Bobby Maverick had gotten himself into a bit of a tight spot.

It was just after 7 p.m. near the corner of Seventh and Massachusetts streets Friday, and Maverick, restrained in a straight jacket, was stuck under 50 feet and 75 pounds of padlocked iron chain.

But he wasn’t worried.

Maverick shrugged his shoulders, one chain falling easily off his body. The second chain, however, proved more of a challenge.

“Time for the secret weapon,” Maverick joked to a crowd of about 200, using his tongue to brush the metal links off his shoulder. “Tastes like Detroit.”

In about two minutes, Maverick managed to wiggle, wriggle and squirm his way out of the straight jacket and chains — the same trick made famous by Harry Houdini 100 years ago.

The magician and escape artist was among the street performers parked along Massachusetts Street at the annual Lawrence Busker Festival. The event, kicking off its seventh year, attracted thousands of people to downtown Lawrence Friday night.

The straight-jacket act may be his calling card — it got him on the “Late Show With David Letterman” twice, Maverick told the audience — but it’s not his favorite aspect of performing.

“I really think the best part is the audience. It’s all about them,” Maverick said. “If I make them happy, I’m happy.”

About an hour later, in front of the U.S. Bank near Ninth and Massachusetts streets, Bekah Smith hurriedly prepared for her act, readying the sound system and gathering props.

It was her first time at the Lawrence Busker Festival, but the Boulder, Colo., comedic juggler is no stranger to the world of street performance. She’s had gigs at several festivals across the country over the past 10 years. The routine Smith performed Friday night earned her a gold medal at the International Jugglers’ Association convention earlier this year, making her only the second woman in history to win the coveted prize.

Smith, 30, first nurtured her talents as a member of the juggling club at Kansas State University. She graduated with an accounting degree but “hated it,” and the rest is history.

Performing in the street may offer a special kind of creative freedom, Smith said, but it’s not without its challenges. Thoughts like, “Oh my God, oh my God, don’t catch myself on fire,” often run through her mind during her pyro-centric act, she said.

“I actually just singed my hair at the last show,” Smith said, turning around to show a freshly charred piece on the back of her pixie cut. (She had a little accident during the 6 p.m. performance.)

Smith was in the clear during her second show of the night as she juggled three lit torches while perched atop a plank suspended 10 feet in the air. Her pièce de résistance, riding a unicycle while twirling around a flame-engulfed jump rope, provided the act with its grand finale.

As for the Lawrence Busker Festival, Smith said she’d like to return one day.

“It’s been great,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of fun.”