SeptOct_2013

Meet Clydene “Lil' Darlin” Dyer - SE Regional Ambassador
Clydene is currently
newsletter editor for Magic
Town Clown Alley #263 and is
running for alley secretary next
year.
In 1995, Clydene completed
a class in therapeutic humor
at a local hospital. She began
clowning at Children’s
(hospital) of Alabama in 1999
and is currently one of several
clowns who clown weekly
there. We do magic, sing,
laugh and play throughout the
hospital. Due to the generosity
of many individuals, groups
and the hospital auxiliary, they
are able to give gift-cards for
food and gas; small handmade
quilts and other gifts to the sick
children.
In 2002, Clydene, along
with Charlotte “Lot-Tee-
Dah” Dismukes, formed The
Magic City Clown School in
Birmingham for the purpose
of training individuals who
wanted to become clowns.
Several staff members
from Volunteer Services of
Children’s of Alabama attended
the clown school, and soon
invited us to move the school to
the hospital campus, where they
continue to conduct two clown
school graduations each year. A
school term consists of 12-14
weeks of training, with 3-hour
classes held on Monday nights.
In addition to the weekly class,
there are five to six 4-hour
weekend workshops to teach
face painting, balloon twisting,
and magic. In order to complete
the training, the clowns must
practice for weeks and perform
a 45-minute show for their
family and friends.
Following graduation, the
clowns who finish the clown
school are required to complete
a mentoring process with
veteran clowns of the hospital.
Usually these mentors are
school instructors.
The driving force for the
school was a need for hospital
clowns. The school has
graduated over 300 clowns,
but only a small portion of
these become volunteers at the
hospital. Today we have 40-
plus active clowns at this one
hospital.
To continue the training
and education of our clowns,
the alley and hospital have
sponsored several clown
workshops over the past few
years with facilitators such as
Mama Clown, Tom-E-Boy,
Brenda Marshall, Junior the
Clown, Gary Cole, David “Mr.
Rainbow” Bartlett, and others
For International Clown
Week, the Magic Town Clowns
and the Big Top Clowns held a
“Red Nose Transplant” day on
August 4, 2013 at the hospital.
Clowns saturated the hospital
floors to visit with children who
could not
get to the
lobby. All
the children
got to “pick
their noses”
and received
a picture of themselves with a
clown.
There are many
opportunities for clowning in
Birmingham and surrounding
areas. The Magic Town Clown
Alley is a very active alley
and many of their members
are busy with events of their
own. If you live nearby or are
just passing through, look up
Ambassador Clydene “Lil’
Darlin” Dyer.
Clydene Dyer
1595 Simpson Road
Branchville, AL 35120
205-515-4751 • iyq2kitty@
yahoo.com
● ● ●
Meet
Mr. Rainbow
Turn Ons:
Big red noses, grease paint,
making people laugh and getting
my picture in the New Calliope.
The ultimate turn on: “To be a
centerfold in the New Calliope.”
Turn Offs:
Clowns who aren't funny, people
who don't laugh, losing weight, and
never having my picture on the front
cover of the New Calliope.
Page 30
The New Calliope