Touching Show in Panguitch. Tuesday, May 3

 There are two different ways to get to Panquitch, UT from Cedar City.  You can take the scenic steep, uphill route via 14 to the Dixie National Forest and then down, down, down 148 to pass Cedar Breaks National Monument or take what looks to be the long way up I-15 past Parowan, then back down route 20.  Did you get that? At the advice of Becca, the gregarious and sweet-as-can-be housekeeper here at the Stratford Court, we went up to 20.  She said her little car struggles up 14 so we played it safe.

The drive up and down was uncharted territory for Bella.  Beautiful scenery, snow capped mountains on the horizon, and very very little of what we consider "civilization."  Once exiting onto 20, we kept asking "where are we?!!!"  Route 20 took us through the end of the ridge that runs east of 15 and then to US-89 that levels out and gets you into town.

  

Panguitch Giraffes

 Panguitch is the county seat of Garfield County and has around 2000 residents.  It's a significant post enroute to Bryce Canyon which, if we had another day off, would be a worth while destination.  We arrived at the high school around 2:30 or so with a scheduled 3:20 load in for a 7:00pm show.  The Panguitch High has 150 students in all 9 - 12 grades.  Brendan, the school's custodian, was very cordial and let us know that we could get started immediately as the gym was free and clear for the rest of the afternoon. 

The gym was perfect for our size.  The orientation of the locker room and sound control booth were ideal.  Set up was efficient, done in 90 minutes.  Midway through the process, a small group of students wandered in the gym, saying they were there to help.  They turned out be kids had mandatory, court ordered community service hours and were looking for Brendan for their next assignment.  (a theme carrying over from Cedar City shows)  They were having a hard time wrapping their brain around linking the trapeze bar and our explanation that it was, yes, that woman over there who goes up there and hangs by her ankles.

We had a small but enthusiastic audience of around 100 people.  The show went very well except David forgot about his opening ball juggling routine and prematurely announced "Mark on the Mono-Cycle," sending a momentary wave of panic backstage.  The audience clearly enjoyed Ariana's act and Tristan had a proper crowd for her clowning to really take off.  We nailed the juggling act, a nice payoff after a couple hours of practice on the days off.

All were gracious and appreciative on their way back to their cars.  While saying good bye, we glanced over to the ring to see a figure dressed in nurses garp, wearing Groucho Marx nose/glasses, and a gold sequined hat left over from the plate spinning act, juggling three balls.  An unforgettable picture blazed in our minds.  Beautifully surreal.  While leaving, she explained that she just had brain surgery and showed us her scar.  Kudos for her for stealing a moment in the ring!

Upon leaving, a woman explained that we could have pulled a bigger crowd on a different night.  Tuesday nights are important religious meeting nights for the men and boys in Panguitch.

Tear down was complete in 57 minutes but we didn't roll out until 15 minutes later because of a misplaced wallet, discovered to have been strategically placed in a rigging back (well packed) during set up.  

We got back to Cedar City around 11pm and hit Toadz, a bar/restaurant that serves food (including frog legs) until 1am.  It was Karaoke night but unfortunately they have a strict 21 and over rule for patrons.  Ariana and Tristan and JB headed back to the hotel leaving Abby, Mark, and David to the beer, pasta, and local talent.  Frog legs too expensive.

There were about 5 people competing for something we don't know what.  One guy did a series of Doors songs while another did a selection of country standards. The winner was a 55+ year old man who hit the mark singing Jim Croce's,  I Got A Name.  We were a bit distracted by the large screen behind the vocalists, running a football game along with commercials for disposable Catheters.  It was hard to pay attention to the 2nd place runner up singing Folsom Prison Blues with the word Catheter flashing behind him.  Regardless, it felt really good to drink beer and eat some food.  Next day, Hurricane...the adventure continues...

Tristan doing Ari's hair in Panguitch HS parking lot.