Birthday Spectacles

Soon his intentions became apparent as he climbed onto a bicycle and rode to the top of the hill. Jacob and Cecil stood on the dock, where there was a wall of carboard boxes and a ramp. They lit the boxes on fire and gave the high-sign. Soon Kalen came speeding down the hill, onto the ramp and through the flames, boxes and air into the pond.

Since then, others have been inspired to hold spectacles for their birthdays. So far, all other spectacles have been for 30th birthdays, but there are rumors that this trend will soon be bucked!

Cecil held a dramatic spectacle for his 30th in July of 2000. Wearing a special birthday crown and bright colored gauze ribbons, he climbed into the rafters of the Milkweed's house (still under construction). He then hung from the rafters and dropped through a circle of flame, through a narrow (3' square) opening in the concrete floor. Some folks didn't know what was under the floor. Was it more concrete? Was it a hole into nothingness? No, it was the Milkweed's cistern which had filled up with rainwater. The drop was suspensful and a great spectacle (but we forgot to take pictures). The crowd called for more falls, but Cecil kept them wanting more and no one else was brave enough to risk it.

The following September, Jacob followed suit. For a change of pace, he scheduled his spectacle for 5 am! Most folks agreed that this was the real drama of the day - seeing everyone gathered in the pre-dawn dark. Our pictures for this one turned out a bit blurry, so just think of it as the real-life perspective of the bleary eyed early morning viewers.

To waken everyone, Cecil played the trombone, quietly and slowly at first, then with increasing speed and volume until he ripped into Revelie and brought the crowds out. Jacob showed everyone where to find hot tea, then led the parade over to the spectacle site. What at first looked like an innocent scaffold, soon became a rickety tower rising into the air with the addition of a ladder. And what first looked like a simple wall of carboard and newspaper, soon became a flaming inferno! Jacob climbed to the top of the ladder, plugged in his christmas light crown and dropped down on a rope through the flaming mass. The amused crowd then split into two camps: those clammering for pancakes and those clammering for sleep.