Posted on 08/19/2005 4:52:54 PM PDT by SandRat
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (August 19, 2005) -- Lance Cpl. Jason L. Johnson jumped off the stage and into the moonwalk. His popping moves, gyrating hips and captivating smile prompted laughter from the crowd as he unconsciously danced to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.' He tossed his hat to the side, flared his leg, popped his hips and stood on his toes. He smiled into the audience he didn't realize was there.
The hypnotized victims of Paul LeBlanc's demonstration were guests at the depot's annual Marine Corps Community Services-sponsored Bayfest 2005, Saturday. During the demonstration, volunteers performed dances for audience members, dressed in drag and drove their low-riders and tricycles on stage as the finale to the annual festival held at the boathouse and marina.
Performers from the Fern Street Circus juggled and danced around on stilts during the celebration. The Surf Kings performed 1950's-style surf and doo-wop songs, and the Icarus Puppet Company awed an audience of small children with bright, enthused characters and stories.
Many depot Marines attended the event with family members and friends.
"It's just great to get everybody involved. It's a chance for them to mix and mingle with some people they don't normally get to work with," said Brig. Gen. John M. Paxton Jr., depot commanding general.
The party began at noon with continual events throughout the day. Children flocked to a booth where an artist painted pink and blue fairies on their shoulders, black tribal patterns on their biceps or ankles, and red devil dogs on their backs.
Aspiring singer and songwriter Cpl. Robbie A. Blowers, a depot policeman, wooed the crowd with his country songs, leaving ladies in the audience awestruck with his southern twang.
Kruisin' Kritter set up a reptile menagerie to educate guests on various creepy-crawlies. A pet psychic was also present, along with depot mascot Lance Cpl. Molly Marine.
Visitors could get free caricatures, face painting and balloon animals. Participants also gravitated toward a human gyro, a bouncy funhouse castle, an inflatable obstacle course and a waterless surfing simulator.
Thomas Scarfone, 6, won the children's watermelon-eating contest. Staff Sgt. Derrick E. Oliver, the enlisted aide to the commanding general, won the adult watermelon-eating contest despite protests by Lance Cpl. Fabiola Escobedo.
"I won. I know I won," said Escobedo. "It was hard. I thought it was going to be easy because watermelons are soft. There was so much juice ... you had to keep swallowing and swallowing. But I still know I won."
James L. Day Hall, the command museum, raffled a Marine Corps blanket and several children won prizes from the Wells Fargo ring-toss raffle.
At the end of the day, the remaining victims of hypnosis hibernated on stage, drunk with dreams. Some leaned against each other, drooling on their neighbor's shoulder, some lay across several gray folding chairs, and one got comfortable on the cold, metal floor. The hypnotist convinced the boys and men on stage they were nine months pregnant. When they awoke, they sat up, arched their backs and held their stomachs.
When questioned how he got pregnant, a confused Gunnery Sgt. James R. Biggs responded, to the enjoyment of the audience, "I was on deployment."
MARINE PING
BTTT!!!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.