, Burlington, WI 53105 262 763-3946
this is being updated yet...
YO-YO CONVENTION & CELEBRATION
OF TOYS, CONTESTS, EXHIBITS, FUN
3 DAY FAMILY EVENT FOR SPECTATORS AND
PARTICIPANTS DOWNTONW BURLINGTON
Spectators and participants will converge on Burlington Wisconsin for the unique 14th Annual Yo-Yo Convention & Celebration where your head will spin on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept 25, 26, 27, 2009. Contests, demonstrations, exhibits, and classes with a variety of events each day. A new Sky Prop Contest and Old Fashioned Yo-Yo Contest are two of many new activities. The WORLDWIDE YO-YO CONTEST is sanctioned by the American Yo-Yo Association and offers classic patches and prizes, with promised adueince appreciation. Inbetween there are "toy test drives, an Eskmo yo-yo demonstration, door prizes, and endless yo-yoing.
Families, retired folks, groups, scouts, church groups, youth groups, kids, teens, college age, and everyone who was ever a kid will be there. Over the years, the Sunday Chicago Tribune Travel Section, the prestigious Midwest Living Magazine, Family Fun Magazine, Nickelodeon's Magazine, Canadian Radio, and Antique Week Magazine have recommended celebrations to attend in Wisconsin. From kids and college age to engineers, doctors, and factory workers, all ages are kids together here. The unique event has been featured on Discover Wisconsin TV.
“Watching is just as much fun as playing here! And, no, you don’t have to yo-yo to come to the convention, come to see the fun,” said Judith Schulz, volunteer director of the event. Yo-yo collector Schulz has appeared on Ripley’s Believe it or Not TV, PBS Wild Chicago, and yo-yoed with Tommy Smothers of the famous Smothers Brothers Comedy Team. A number of celebrities and yo-yos pros take part in the weekend, coming from hundreds of miles around.
All of the events are at the non-profit, Spinning Top Museum, 533 Milwaukee Avenue, downtown Burlington, Wisconsin. Space is limited this year, so advance ticket purchases are sugggested. Advance discounts are available, with informaiton online.
The Saturday evening workshop, 5:30-7 is great family time with 10 different skill and action toys to "test drive," see an Eskimo yo-yo demonstration, learn about yo-yo collecting, see hundreds of yo-yos on exhibit, show-off your yo-yo tricks, and enjoy light refreshments. Test drive toys include a levitating top, a gyroscope, a crazy top, a mountain toy, a ancient mysterious curiosity, a gizzmo that spins coins like tops, a unique yo-yo, & more!
A yo-yo class for beginners, ages 8 to adult, for $28, is offered Friday at 4 pm, or Saturday at 9 am or Sunday at 10:30 am for ages 8 to adult, and each person receives a high quality $18 yo-yo to keep. Advance registration is required for these yo-yo classes.
NEW THIS YEAR is a Sky Prop demonstration and contest at 10:30 am Saturday. This is a propellr launched with the palms of your hands. Ray Ziebell will be conducting this family event.
Diabolos will be demonstrated Saturday afternoon. This is often called a Chinese yo-yo. It is two large cups attached at the tip and activated by a string on two hand sticks. Amazing tricks can be performed with this classic action toy. Those who buy one at the convention can take part in beginners instroduction.
Yo-Yo Exhibition, onging videos, and a demonstration are Friday 1-4, and 5-8. The exhibition showecases more 1000 yo-yos and memorabilia, both vintage and rare. Collectible award patches, posters, and other yo-yo memorabilia are also on special display and collectors are at hand to talk with you. Brand names of Duncan, Cheerio, Flying Disc, Goody, Kusan, butterfly yo-yos, Contest award patches donated by Racine resident Joe Mrazak, yo-yo display boxes and more are on special exhibit. Visitors can view amazing yo-yo videos, purchase collectibles, and enjoy a 1 pm demonstration.
Saturday afternoon has demonstrations, the exhibit, and many contests for beginning and advanced yo-yo players and yo-yo collectors (youth and adults, families, too). The seriously silly opportunities include: the “oddest yo-yo “ contest, the “longest walk-the-dog” contest, longest sleep contest, show-off your tricks time, claims to fame stories, and door prizes for everyone.
A Looping Contest is held both Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, sanctioned by the American Yo-Yo Association. Looping is considered a more difficult trick , especially when repeated endlessly. It is also quite a sight, as everyone is doing the yo-yo trick at the same time. The person that can "loop" the longest is the winner, and receives a prize.
At noon on Sunday everyone can join in on a paddleball marathon or a hula hoop contest. Bring or buy your paddleball at the convention, hula hoops are provided for that contest. These contests will be held outside and are free to watch, with $2 fee to enter each contest, and possibly win prizes. If the weather requires it be held inside, then there would be a $2 admission fee to enter to watch or take part.
Sunday afternoon’s 1 pm WORLDWIDE YO-YO has divisions for all ages and door prizes galore for spectators. Demonstrations of diabolos, gyroscopes, and juggling and original yo-yo shows are great audience pleasers. Many details can be found on the website www.topmuseum.org. 200 different types of yo-yos, strings, videos, books, collectibles, paddleballs, gyroscopes, Kendamas, juggling balls, tops, and skill toys are also available to purchase during the weekend. Meet many yo-yo players as well as champion Barry North, 1950's champion John Crivello; Jay Bitterman 1940's champ, and Judith Schulz who has yo-yoed at an international festival in Italy.
“Bring the entire family Sunday afternoon to this age-less event with lots of fun action,” said Schulz. Doors open at 12:30 pm Sunday or the public with a $10 admission per person, all ages. Contestants who accomplish a minimum number of tricks will receive a $5 certificate for the gift shop following the contest. Activities begin at 1 pm: the Worldwide Yo-Yo Contest, shows, and door prizes. Demonstrations of juggling, Japanese Kendamas, gyroscopes, and other gizzmos are presented to the audience throughout the afternoon. Spectators and participants may bring their own yo-yos, paddleballs, and other things or purchase items at the convention. Great skills toys and related items are available throughout the two days for purchase. Last year more than 300 door prizes were given away.
See off-string yo-yoing! A yo-yo not attached to its string can do some very magical things, and are extremely fun to watch during the Sunday contest.
The Worldwide Yo-Yo Contest tricklist and rules are are on the website with tricks from Walk-the-Dog and Rock-the-Baby to the advanced Boingy-Boingy. The contest has age divisions, and a free-style division, which is a 3-minute yo-yo performance with music created by the yo-yo performer.
A second Sunday Yo-Yo Contest has just one difficult trick to perform called "Looping." Anyone who took part in the Worldwide contest may enter. Everyone starts at the same time and the contest is to see who can go the longest doing inside loops. "This is quite a sight, with the audience members rooting for different contestants, said JoAnn Toelle, volunteer.
Contest prizes include traditonal American Yo-Yo Association patches and a champion edition of the book Lucky's Guide to Collecting Yo-Yos with hundreds of yo-yos pictures along with the history of numberous yo-yo companies like Duncan, Hi-Kerr, Cheerio, Royal, Yomega, and the Festival Company.
Details of the convention are on the web site www.topmuseum.org, The 14th Annual Yo-Yo & Skill Toy Convention is presented by the non-profit, educational Spinning Top Museum. Call (262) 763-3946 for information.
