One-armed juggler entertains crowd at St. Lucie County Fair
By Nicole Rodriguez TCPalm.com
March 2, 2011
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — In true circus fashion, the one-armed juggler's act drew laughter and cheers from his audience at the St. Lucie County Fair on Wednesday night.
Professional juggler Dale Jones, 54, who lost most of his motor skills in his right arm after a fall off the jungle gym at age 8 left his hand disfigured, showed off his act to fairgoers, in which he uses one hand and a knee to juggle up to five balls.
Jones said that had it not been for his accident, he may have never landed his dream job.
"I've been juggling since I was 15 and I love it," said the St. Louis resident, who has also been featured in People Magazine and USA Today.
"I remember walking into the lunchroom in high school and seeing this guy juggling a bunch of oranges. All the girls were going crazy," Jones said of the moment he wanted to try juggling. "I went in my room and practiced day and night for a year before I let anyone see me juggle."
During his interactive performance, Jones, who spends most of the year on the road performing, juggled more than just balls — throwing flower pots, balloons and unicycles into the comedic show.
Olivia Conaway, 9, of Port St. Lucie got a chance to be the juggler's assistant for the hour.
"I was nervous," Olivia said of sharing the stage with Jones during his first trip to the Treasure Coast.
Linda and Martin Wicker, who were visiting from Michigan, got a few laughs from the unicycle finale.
"It's hard to do what he just did," Linda Wicker said, laughing. "The unicycle was my favorite part."
Professional juggler Dale Jones, 54, who lost most of his motor skills in his right arm after a fall off the jungle gym at age 8 left his hand disfigured, showed off his act to fairgoers, in which he uses one hand and a knee to juggle up to five balls.
Jones said that had it not been for his accident, he may have never landed his dream job.
"I've been juggling since I was 15 and I love it," said the St. Louis resident, who has also been featured in People Magazine and USA Today.
"I remember walking into the lunchroom in high school and seeing this guy juggling a bunch of oranges. All the girls were going crazy," Jones said of the moment he wanted to try juggling. "I went in my room and practiced day and night for a year before I let anyone see me juggle."
During his interactive performance, Jones, who spends most of the year on the road performing, juggled more than just balls — throwing flower pots, balloons and unicycles into the comedic show.
Olivia Conaway, 9, of Port St. Lucie got a chance to be the juggler's assistant for the hour.
"I was nervous," Olivia said of sharing the stage with Jones during his first trip to the Treasure Coast.
Linda and Martin Wicker, who were visiting from Michigan, got a few laughs from the unicycle finale.
"It's hard to do what he just did," Linda Wicker said, laughing. "The unicycle was my favorite part."
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