Sept_Oct_1984

The New
CIJ.J.l9PI
Clowns of America, International, Inc.
New Haven, Connecticut
September / October , 1984
Volume 1, Number 1

September / October. 1984
From the
Editor
Welcome, readers, to this first issue of The
New Calliope. We hope this publication can
truly live up to the name Clowns of America
International. We hope to do this by not only
including articles of interest to all clowns,
but, also including articles about our overseas
members.
Clowns of America International does have,
on its mailing list, nearly two hundred people
outside the United States. To provide a timely
publication, we are mailing The New Calliope to
them first class mail. These people will pay
$3.00 extra each year, which will cover the additional
postage to mail these "First Class,
Printed Material." Now we would like to hear
from some of our members in Europe, Asia, and
Australia, as well as those in Canada and
Puerto Rico.
Our mailing list is at a computer company.
They will prepare the mailing labels for us and
keep track of changes of address, additions,
and deletions. We fear there may be some duplication
with this September/October issue.
But, by the next issue (November/December) we
expect to have this straightened out. Your
expiration date appears on your address label
in the upper right hand corner. When that date
approaches, please renew your membership
promptly. Make all checks payable to Clowns of
America International, Inc. and mail to the
Clowns of America International Business Office.
If your membership becomes more than 60
days delinquent, your name will be dropped
from our mailing list. Shortly, membership
cards will be sent out by our computer company.
We will not be sending out renewal notices,
since your expiration date is on your New
Calliope mailing label.
Please notice our new address:
Clowns of America International,
Editorial Office
P.O. Box 75248
St. Paul, MN 55101
Inc.
All correspondence regarding The New Calliope
should be sent to this address.
We hope you enjoy reading this issue. If you
have suggestions on the kind of articles you
would like to see in this (your) publication,
let us hear from you. We are trying to make
The New Calliope a service to you, our members,
with articles of interest to you and helpful
ideas that will make your day-to-day clowning
better and more fun.
The New
CILllOPI
THE NEW CALLIOPE is published by Clowns of
Americ-;----International, Inc., 1315 Boulevard,
New Haven, CT 06511 for members of Clowns of
America International, Inc. Entered as third
class mail in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Editorial Office: P.O. Box 75248, St. Paul, MN
55175
Editor: Ruth Erkkila
Staff Writer: Betty Cash
Business
Coordinator: Donella Hoffman
Correspondence, regarding contributions for future
issues of The New Calliope or advertising
in The New Calliope, should be sent to the
editorial office. We are not responsible for
unsolicited articles or pictures unless accompanied
by a self-addressed envelope and return
postage.
Clowns of America
*****
International, Inc. Annual
Membership Fees:
U,S, and Canada:
Foreign:
$15,00
$18,00
(U.S. Funds)
Junior: $15.00
Family Membership: $ 7,50 for second and
additional members of
one family,
(Foreign $9,00)
New Members, other than family, add $5.00
initiation fee to above rate.
Late renewals, add $3,00 late fee.
Send all membership fees to the Clowns of America
International, Inc., Business Office, 1315
Boulevard, New Haven, CT 06511, Make all checks
payable to Clowns of America International,
Inc,
*****
Advertising Rates:
Full Page, inside front
Full Page
Half Page, outside back
Half Page
One Fourth Page
One Eighth Page
or back cover $140
$125
cover $ 80
$ 70
$ 40
$ 25
Camera ready copy is requested. There will
be additional charges for ads not camera ready,
Send copy and payment to Clowns of America International,
Inc. Editorial Office, P, 0, Box
75248, St, Paul, MN 55175, Make checks payable
Clowns of America International, Inc,
Happy reading,
2 The New Calliope
Ruth Erkkila,
Editor
Deadline for November/December
Issue is: October 10
Deadline for the January/February
Issue is: December 10

