Put together a noncompetitive sport, a group of fun-loving people and some flaming objects, and what coalesces is the Madison Area Jugglers, a group of performers dedicated to amusing the public while partaking in an activity they love — juggling.

The group, made up of students, community members and professors alike, has been an active part of Madison since the late 1980s. After a class at the University of Wisconsin spurred some interest in the hobby, several jugglers formed the Madison Area Jugglers.

Before that, jugglers had been coming together on Library Mall for some time.

“When I started juggling in 1977, there was already a long-standing tradition of Sunday afternoon juggling on the Library Mall,” said performer Truly Remarkable Loon, a long-time member of the group and a local entertainer at venues such as Summerfest.

Since that time, the jugglers have thrived under steady group participation, and some members have gone on to win international juggling contests.

“Being a part of this group has been fun for me because I have improved a lot and [have] gotten to watch other people improve and attain their goals,” student member Sam Alper said. “I’ve been able to bring friends into the group and watch them succeed and have fun learning new skills.”

The jugglers indeed have many opportunities to put their skills to use, as they are active in various activities throughout Madison. Juggling in the Homecoming, St. Patrick Day, Madison Holiday and Willy Street Fair parades are just some of the group’s annual events.

In addition, the group sponsors the 47th annual Madfest in mid-January, which includes open juggling spaces and a public show in the Memorial Theater. The show features many of the best jugglers in the Midwest and is usually a crowd-pleasing event, Alper said.

“We have done 11 47th annual festivals so far. The first one was in Jan. 1992, and that happened to be my first academic year in Madison,” professor of bio-statistics and juggler Michael Newton said with a bit of nostalgia, as he recalled seeing group members perform some incredible passes at that time.

The fact that “it has been the 47th annual Madfest for the past ten years,” as Alper noted, clearly shows the amusing and fun-loving mentality of the group.

Ask any members what makes the Madison Area Jugglers such a positive experience and they will say the people are the special ingredients of the group.

“The people in the group are wonderful, wonderful people … They make me laugh,” sophomore juggler Ayjay Costa said.

Community member Scott Krause couldn’t agree more.

“Juggling has created a bunch of new friends for me. If I didn’t juggle, I would never have met any of the people in the group,” he said.

Besides giving members a chance to show off their talents and form new friendships, the Madison Area Jugglers provides jugglers the opportunity to spread their gift to others.

“My favorite moments with the group are when I’ve just taught someone either how to juggle or how to do a new trick, and when a family walks by and I can perform for a young audience,” Alper said. “Getting kids involved is really fun, especially when you can make them smile or laugh.”

Krause agreed with Alper, noting that one of his favorite moments with the group was when he and four other jugglers attempted to teach about 70 Girl Scouts the mastery of juggling.

“It was hard, but I had a lot of fun,” he said. “I like to be able to spread my favorite pastime.”

Costa recalled the first night she partook in juggling, during which she was taught the art of poi — juggling with strings and weights attached to the juggler. She said she was amazed not only at the talent of the juggler, but their willingness to teach and instruct her.

Alper’s first experience with the group was also an indelible one, he said.

“I thought I was a great juggler because I could juggle and do some tricks with four balls,” he said. “I knew how to pass six clubs, and I knew a bunch of three-ball tricks. Peter Kaseman then picked up and juggled seven balls. I was in awe.”