![]() ![]() ![]() “With an invisible fishing rod, I went through the entire process of hooking bait, casting outward, waiting, waiting, waiting. His hands appeared on either side of his head, fingers moving like they were legs of an insect. The wiggling fingers appeared to move his smiling face from left to right, the entire length of the fence, delighting everyone in the audience.īut Jones’ favorite performance was always the final one of each day. He would take a detour over to the Saltwater Circus show (1972 – 1994), which featured ‘aquabatic’ dolphins Skipper and Dolly. Before the show began, he entertained the waiting crowd from the stage platform the dolphin trainers used. Being at the water’s edge, he would mime a fishing routine. And finally, while we were waiting for a show to start in the International Showplace, a mime (Jones) appeared from behind a fence and caught the attention of the audience. First, I almost rode the park’s original suspended coaster, The Bat. (It went down for maintenance before my dad and I could ride it). Second, I ate at the Oktoberfest Bier Garten where I remember seeing the soon-to-be opened Viking Fury as it was being built. Jones’ performances that season were memorable. When visiting the park in 1982 as a child, I remember three things about that visit. “I would then wiggle out of the robotic state, become human, and get some applause,” he recalled. “Then I was able to do things mimes do, like pick invisible flowers to give a lady or build an invisible box around someone until I found a door or window to climb into the box with them.” When enough people had gathered, Jones would come alive as a robot, one limb at a time. Once he was moving, the laughter and photos started happening and they were warmed up for closer interactions. The easiest way was to stop in a high traffic area and freeze like a mannequin. I already looked like a street performer with my white mime face painted on and my very ‘mimey’ looking costume, so freezing still like a statue got people's interest to stop and see what I'd do,” he said. ![]() “I would gather interest in crowd interaction by creating a scene for them to stop and watch. “An Indiana boy, who had a passion for entertaining, found his first gig right there in the heart of the Midwest, performing and getting paid for it, keeping the dream alive that he could one day make a full-time career out of show business.”Īs a mime, Jones performed six days a week at the park, six times per day. He walked around International Street and the Royal Fountain performing 20 minutes each walk. Knowing that guests were likely concerned about their personal space while at the park, he developed a distinct style that veered away from traditional mime street performances. He continued, “As a young recent college graduate, that summer season at Kings Island was such a gift to someone like me,” Jones reminisced. “Whether you like what I've done in my career or not, you can either thank or blame Kings Island,” Jones joked in a recent interview for the Kings Island Blog. “I choose to thank them!” Jones was a mime performer during Kings Island’s 1982 season after graduating from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. ![]()
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