Trade Show 2007

Right, so.

The dance and demo for the Tri-Municipal Trade Show (held at the Tri-Leisure Centre in Spruce Grove) is an annual event for us at Silent River Kung Fu, though it seemed this year it seemed as if circumstance was conspiring against us.

The Trade Show opened on Friday with a lion dance, so we all dutifully gathered at the school before leaving for the Tri-Leisure centre. However, it seemed the car I was driving had a flat tire. This particular car was my mother's, and she apparently drives around a jack. Right, not a problem--I did have a spare, and Sifu Frietag offered up her jack. Hers, however, was too small to lift the SUV to the necessary height. Ok, fine, no problem, we hopped in her car and drove to her house, where we procured the 'big jack'. My first reaction, as well as that of Sihing Harrigan's when we got back to the school, was: "that is a big jack". Tire succesfully changed, only to find that the spare had a slow leak in it. I could drive on it though, so that's all that mattered. The dance went well...especially that noone dying during it seemed good by comparison. Sihing Harrigan was in the head, with myself in the tail, Sifu Frietag on drums, and Sifu Dennis on lettuce duty.

On Saturday we all managed to get there in one piece, though it wasn't over yet. The lion dance, with Sifu Frietag again on drums and Sihing Harrigan and Ms. Kosterman in the head and tail, respectively, went excellent if you were looking at it from the front. However, the strings that connect the lion's head to it's body began to tear off, until Sihing Harrigan was completley exposed to one side. Fortunately , said side was only populated by us from the school, and we already know what he looks like.

Secondly was the children's demos, who all performed superbly--a payoff of all the hard work they had been doing in preperation. During the Little Lepords/Tiny Tigers demo, however, Sifu Frietag took a step too far back while preparing the tunnel and fell off the stage. It was a only a short drop though, and as she said, that's what breakfalls are for.

I was slated to perform a three sectional staff demo, and for about 20 seconds I was. To my suprise my weapon came apart, and I was forced to improvise a form involving an escrima stick in one hand and the world's largest pair of nunchuks in the other. Nevertheless, we were redeemed by Sifu Edge's Lao Gar and Sifu Player's ever dramatic spear form.

So for next year, I'm going in for new tires, crazy gluing the lion together, and begging my staff to not turn on me again during a demo.

-Sifu Robertson