Loose Leaf Notes

-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on November 1, 2018

Four years ago, April Kovick and Geoff Marsh met at a Renaissance Festival.  Kovick has worked various jobs at the festivals, including as a craft vendor and a massage therapist.

Marsh, known as Gypsy Geoff, is a professional magician, clown, mime, circus arts instructor and fire manipulator who performs at Renaissance Festivals and has been a big hit at Floydfest for the past couple of years.

Marsh is also a founder of the Dead Man’s Carnival, a nationally renowned vaudeville and circus troupe based primarily in Milwaukee. 

The troupe was in town for the wedding of Kovick and Marsh and performed at a community wedding celebration at Dogtown Thursday night.

The performances encouraged interaction and played to a captivated audience, which included a crowd of children that sat on the floor in front of the stage. People gladly paid a dollar to come onstage and see how a “contortionist” survived a blade box trick, a variation on sawing a woman in half. 

Along with juggling and Marsh’s popular marionette “Bones,” children magically balanced spinning plates and there was an alien abduction of a balloon character. 

Sir Pinkerton and the Magnificent played Ragtime Boogie Woogie, and April’s father, Michael Kovick joined the band with his harmonica for a couple of songs.

Congratulations to April and Geoff!