On August 19, 1990, the Waterloo Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 100th anniversary at Waterloo Park which was also 100 years old. A parade ran from King and Allen into the park, with games in the afternoon typical of a century prior which included croquet and 3-legged races, a birthday cake, music, dancing, and a celebrity box lunch auction.
From Tuesday, August 21 to Sunday, August 26, the streets in UpTown Waterloo were closed from William to Erb for 6 days with featured performances that included Playing with Fire on Tuesday night featuring fire performers at Jester Court (King and Herbert), UpTown VIP Juggling Contest on Wed morning, Kids Day on Wed with busker treats and face painting, and Waterloo Town Square Day with free popcorn and face painting.
The carnival featured 26 acts this year including a trio of young musicians that one day would be a Canadian music icon and an international sensation. Who knew?
Barenaked Ladies, Toronto - tongue-in-cheek acoustic musicians
Corky and the Juice Pigs, Toronto - energetic comedy trio
Austin Repath, Toronto - storyteller
Jeff Bradley, Hamilton - joking, juggling, and just having fun
Peter Driscoll, Vermont - mime artist
Lorne Moss, Montreal - magician
Stephen Fuller, Hamilton - country dance playing and fiddling
Further Point, K-W - folk, jazz, and pop musicians
Silent Invasion, K-W - 6 street mimes from Bluevale Collegiate
Le Cirque du Chateau, Montreal - circus performers
Fred Anderson, California - comedy, juggling, magic, music, escape
Grupo Coyohuacan, Mexico - 5-piece ensemble performing Latin American music
The Saltre-Bigelow Due, Boston - Renaissance lute and expanded 11-string guitar
Christina Mahaffey, K-W - storyteller
Danny Lord, New York City - magic, pantomime, comedy, juggling
The Would Be Goods, K-W area - folk trio
The Magic Man - magic
Alex Elixir, Surrey B.C. - mime, mask, movement, manipulation, juggling
The Overall Kid, K-W - clown, juggling
Rebels with Applause, Toronto - juggling, unicycling, stilt dancing
Hotcha Chmarzinsky, Toronto - unicycling, circus, comedy
Baffle-O Bills Amazanation, Pittsburgh - magician, escape, one-man band
Greg Tarline, Toronto - juggling
Circus in a Suitcase, Oswego NY - juggling, manipulation
Pharazon Street Dancers, Toronto - breakdancing, locking, popping, mime
Kwik Silver Mime of Hearts, Montreal mime, sketch artist