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Summary calendar at end of this page
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 12th Annual Yo-Yo Convention & Celebration where your head will spin on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 23-24-25, 2007. Contests, demonstrations, exhibits, and classes with a variety of events each day. A new "Little Saturday Night Yo-Yo Contest" runs from 6 to 7 pm using only the old-fashion fixed-axle yo-yos. Sunday's famous 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. The Sunday Chicago Tribune Travel Section, the prestigious Midwest Living Magazine, Family Fun Magazine, Nickelodeon's Magazine all have listed it as one of the 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.
A Friday night event is new this year from 6 to 8:30 pm: with toys to "test drive," see an Eskimo yo-yo demonstration, learn about yo-yo collecting, see hudnreds 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! This event from 6 to 8:30 pm on Friday is $10 person.
A yo-yo class for beginners, ages 8 to adult, for $24 is offered Saturday afternoon at 2 pm or Sunday monring at 11 am for ages 8 to adult, and each person receives a high quality $16 yo-yo to keep. Advance registration is required for these you-yo classes.
NEW THIS YEAR IS AN OFF-STRING A SHOW and class. A yo-yo not attached to its string can do some very magical things, and are extremely fun to watch. The 1 pm Saturday off-string show by Ian Johnson is included in the 10-2 event with a $10 admission.. The off-string class at 2 pm is a separate $10, and particpants must being their own off-string yo-yo or buy one at the convention.
Yo-Yo Exhibition, onging videos, and a demonstration are Saturday, 10 am to 2pm. The exhibition showecases more 500 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. Admission is $10 per person, all ages. Advance group discounts are offered if purchased before March 17, 2007
Saturday afternoon from 3-5 is "YO-YO TIME " for beginning and advanced yo-yo players and yo-yo collectors (youth and adults, families, too) offers a number of seriously silly opportunities. The “oddest yo-yo “ contest, the “longest walk-the-dog” contest, longest sleep contest, original tricks contest, show-off your tricks time, claims to fame stories, gifts for everyone, and trading of yo-yos are part of this event. Space is limited for Yo-Yo Time, and admission is $15 per person, all ages, with everyon everyone at Yo-Yo Time receiving a gift package.
New: The LITTLE Saturday Night Yo-Yo Contest from 6-7 is for everyone to enter, with your own fixed axle yo-yo. There are only five tricks like sleeper, around the world, and rock the baby. This event includes door prizes for all, plus contest prizes for winners, and a yo-yo story or two. Admission is $10 per person, and contestants receive $5 cash back rebate after contest.
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.
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 premier yo-yo collector Chuck Dawson who yo-yoed as a demonstrator for Duncan at a Milwaukee promotional event for the opening of Grease, champion Barry North, 1950's champion John Crivello; 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 will receive a $5 cash rebate on their admission following the contest. Activities begin at 1 pm: the Worldwide Yo-Yo Contest, shows, and door prizes. Demonstrations of juggling, Japanese Kendamas, gyroscopes, and Gyro Junior 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.
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 editiona of the book Lucky's Guide to Collecting Yo-Yos with hundreds of yo-yos pictures along with the hisotry 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 12th Annual Yo-Yo convention is presented by the non-profit, educational Spinning Top Museum. Call (262) 763-3946 for information.
