GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Town Hall Committee is sponsoring a comedy night in the historic Grand Rapids Town Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m. The high-energy comedic juggler and ventriloquist Mike Hemmelgarn will be in the house.
Hemmelgarn is a familiar face in Grand Rapids because he performs each year at the Applebutter Festival, and he always has large crowds of all ages enjoying his antics.
He has been fascinated with the art of ventriloquism since the age of 8 and juggling since the age of 16. He went door to door selling newspaper subscriptions to earn enough money to purchase his first “dummy,” a hardwood puppet named “Bob.”
He currently uses mostly sculpted foam and latex puppets: Butterball, the paranoid turkey; Casey, the ballistic duck; or Spud, a quick-witted puppet who loves to turn volunteers into real live puppets.
Hemmelgarn first learned to juggle with tennis balls, but he has evolved to bowling balls, knives, machetes, torches, and other ridiculous things. He also incorporates magic and balloon sculpting to complement one of the most unique acts in the business.
Hemmelgarn resides in Springboro, Ohio.
Tickets are $10 and available at The Village Orchard or at the door.
