Celebrating Blue Skies with Bubbles Over Colorado

Author by Anonymous

Manitou Springs, CO April 20, 2004 -- Blue Skies Inn B&B presents the first ever "Bubbles Over Colorado" Festival on May 8 & 9 in Manitou Springs. When artist Sally Thurston built her bed and breakfast inn (www.blueskiesbb.com), she chose to name it in honor of her reason to return home to Colorado, blue skies. As a thank you to the people of that city at the base of Pikes Peak where her inn is located, Thurston planned a festival on the same sky theme. For two days, blue skies above the little town of Manitou Springs will be full of bubbles.



While searching the Internet for bubble ideas, Thurston was surprised to find professional bubble blowers. Invitations went out to several on both coasts. Sterling Johnson from San Francisco will perform as Bubblesmith all day on May 8 in City Hall at 606 Manitou Ave. Johnson creates intricate “hands on” bubble poetry with just his breath, hands, light, and music! He performs in a short-sleeved tuxedo to highlight the action of his hands in bubble soap.



Flex Cartagena, known as the Bubbleguy in Delaware, will demonstrate his prolific bubble machines in Memorial Park, 500 Manitou Ave., on both days of the festival. A kite flyer in his spare time, Cartagena engineered and built several different bubble machines in order to gauge the direction of wind on a kite flying field. Cartagena's Ephemeral Sculpture Machine can create bubbles three feet wide and twelve feet long. His smaller bubble machines feature a dozen wands and significant bubble soap holding capacity. Cartagena has been known to use upwards of thirty gallons of bubble soap in a day of pleasing crowds with bubble art.



Stretch the Stiltwalking Clown from Denver will perform in Memorial Park accompanied by giant puppets. At nine feet tall, Stretch, portrayed by clown Bill Coleman, will be a commanding figure on the bubble field. Spectators can see him chase bubbles with his enormous bubble wand. Stretch has planned crowd-pleasing antics around his Solar Powered Bubble Tower.



Hands-on bubble activities will be presented for children both days. Admission to the park is free. Please see www.bubblescolorado.com for directions to the festival.



Contact: Sally Thurston 719 685-3899