The world of balloon entertainment, by Dale Obrochta
Making something out of nothing is remarkable to begin with, but add in the ability to make somebody smile, now that’s the frosting on the cake. My passion for balloon entertaining has transformed a job into a career. Yes there are times that the planets are not in alignment and the money tree is bare, … Read more
For decades, the talk among balloon entertainers has always been about how to twist a balloon in extreme heat. Yet few conversations talk about twisting balloons in extreme cold. This past weekend I had the opportunity to twist balloons in 36-degree temperatures, with winds between 10-20, with the occasional gusts to 30, miles per hour. … Read more
“You should let my 2-year-old go first,” bellows a woman standing behind the teenagers. The four teenage girls had no idea what the woman was complaining about; they too stood in line. “Ma’am, this is kid’s day, and they, like you, paid to get in and are entitled to balloons.” I could see my logic … Read more
I restock and take inventory of my balloon apron after every show. This assures I have what I need for the next show. I review what the most requested design was and what caused the surge of requests? Each year I do the same with my business. I evaluate what I did last year and … Read more
How to Become a Balloon Entertainer Sitting in my inbox was a letter asking for help on how one gets started entertaining. “By that, I mean, get a gig at a library or a walk-a-round entertainer. What do you do/say to get started?” signed Silver Sister. Many entertainers start by working with other established entertainers, … Read more
Over the past couple of months, I have seen young ladies wearing rubber band bracelets with the slogan on them saying, “I love boobies.” Apparently, it is a bracelet to show support for the Breast Cancer Society. This month I’m in negations to entertain at an exhibitors reception with an association raising money for the … Read more
A world class juggler was scheduled to perform at convention. At this particular convention he was doing Q&A secession and a show later that evening. While at a Q&A session, a novice juggler asked the question – “I’m a big admirer of you work and respect your talents, but will you be doing any new … Read more
It was a quiet day at the restaurant where I performed comedic balloon entertainment, so I used the slow evening to create this fire-breathing Dragon. A little girl was watching, and when I was done, guess who got it? Here is a side view of the Dragon. It is never easy to take a picture … Read more
It was a busy Wednesday night at Aurelio’s pizza in Griffith Indiana. I was circulating the dining room entertaining the local families with balloon animals when I came upon a family of four. The mom was correcting her child for his overzealous behavior of antagonizing his sister. I walked over to the table to see … Read more
It never fails, during a marathon of line twisting, just me, my balloons, and what seems to be 1,000 kids with semi-patient parents all waiting for a balloon animal; I will get a well groomed child who when ask what they want, will give me the dreaded blank stare. Their eyes glaze over with a … Read more