The New
e!LLl8PI
Published for members of Clowns of America, International, Inc.
September/October, 1984 Volume 1 Number 1
National
Officers
PRESIDENT ••••••••• Arnold S. Firine, 1315 Boulevard, New Haven,CT 06511 •••••• (203) 624-0438
VICE-PRES ••••••••• Hunter Stevens, 1342 Sylvan Way, West Bend, WI 53095 •••••• (414) 338-3569
TREASURER ••••••••• Donella Hoffman, 965 E. Geranium Ave., St. Paul, MN 55106.(612) 776-5520
SECRETARY ••••••••• Myrtle Folderauer, 3555 Elmora Ave., Baltimore, MD 21222 •• (301) 563-0626
SGT-AT-ARMS ••••••• Walter R. Lee, 1347 Ava Road, Severn, MD 21144 •••••••••••• (301) 569-7830
DIRECTORS ••••••••• Alvin Baum, 4100 Laurelwood Road, Richmond, VA 23224 •••••• (804) 231-4221
Kay Brock, 121 Appian Way, Pasadena, MD 21222 ••••••••••••• (301) 255-0728
Barbara Maher, 65 Elm Street, Ansonia, CT 06401 ••••••••••• (203) 736-9037
Vacancy
REG.V.PRES •••••••• Betty Cash, 2181 Edgerton St., St. Paul, MN 55117 ••••••••• (612) 771-8734
John Guthrie, 234 Lansing St., Aurora, CO 80010 ••••••••••• (303) 341-5679
Jim Russell, P. O. Box 393, Butler, GA 31006 •••••••••••••• (912) 862-3372
Pedro Santos, 13ox 3859, Bayamon Gardens Station ••••••••••• (809) 786-3759
Bayamon, Puerto Rico, 00619
Lorraine Woodhouse, 311 Pelham Road, St. Catherines ••••••• (416) 682-8169
Ontario,
Leo J. Desilets,
Canada L2S 1Y4
30 Roswell Street, Milford, CT 06460 ..... (203) 877-3869
PERMANENT BOARD MEMBER •• Bill Bailey, 200 Powelton Ave., Woodlynne, NJ 08107.(609) 962- 8957
CALLIOPEDITOR ••• Ruth Erkkila, P.O. Box 75248, St. Paul, MN 55175 •••••••••• (612) 293-1595
Contents
ON THE COVER
From the Editor .............. . ....... . ..• . ........ 2
Letters ........................................... 4
This Ever Happen To You ........................... 4
The Costumer ..................... . ....... . ........ 4
From the President ........... . ....... . ............ 5
1985 Annual Convention •........................... 6
An Outsider's View of Clown College . .............. 8
In Praise of Folly ............................... 10
Krako' s Korner .......... . ... . .................... 11
My First Clown Date with Clown Prince Emmett
Kelly, Jr .......................•......... 12
Ringling Centennial Parade ........•. . ........ . ... 14
Circus Wagons .........• . ......................... l 7
A Visit with Happy of Circus World Museum ...... . . 18
Circus World Museum . . ............................ 20
Clowns of America International Membership
Application Form ...........•........•.. .. . 21
Articles of Incorporation ........................ 22
Certificate of Incor?oration ................. . ... 25
Let's Make 'em Laugl1 ............................ . 26
A Statement From the Treasurer ................... 27
(Janette "Rain-bow" Irwin of
St. Louis, Missouri, was
Grand Marshall in the Circus
Parade in Baraboo,Wisconsin,
on July 7, 1984. See story
on page 14.)
The New Calliope 3

September/October, 1984
Letters ..... .
An Open Letter to all Clowns,
I am a new member to the world of clowning.
I am trying to locate an outlet or person
who handles unique "Clown Bicycles" or smal 1
motorized cars.
I would greatly appreciate any help and/or
information anyone could provide.
Cordially yours,
Blake "Clarence" Heminger
Port Medical Service
728 - 20th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Koko, a long-time clown visiter to the Old
Soldier's Home, tells this story. Koko had a
flower, which he had made of cloth; the stem
was stretched over the last ten inches of a
carpenter's reel - type tape measure. He offered
a smell of the flower to a World War II veteran,
who was a little more than slightly inebriated.
As Koko extended the flower under the
vet's nose, the old soldier bit the flower from
its stem and devoured it.
,
Here's your chance to help Clowns of America
International raise $11,000.
Please vote for Bubee the Clown in the
Wheaties "Search for Champions II." Bu bee is an
amateur long distance jogger. At 35 years old,
Bubee has competed in l0K (6 mile) runs. In the
"Long's Champagne and Chocolates 10K Classic"
at the Turtle Bay Hilton on Oahu's North Shore
in Hawaii, with over 2,000 men running, Bubee,
AKA Steve Bissell, finished 122nd in his age
group and was the 269th male across the finish
line. Bubee ran the 10K in 45:58.9. Bubee is
currently training for the Hawaii Marathon in
December.
Hurry and vote! Entries must be postmarked
by September 15, 1984. Official ballots can be
found on specially marked Wheaties boxes. Thank
you for your help and God bless.
Steve Bissell
Honolulu, Hawaii
*****
H£LLO, M~. eLJ\CKSf~?
llfl5 15
MOAAl5 COSTlJMeS 00..ING .... YrxJ
A f EW -rnlNGS IN THE SLEEVE. Of
L£fT
THM 1UX You RENr£o fRo/f\ us
.....
Bobo, visiting the Heart Hospital one day as
official clown photographer, came upon a tenyear
old boy convalescing from open heart surgery.
After Bobo, snapped his picture, that lad
said, "Touch me!" Bobo obliged by tapping him
lightly on the nose. "Aha," the boy said gleefully,
"now you have a hernia."
4 The New Calliope
******
Peewee: Do you know what the corn said to the
farmer?
Rootie-Toot: No, I dont' know.
Peewee: Stop pulling my ears.
******

