Our First “Cannoned-Food Drive”!

It’s been several years since our resident human cannonball, Lou “One-Leg” Liebermann, has taken to the skies — and we never did find the other half of his pants!

(We’re told they most likely burned up on re-entry.)

But unlike Lou, our Magicland circus cannon is not just sitting around idle. In fact, today we’re using “Old Shooty” to help us give back to the community — Magicland-style.

We just completed our 23rd annual Magicland Employee and Affiliated Non-Union Carnival Arts Practitioners Food Drive. We collected forty-seven items of canned and dry goods for Toledo-area needy, and this afternoon we’re testing out a new distribution system: firing them with our cannon in the general vicinity of local food banks and homeless shelters.

(Unfortunately, two other cans were past the expiration date, so we’re disposing of those in a separate location. Heads up, anyone fishing in the Maumee Bay later this evening.)

We think this new arrangement is a win-win for everyone. We’ll tuck each can in a bag of cotton candy, to ensure a soft landing — and sweet treats for the recipients. We’re saving money and gas — you’re welcome, planet Earth! — by not making deliveries all over town. And the food’s not sitting in a hot car all day, so there’s less chance of spoilage. Why didn’t we think of this before?

We’ll begin our “cannoned food” distribution at 5pm this afternoon, so come by the park to watch Magicland take a boom out of hunger. Or visit your local food bank; volunteers will be standing by with extra catchers’ mitts and butterfly nets for anyone who wants to help. You just might snag a bag full of creamed corn or red kidney beans yourself!

(Although most of our cans this year appear to be sauerkraut, labeled in a foreign language. No one’s quite sure where they came from — but we’re sure they’re delicious!)

So please support the Magicland food drive, and enjoy the canned-food “fireworks” over Toledo this evening. Can we stamp out area hunger? Yes, we cannon!