Aug. 30, 2024 -- Heights High has its share of accomplished alumni. Authors and educators, doctors and inventors, artists and entrepreneurs, professional athletes and … bubblers?

Yes. Bubblers. Gary Pearlman, of the class of 1976, is a world-renowned bubbler and has held fifteen Guinness World Records for his bubbling feats. You might be thinking, “Wait, what kind of bubbles are we talking about here?” Turns out we’re talking soap bubbles. You know, the kind you blew through a ring when you were a little kid.

Well, Pearlman, also known as Dr. U. R. Awesome, may be a grown man but he makes his living (and makes his mark) blowing bubbles. 

He started out as a magician, a job he had for 40 years. His friend and fellow Wiley Junior High and Heights High classmate, Steve Presser, eventually invited Pearlman to perform his magic tricks at Presser’s famed Coventry store Big Fun. As Presser recounts, “Gary wooed the crowd and quickly became a favorite of young and old alike.”  

It wasn’t until 2014, when Pearlman discovered the art of bubbling, that he really found his true calling. He learned to blow a bubble in a bubble, a cube-shaped bubble, a carousel of bubbles, until, as Presser says, “Gary being Gary, he knew there were bigger mountains to climb and blowing bigger bubbles was his next mission. He went into training like an Olympic athlete, hours and hours each day, seven days a week.”

His determination paid off when, in June 2015, Dr. Awesome shattered the Guinness World Record for an outdoor free-floating bubble, blowing one at University Circle’s Wade Oval that measured 96.27 cubic meters – the size of two school buses stacked on top of each other! 

According to Presser, “Guinness World Records are like Lay’s potato chips or tattoos … you can never have just one.” Since 2015, Pearlman has set 15 world records for his bubbling feats. 

Dr. Awesome is part of an international community of bubblers, who gather each year in a designated city to bring the joy and marvel of bubbling to the public. After recent gatherings in Berlin, London, and Edinboro, Pearlman convinced the powers that be to bring Bubble Fest 2024 to Cleveland. 

With multiple days of events, including a private event on Friday, September 6th and outdoor events at Edgewater Park on Saturday, September 7th and Wade Oval on Sunday, September 8th, Dr. Awesome, and his sidekick Presser, will return to the halls of Heights High School for a final show in the main auditorium. 

“We figured, what could be better than doing this at our alma mater?” said Presser, who is excited to show the renovated building off to fellow members of the class of 1976 and to show the magic of bubbling off to the entire community. The Heights High two-hour long variety show begins at 7pm and costs $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. 

“These are the best bubblers in the world,” said Presser, “performing on the same stage. For the first time.” He insists that no one, no matter their age, will leave disappointed. 

The weekend of fun will be followed by a two-day convention showcasing the latest innovations in bubbling at Tudor Arms. Presser and Pearlman worked hard to ensure that events would take place on both sides of the Cuyahoga River, highlighting all that makes Cleveland special. “These guys are gonna leave the city blown away,” promises Presser. Pun maybe intended. 

Tickets to the BubbleFest Variety Show can be purchased here.