By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Opening the doors to the community room at the Westwood Public Library (WPL) screams of laughter busted out the doorway, welcoming in the pure joy of children from belly-rolling jokes brought by visitor Jungle Jim.
It was Jungle Jim’s second event at the Westwood library, and it was one for the books. The crowd surrounded the stage as Jungle Jim began to share his jokes and stories with the young viewers. Using balloons as his main prop, the children were able to watch as these balloons transformed into an octopus right before their eyes.
In a sea of giggles, Jungle Jim made the show interactive as she pulled up volunteers to catch the wild balloon octopus with their very own balloon fishing pole. Throughout the skit, the kids gazed in awe and were enthralled wondering what was going to happen next.
Once the octopus was captured it was time for magic, as the crowd chuckled at the magic balloon wand deflating mid-air because Jungle Jim kept forgetting to tie the end. With multiple other volunteers, Jungle Jim continued to make hilarious jokes that sent the children into a frenzy. It was the best energetic summer afternoon to kick off at the beginning of August.
Kristy Pasquariello, the head of youth services at the Westwood Library, was thrilled to have been able to bring Jungle Jim back this summer.
“Jungle Jim brings in energy that I don’t think any other performer we’ve seen can bring. He’s so unique, and so energetic in his own way. His balloon tricks the kids absolutely love, and we love having him,” said Pasquariello.
As Jungle Jim began to start his final act of the afternoon, he assured it was going to be the biggest act of the day. It was so big, that he could even fit inside of the balloon! The kids were bouncing out of their seats with excitement to see what Jungle Jim had in store for the program’s finale. As soon as the young viewers were back to their seats with family, Jungle Jim brought out a six-foot balloon to blow up in front of the crowd. Instead of blowing up the balloon with a regular old pump, as that would take too long, Jungle Jim surprised the crowd by blowing a leaf blower onto their faces just before using it to blow up the biggest balloon of the afternoon.
Jungle Jim quickly shared with the children to never try any of his stunts at home, as he is a professional. Soon after, he entertained the audience by fitting the large balloon over his body and began to dance just before the balloon popped. All the children laughed along with Jungle Jim as he finished his finale. It was the perfect afternoon for some light silly fun at the library, and Jungle Jim was the perfect visitor to do it.
Want to learn more about Westwood Library’s events this month? Check out the events page at https://westwoodlibrary.libcal.com/calendar?cid=-1&t=m&d=0000-00-00&cal=-1&inc=0.
