MIT Juggling Miniconvention

20 years of juggling: 1975-1995

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology juggling club was founded 20 years ago! The MIT club is the oldest juggling club in the world, having met every Sunday for the last 20 years.

To celebrate, we are having a miniconvention!

When

Mar. 25-26, 1995
Sat., March 25, 10 AM to 10 PM
Sun., March 26, 10 AM to 6 PM

Where

Cambridge, Massachusetts
Second floor (track area) of the Johnson Athletic Center on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This gym is a large space, with a high ceiling and a rubber floor. Fire torches are not permitted in the athletic center.

Cost

FREE!

Details

Juggling! And we'll give away juggling props using a raffle, or maybe as prizes in some juggling contests. Who knows, maybe we'll even have a show or something. Maybe not, but we'll definitely have high quality juggling (This is the MIT club. We're too busy juggling to plan lots of big organized events). Vendors will be selling juggling props.

For More Information Contact

Arthur Lewbel, (h) 617-862-3089, (w) 617-736-2258, e-mail Lewbel@binah.cc.brandeis.edu.

Directions

FROM EVERYWHERE:

Massachusetts Avenue (the locals call it "Mass Ave") is a long street that crosses the Charles river which separates Cambridge from Boston. The front entrance of MIT is 77 Mass Ave in Cambridge, near the shore of the Charles river. Vassar street crosses Mass Ave not far from the front of MIT.

The back of the Johnson Athletic center is on Vasser street. It is the third building on the left from Mass. ave, and the last before a large athletic field. Go around to the front of the building, go in the building and up the stairs to get to the track area, and start juggling.

BY PLANE:

Fly into Boston Logan airport. Taxi from the airport to MIT costs around $15. Alternatively, take the free airline shuttle bus #22 or #33 to the subway station. Buy a subway token (cost: 85 cents). The subway line there is the Blue line. Take the Blue line inbounds to Government Center station. Go upstairs at Government Center and change trains to the Green line trolley.

Take the Green line trolley one stop to Park Street station. At Park street go downstairs to change to the Red line train towards Alewife station.

Take the Red line train to Central Square station, which is on Massachusetts Avenue. It is about a quarter mile walk along Massachusetts Avenue from central square to MIT, or you can take the number 1 bus along Massachusetts Avenue to MIT. (the bus is 60 cents, exact change required). Shortly after crossing train tracks on Mass Ave you will reach Vassar street. Turn right onto Vassar. The red line from downtown (which is where you are coming from) will exit on the North side of Mass Ave.

BY TRAIN:

Trains stop at either North station or South station. From North station take the Green line subway train to Park street station, then continue as described in the plane directions. From South station take the Red line subway as described in the plane directions.

BY CAR GENERAL ADVICE:

The Boston area is hard to drive in and it is easy to get lost. If you do get lost, ask directions for MIT, or for Mass. ave. going towards the Charles river, and that will get you pointed the right way.

BY CAR COMING FROM THE SOUTH ON ROUTE I-93 OR THE SOUTHEAST EXPRESSWAY:

Take exit (26) Storrow Drive/Cambridge. The rest of these directions happen FAST - it's less than two miles from here to MIT. Keep in the left lane and follow the Back Bay/Cambridge Signs (do not take the first exit on the right for Cambridge/Somerville). Now keep in the middle lane and follow the Storrow Drive West signs - you will go by the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. After passing under the pedestrian walk-bridge change to the left lane and take Exit 2AN. Turn right and cross the Harvard bridge on Mass. Ave. Turn left at the third set of lights after crossing the bridge. This is Vassar street. Park.

BY CAR FROM ROUTE I-90 (THE MASS PIKE):

After crossing I-95 the Mass pike turns into the Mass pike extension. Stay on it. Take the Cambridge/Allston exit (18) on the left off the Mass Pike extension. Follow signs to Cambridge. At the end of the ramp you will go through two sets of lights. Continue to follow signs to Cambridge, going straight over the River street bridge. Continue straight ahead for about one mile to Central Square. Turn right at the lights (a big intersection) onto Mass. Ave. Shortly after crossing train tracks you will come to Vassar street. Turn right onto Vassar. Park.

BY CAR FROM ROUTES I-95 AND ROUTE 128:

Take I-95 or route 128 to either I-90 or I-93 and proceed as above.

   N  E
    \/                                                   Directions from I-93
    /\                                         |          lead to Storrow dr.
   W  S  train  |       c                      |             from here
         tracks |     M a         Lobby 10     |                  |
            #   |     I m      (mit jug club)  |    ~             |
            #   |     T p                      |      Charles    S|
            #   |       u      MIT front door  |       river     t|
towards:    #   |       s      77 Mass. ave.   |            ~    o|
Central     #   |                     |       M|                 r|\ exit 2AN
Square      #   |   Mass. Ave.        V       e| Harvard Bridge  r| |
and   < -===#===|=============================m|=================o|==== Boston
Harvard     #  V| **                          o|                 w|
            #  a|                      c      r|    ~             |
 ^          #  s| **                 M a      i|      Charles    D|
 |             s|        Johnson     I m      a|       river     r|
Directions     a| *** <- Athletic    T p      l|             ~   i|
from I-90      r| ***    Center        u       |                 v|
lead to         |        Entrance      s      D|     ~           e|
Central sq.    S|                             r|        ~         |
from here      t|  Briggs                     .|                 /
               .|  Field                       |                |
                                              /                /
                                             /

Footnotes (the fine print):

There exist circus and performance arts schools that teach juggling that have been around longer than the MIT club, like the Moscow circus school. Also, there exist clubs that were founded before MIT and later went defunct, though some have been revived one or more times since, like the pioneer valley juggling association. Among informal, drop in juggling clubs, MIT is the oldest that has been in continuous operation.

OK, a few times Christmas day fell on Sunday and nobody showed up.