A crowd of people of all ages was entertained Wednesday as juggler Richard Holmgren of the Flying Debris Show performed tricks and told jokes at the Great Bend Public Library.
“I really enjoy doing these shows,” Holmgren said. “I love to entertain people and I get to travel all over the country meeting new people. It is fun and engaging.”
His juggling props ranged from balls to pins to a plunger. Throughout the show he kept the crowd entertained with witty jokes and other forms a comedy.
“The show is meant for everyone even though the younger people might not catch the jokes,” Holmgren said. “It is fun and the kids get a kick out of it.”
Volunteers got into the act as he rode a unicycle and juggled three pins at the same time. For the grand finale he kicked a bowling ball from his feet and caught it on the side of this head.

The juggler
According to flyingdebrisshow.com, Holmgren was born a jokester and learned to juggle in fourth grade gym class. It’s true that anyone can learn to juggle, he said. However, he never stopped challenging himself to be the best, inventing new techniques for every trick he learned. Later he learned that using his comedy wit in conjunction with his arsenal of creative human skills would make for a great living.
By 1994 Holmgren began performing The Flying Debris Show professionally. It’s an hour packed with comedy, zany stunts, and lots of audience participation.

Summer Reading Program
This is the final week of the Summer Reading Program at the Great Bend Public Library. There will be a weaving demonstration at 1 p.m. Friday featuring Terry Asper, Great Bend, a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism.
The summer program will wrap up Saturday with a party from 6-8 p.m. at the Wetlands Waterpark.
Looking ahead, a Back to School Blast on Thursday, Aug. 3, will feature Dan Dan the Magic Man.