Offbeat Occupations: Liberty Tax waver dances to beat of his MP3 player
Trayvan Sullivan, 29, swaggers up and down the sidewalk near the corner of Wisconsin and Sixth streets. He is wearing a Statue of Liberty costume with a green velour robe and a 7-point crown. Slung on his shoulders is a large white sign that says “Honk if you Love Liberty.”
Offbeat Occupation: Local writer is serious about comics
Jai Nitz’s desk contains objects sacred to comic book lovers: a statue of Jack Kirby, an Aztek action figure and a copy of Wally Wood’s 22 Panels — a strip that outlines the art of comics. The last item is significant if only because writing comics is what Nitz does. A rare thing, to turn a childhood passion into a career, but Nitz has done it.
Offbeat Occupation: Bowler combines passion with work
Kristal Scott Wilson is a former professional bowler who now works at Jayhawk Bowling Supply, 355 Iowa.
Offbeat Occupations: Yoga teacher a trainer in graceful aging
The sounds of a sitar and a pair of hand drums flow from a stereo in the corner of the room. Ten colored yoga mats are splayed across the center of the floor.
Odd jobs: In this economy, Lawrence residents are getting creative
Tough times call for inventive measures.
A Port in the Storm
Bringing together community, environment and entrepreneurship in the recession
A Lawrencian and Kansas Citian by way of Israel have managed to blend enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, the environment, and sense of a community’s creativity into a promising business amid the relentless recession...
Get Off Your Ass
Clinton delegate turned Obama supporter asks Democrats, "What have you done for Obama today?"
In a nondescript hotel suite in downtown Denver, a handful of Hillary Clinton supporters take refuge from the all-consuming Obama circus that has swept every inch of this city. It's the second day of the Democratic National Convention, and there is no doubt that Barack Obama will be named the presidential nominee of his party at the end of the week, but these stubborn few die hards sit amongst now obsolete Hillary campaign signs and endearingly hand-painted portraits of their champion.
Land of Odd
Busker Tales : The Thrilling, Revolting & Absurd!
":blowing big fireballs while unicycling, and stuff like that." When asked the standard question, "what is it that you do?" there are very few people who, like Trenten Coy Espinoza, a performer from Kansas City with gauged ears and scars branded into both arms, would be able to say this in your standard, matter-of-fact tone.
Q&A with The Wicked Liars (Land of Odd)
The Wicked Liars are Robert and Valerie Wolf. They juggle knives, do a bullwhip act, swallow swords, play with fire and a lot of other things. Valerie can move a double-edged razorblade around in her mouth. Robert once appeared on a stamp issued by the island of St. Vincent as part of a series commemorating great circus performers. They have been married for 13 years and live in Lenexa.
Q&A with Flying Debris (Land of Odd)
Flying Debris is Richard Holmgren. He has a routine in which he juggles two machetes and a Twinkie and eats the Twinkie. He performs fire breathing tricks and juggles children. His dad always asks him to balance a wheelbarrow on his head to impress his dad's friends. He's from Salina.
Q&A with Stephanie Roberts and Peter Lawless of BOOM! (Land of Odd)
Boom! is a five-person band. They march. They sing. They wear weird costumes. Their shtick is that they're sibling orphans-Lily, Neil, Boris, Peter and Paul-separated at birth and reunited after growing up all around the world. The instruments are ukulele, clarinet, bass drum, trombone, melodica, saxophone and accordion. They were assembled by Stephanie Roberts, who teaches physical theater at UMKC. They're from Kansas City, Mo.
Q&A with Jester Rejects (Land of Odd)
The Jester Rejects are twin brothers Kent and Kevin Mercer. They have traveled around the world, with the circus and on their own, to juggle and perform as clowns. They're from Independence, Mo.
Q&A with Richard Renner (Land of Odd)
Richard Renner has been making a living as a clown for close to 30 years and books other entertainers with his Vodvill Entertainment Company. He won't be performing at the Lawrence Busker Festival because he's got a gig out of town, but he's the guy who dreamt up the whole thing. He lives in Lawrence.
SureFire Jugglers (Land of Odd)
The SureFire Jugglers are Jason Smith and Trenten Coy Espinoza. They juggle objects between each other, perform a two-person cartwheel, blow fireballs while unicycling, etc. They're from Kansas City, Mo.
Unusual labors of love
Holiday honoring working people finds a few with unique passions
Richard Renner would prefer not to eat fire, but "I'll do it if I have to," he says.
Not your mama's Tupperware Party
'Passion Parties' ... A social alternative for sex toy shopping
Jenn Chapman's apartment is a kinky lovers' paradise. Double dongs, butt plugs, anal beads, vibrators, big blue dildos - all neatly arranged and awaiting call-up to the bedroom big leagues. "The day that stuff comes in I have to lay everything out on the floor and count inventory," said Chapman, a 30-year-old Lawrence part-time entrepreneur whose day job is marketing for a business-planning firm. "My boyfriend gets a little irritated because they're spread out across the living room floor, and I'm trying to keep the dogs away."
Thrift-store cowboy
Sweet western shirt costs only dime, changes a life forever
For those who had a prosperous year, Christmas morning held the promise of a nice goose and a plump red visitor with an engorged sack filling your flue. Who doesn't dream of being smothered in a flood of oversized packages swollen with the love of their fellow man? Who indeed?
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