Grab a drink, socialize and get your Nerd on! Thrilling raffle prizes! Challenging trivia! Engaging Presentations! Join us at Maceli’s for a delightfully square time!
Doors at 7:30 pm, talks begin at 8pm, $1.00 cover at Maceli’s 1031 New Hampshire
Our Presentations:
“The Appalachian Trail” by Jamie Bone
The Appalachian Trail extends 2,150 miles from Amicalola Falls, GA to Katahdin, Maine. This journey is romanticized by images of green hills, victory poses, trail families, and inner-self work. This romanticization is broken by the monotonous chores, troubleshooting the insufferable weather, the terrible prepackaged diet you’ll endure, and the daily thoughts of quitting. Seriously, how many days could you walk down a path, feet soaked and throbbing, with almost no change in scenery? But the real treasures are the people you meet, the unique memories you make, and the entire culture centered around the AT.
“Okinawa: Japan’s Hawaii?” By Martha Boatright.
Like the American state, Okinawa was once an independent nation with its own rich history, language, and culture. Like Hawaii, Okinawa would be colonized and suffer tremendously during World War 2, dealing with the outcomes of its history to this day. This talk will give an overview of Okinawa then and now, to let you appreciate the cultural distinctiveness of this part of Japan.
“Comedy in a Crust: The History of Pie in Comedy” by Richard Renner
In the history of comedy a few things have become iconic in representing humor. These include Rubber chickens, Groucho glasses and…pie fights. How does something as simple as flinging a pastry become such a legendary moment? Richard Renner from the Vodvill Entertainment Company and Lawrence Busker Festival will explore and explain the way the humble pie rose to universal icon and guaranteed laugh maker. Learning the history of the pie fights in theater and movies can only end in one way. Be prepared for some audience participation and pie practice in the end.
Our Presenters:
Jamie Bone is a musician by profession, but an adventurer by passion. Whether it’s living out of her car all summer or chasing the next outdoor adrenaline rush, she has truly embraced the idea that we get one ride on this planet and heck, it might as well be fun! She loves Lawrence but she grew up at the foothills of the Ozark mountains. A piece of her heart will always remain there.
Richard Renner has been a theater nerd ever since his first production in 1972 and getting his first laugh in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He was so hooked that he pursued that feeling of fulfillment into college at KU and afterwards as a professional entertainer. His has performed his own one man show, the Slapstick Circus since 1986 across North America. His influences are Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton and Groucho Marx. In 2008 he produced the Lawrence Busker Festival as a celebration of the same kind of surprise and zaniness he loves. It is now in its 15th year and is still keeping people happy, laughing and distracted.
Martha Boatright was formerly on a PhD track studying East Asian religion before bailing with a Masters and going into a string of education and social service jobs. She worked for two years in Kitami, Hokkaido ten years ago, and her Japanese is rusty but usable.