Balloon animals, clowns and even a psychic bug brought the basement of downtown Ypsilanti restaurant Bona Sera to life Nov. 8 as the FLY Children’s Art Center of Ann Arbor hosted the second annual Flying Circus.
The FLY Children’s Art Center is a non-profit art center bringing art to children in Southeastern Michigan. The Flying Circus hosted Friday night was one of several fundraisers FLY conducts to raise money for supplies and other costs used to fund its programs.
Guests of the Flying Circus found entertainment such as Shivy the Clown, played by Tom Shiven, who has been entertaining as a professional clown for over 30 years. Shivy has been seen at such events as Heritage Festival, but was on handmaking balloon animals for a worthy cause.
Music was provided by D.J. Hee Haw and even Coughy the Clown was on hand to assist visitors in setting up a Kroger Card with proceeds donated to the FLY Children’s Art Center.
Christine Bruxvoort, FLY board president, was decked out and in attendance to show her support.
“This is one of our major fundraisers for the year,” Bruxvoort said. “It’s a chance for us to get out into the community. We provide services to children so we are known by mostly parents.”
On hand was Naia Venturi, president of Dreamland Theater, putting on a puppet show for the Flying Circus. Adults and children alike were entertained with the hilarious “Satisfaction Guaranteed,” a story of a man named Bob and his search for satisfaction at the bottom of a potatoes chip bag. The side-splitting antics, lively characters and fun loving display of puppets were excellent additions to the Flying Circus.
After the puppet show, visitors lined up for a fortune reading by Psychic Firefly Bug with insightful and deep looks into the lives of his guests. A lively and friendly psychic bug, the firefly used a series of cards to bring to the surface details people may not have thought of when it comes to daily troubles.
All proceeds from the event went to the Children’s Art Center for various expenses needed to continue providing the world of art to children.
The FLY Children’s Art Center is located at 40 N. Huron St. in Ypsilanti. Students interested in getting involved will find plenty of opportunities to donate and volunteer, and can start by contacting the center at info@flyartcenter.org.
There are currently internships available for art students in a variety of areas and those interested can find more information on flyartcenter.org/internships. Anyone interested in a night of fun and crafts will find many events coming up listed on the homepage, as well as “art party” packages.
