Downtown strollers might want to keep a close eye on those bronze Ghost statues dotting the area this weekend.

One of them will be Michael Carl O’Neil, one of the numerous performers taking part in Red Deer’s first street festival — CentreFest. It runs Saturday and Sunday. O’Neil was one of several street performers who took part in a ceremony to launch the event at City Hall on Wednesday. Bronzed from head to toe and with what looked like several decades-worth of pigeon poop in his “hair,” O’Neil was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Perched on a wooden plinth, every once in a while, he would move ever so slightly, startling passersby.
He was a little more tarnished than the average statue, but definitely more lively. O’Neil is a mime, though he was happy to talk on Wednesday.
“I’ve been performing since I was 11,” he said, explaining he started out at exhibitions and fairs. Based in Hamilton, Ont., O’Neil has been on the street performers circuit since 1986. The circuit is a global one, with festivals in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe and Canada.
O’Neil’s other personas include Charlie Chaplin, Queen Victoria, Sir John A. Macdonald and George Washington. So why, in 2003 when special effects in movies and on television have gone over the top, do people come out to enjoy a form of entertainment that has its roots in medieval times? “Because it’s human relationship. It’s the idea of fun, interplay,” said O’Neil. “It’s a sharing, it’s a surprise. It gives people a sense of fun. “Art in its purest form is communication.”

Some very funny communication was going on courtesy of The Silly People, a two-man comedic juggling act. They picked out Red Deer MP Bob Mills from the lineup of dignitaries at the ceremony and plunked him between the two of them and proceeded to juggle around him. Mills gamely endured the repartee that preceded the actual juggling, then was stoic as clubs flew back and forth just millimetres from his face and back for a few moments. Phil LeConte plays the sidekick in the duo. Only 28, he’s been a street performer 10 years. He and straightman Colin Franks hooked up in 1996. Both Silly People are from Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont. They have a few more gigs in various parts of Canada, then in September they are off to Australia to perform there. Besides the street performance circuit, The Silly People do shows for corporate groups and put together their own vaudeville shows.

Flying Bob does some tricky stuff with a very long pole that has a long banner attached to the end, all the while bantering. He is from Saskatoon, but is seriously thinking about moving to Red Deer, where his mom lives. More formally known as Bob Palmer, Flying Bob said he has about two hours worth of repertoire, similar to all the performers.
Each performance is about 30 to 45 minutes long and he’ll pick and choose from his repertoire and ad lib, too. All the performers interact with the crowd, too, Palmer said, guaranteeing that every show will be different. He loves his calling, Palmer said. “I am an adult who can still keep playing with his toys — and actually get paid.” The street performers depend on the power of their performance for their income.
They pass the hat for their daily bread, hoping for loonies, toonies and maybe more.

Lt.-Gov. Lois Hole was on hand for the CentreFest launch, along with Mayor Gail Surkan, MLAs Victor Doerksen and Mary Anne Jablonski, and MP Bob Mills.