Written by Hannah Violette
The Kiwanis Club of Mariposa will host two showings of, “Professor Algernon’s World of Oddities and Wonders” on August 17th and 18th. The shows will be held at the Mariposa County Park Amphitheater at 7:00 pm each night. Tickets will be pre-sold at Westamerica Bank, The Company Store, Mariposa Shipping, and Triangle Market, for $8. Tickets will be available at the door for $10. Proceeds of the fundraiser will be used to finish paying for this year’s 4th of July Fireworks Celebration and seed future service projects. For more information please contact Helen Kwalwaaser at 742-7654, Eleanor Keuning at 742-5257 or visit www.professoralgernon.com.
Professor Algernon, aka Scot Violette, is a well-known Mariposa entertainer. He has been a magician for over 20 years and introduced his unique form of Steampunk magic to Mariposa at the 2011 Butterfly Festival and has continued to perform at various community venues. He is a regular guest at the All Hallows Fantasy Faire in Sonora, and was a featured performer at this year’s FanimeCon/Clockwork Alchemy in San Jose. He will be performing this October with top-billed Steampunk bands Frenchy and the Punk and Psycho Corp at UtopiaCon in Cincinnati, Ohio. Professor Algernon and his zombie sidekick, Olivia Nevermore, will provide a family friendly evening full of amazing gadgets, mystical illusions, and laughter.
The Kiwanis Club of Mariposa provides many youth oriented services to our community. In addition to the annual Independence Day festivities, its most noteworthy
project was the saving and restoration of the Darrah Road schoolhouse, which now houses the Mariposa Kiwanis Preschool Academy. Every October, as the colors change and air cools, the Kiwanis Club sponsors an annual family hayride and weiner roast. And if your car bears the bumper sticker, “My Child is a Terrific Kid”, then you’ve felt the Kiwanis Club at work again, each month awarding students at the elementary schools for academic achievement and character development. The Kiwanis club also provides free insurance coverage for the Mariposa Playhouse and the community farmers’ market, without which neither of these entities could conduct business.
Past projects have included the provision of emergency pediatric trauma equipment and training for local emergency medical providers, and the development of the outdoor school at the Mariposa Middle School site. The club also supports the Kiwanis Family House in Sacramento, where several local residents have received inexpensive or free shelter during the hospitalization of family members. The club is currently seeking new members to participate in the expansion of its projects that support children and families in our community. Meetings are open to the public and are held at the Miner’s Inn Restaurant every Wednesday at noon.
