Bellingham boy, 10, leaves legacy as budding performer, entertainer | Community Spirit

Part of the magic of going to the Bellingham Farmers Market has always been the performers, young and old, who entertain shoppers while they stroll booth to booth looking for the freshest produce and crafts.

One of those buskers was 10-year-old Caleb 'Flip' Kors, who entertained patrons with his juggling and magic tricks while his mother, Melanie Kors, managed her booth, Bound to ReStyle.

"He could not only get a crowd, he could keep a crowd," Caleb's grandfather Ron Kors said of his grandson's budding busking skills. "And better than most."

A tragic accident at the family's Bellingham house on Monday night changed all that. Caleb, a fifth-grader at Geneva Elementary School, was practicing a new trick he was learning when he accidentally hung himself on some acrobatic ropes, his grandmother Ruth Kors-Gahlbeck said. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in hopes that he could be revived Ruth said. Caleb spent 24-hours in the Intensive Care Unit, his grandmother said, but was unable to recover. He died at the hospital on Tuesday evening.

But his family is determined that Caleb's spirit and memory will live on.

"This cannot be, 'And then he died and that's the end of the story,'" Ron Kors said. "That's the beginning of the story."

The Kors family said they want Caleb to be remembered as the vibrant, intelligent, and highly creative boy that he was. Since the day he was born, his mother said, Caleb had been surprising the family with how quickly he learned things, like walking, climbing, and riding a bike. Even the way he talked and the things he said, Melanie said, seemed beyond his years.

"He would always have our jaws on the ground with all the amazing things he could do," Melanie said.

Amazing things like juggling, acrobatics, and magic tricks. At just 10-years-old, Caleb was already an active member with the Bellingham Circus Guild, an aspiring performer, and an innovative magician, who came up with his own tricks and designed and created his own costumes.

His interest in the Circus Guild began at an early age, Melanie said, when he saw members of the Guild practicing on a tree at a local park and instantly went over to see what they were doing.

"He went over and just fell in love with them, and they fell in love with him," Melanie said.

Soon, the family said, Caleb became inseparable from his mentor, who goes by his circus name, Strangely. As is Circus Guild tradition, Ruth said, Caleb adopted a circus name, Flip. He performed with his mentor, floating through the air and perfecting his climbing skills at Circus Guild performances.

Caleb's newest interest, Ron said, was a game called boffering, where participants dress in costume and role-play hand-to-hand combat with foam swords. When Caleb's birthday approached a few weeks ago, Ron said, his present was as simple as a roll of duct tape. In the hands of a boy with what his grandfather described as "no mental boundaries," a seemingly humdrum household item turned into an intriciate and fully-functional suit of armor for Caleb's arms and hands, and an outer shell for his shield.

"He was awesome in everything he touched," Ron said. "He was just an incredible person."

With earnings Caleb made from his weekly performance sessions at the Market, his mom said, Caleb was known to buy pizza from Peace, Love and Pizza and share it with the other "vendor babies" at the market, creating their own impromptu pizza party.

Ruth Kors-Gahlbeck said the family has recieved an outpouring of support and kind words from family, friends, and even some of the people who only knew Caleb through his performances at the Farmers Market. 

"We've had so much outreach already," Ruth said. "Everyone has been so kind."

A PayPal account has been set up to help the family with medical and funeral expenses. Anyone interested in donating can do so by using the email address calebflipkors@hotmail.com. There will be a Celebration of Life ceremony for Caleb on Monday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. at Christ the King Church in Bellingham.

"He touched the hearts of everyone he met," Ron Kors said. "And he loved everyone."