I don’t know about the rest of the country, but here in the Midwest schools traditionally host science fairs in the winter months. I expect it is the same across the country.

In an earlier entry (Science Assemblies - It's Been a Long Road) we discussed the rise of science school assemblies in Michigan and the Midwest through the actions and creativity of two competing companies, Mr. Wizard and Mobile Ed Productions. We also discussed how many employees have filtered through both companies over the years, and set out to start solo careers following a stint with one or the other of these two founding companies.

Well, it’s December 17, 2010, and the year is winding down here at Mobile Ed Productions. At lunchtime today the office will close, and, with the exception of a skeleton staff, we will be closed until January 3. 

I have been remiss lately in not mentioning one of my very favorite midwest school assemblies, performed by a skilled and passionate young gentleman, who is certainly one of the best school assembly performers I have ever seen!

I wrote awhile back about Kathleen Day, a stellar performer for us who hails from the great city of Springfield, Ohio and performs Ohio school assemblies, as well as assemblies in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and other parts of the Midwest.

All over the midwest school assemblies were canceled today as heavy snow and ice forced schools to close for the day. And that’s a shame! Just ask any kid. The worst time for a snow day (not that most kids will ever admit that there is a bad time!) is when you are supposed to have a cool school assembly program that day instead of class. 

OK, it’s my own fault, I admit it. The last few weeks my son, daughter and wife were all sick. First my wife caught a cold/cough thing, then my daughter got it, then my son came home with some kind of 48 hour flu bug. All the while I rolled along feeling just fine. I got cocky, too. 

Travel is a regular part of the life of a school assembly performer. Professional presenters of school assemblies are regularly “on the road”, and these "road warriors" often rack up huge amounts of miles during the course of a normal school year. One presenter of ours who does not usually travel as often or as far, is our wonderful “Dr Exhaustus” himself, Jeff Hoge. Jeff is resident in Chicago and regularly performs in schools all around northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, with his own program on the environment, “Our Changing Climate” as well as with our creative writing school assembly program “Young Authors Day”. In addition, during the winter, Jeff handles our Living Lincoln assembly program.

Your humble (cough,cough) writer has been with this company for more years than he likes to admit, but there is one performer who even has me beat! I started performing my Abraham Lincoln school assembly in January of 1989. To gauge how long ago that was, I always remind myself that while waiting to perform that morning, pacing back and forth in a school faculty lounge, I could look up at the television in the lounge and watch as George Bush took the Oath of Office .... George Bush senior, that is!
Yikes, it's been a long time doing school assembly programs!

Schools searching online for elementary school assembly ideas will no doubt be struck eventually by the fact that of the many companies and performers offering science assemblies and other types of educational school assembly programs, a very large number are based in Michigan and other parts of the Midwest.