September/October, 1984
From the President ..... .
Fellow
Joeys,
With this first issue of our new publication,
THE NEW CALLIOPE, I would like to welcome
you toourMW club, Clowns of America International,
Inc.
Because of the financial situation and the
unresolved status of Clowns of America, Inc.
with the Internal Revenue Service, which I saw
no way to resolve, I have resigned as President
of COA and plan to devote my entire effort to
make this new organization, Clowns of America
International, Inc., a success. Clowns of America
International, Inc. has retained the services
of Timothy J. Dwyer, a prominent St. Paul
attorney who has, at the request of our Board,
incorporated our organization in the State of
Minnesota. We have been assured that our organization
is separate and distinct and the financial
difficulties of Clowns of America Inc .
will have no adverse effect on our new organization.
Current memberships in COA will be honored
until the expiration date indicated on your
COA membership card. We have employed a computer
company to handle our mailing list. You
will be receiving a Clowns of America, International,
Inc. membership card shortly.
Checks for membership dues should be made
out to Clowns of America International, Inc.
If you wish your Alley to be registered with
Clowns of America International, Inc., please
send us a current list of your officers. We
would also appreciate a current list of your
members and their membership numbers to make
sure all of them appear on our mailing list.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our
Annual Convention of Clowns of America International,
Inc. to be held in St. Paul, MN, April
24-28, 1985. I hope you will all take this opportunity
to become an active member of your
club; this is the only way Clowns of America
International, Inc. can become the Greatest
Club on Earth.
ARNIE
BALLOON
O 2 Fairlee Drive
E. Northport, N.Y. 11731
516-36'-2223
X
TYPE
•245
• 260A
• •260 E
•260EW
"260EB
•260SW
#260M
•312
• 315
•• 321
••340
• 344
• 434
• 524
•615
•4
•9
•SB
• SS
•SC
• SC
•11
• 11C
• 11C
,16C
• 16C
•1 2M
•14M
, 16M
,Apples
• Rockets
Pencil 2" x 45" Easy to blow ......... ..
~:~~: f: ~ ::: ~~~~i~~NAL : ·
Pencil 2" x 60" ALL WHITE .......... .
Pencil 2" x 60" ALL BLACK
Pencil 2" x 60" Spinners
Pencil 2" x 60" Mulhcolor ........ .
Air Sh1p3" x 12" .............. .
Air Sh1p3" x 15" ...... ......... .... .
Bees and Parrots ..... .
Air Ship 3" x 40" .... ······ · ..... .
AirSh1p3" x44" ...... .
Balloon-For Spiked Balloon .....
Batroon-For Turlush Turmoil ..
Balloon-HEAD AND BODY SHAPED .
Dart-(Fruit) Pears. Oran~es ............ . .
Round Assorted Colors 9' ......... .... ..... .
Round ALL BLACK 9" ......... ............... .
SMILES-All Yellow or Assorted 9" .... .
CLEAR-For Needle Pene1rat1on 9" .... .
CLEAR-For Needle Penetration 9" .... .
Round Assorted Colors 11.. ... ...... . .. .
CLEAR-For Needle Penetrat10n 11 ·· .. .
CLEAR-For Needle Penetrahon 11" .. .
CLEAR-For Silk Balloon ........ .
CLEAR-For Silk Balloon ...... .
Round-Multicolor 12" ....... .
Round-Multicolor 14" ..
Round-Mulricolor 16" ......... .
All Red or Assorted or Yellow
CRAZY WILD SCREAMERS ............... .
'See other side for additional colors
QTY.
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
144
12
144
144
12
144
12
144
144
144
144
12
Check with us abovr specia l bal loon needs.
We can probably get what you need and save you money
BALLOON ACCESSORIES
AppleSt1x ................. ........................ .
24" Cello Shx-Large D1ame1er .......... .
Small Cardboard Feet ......... .......... ........
Large Cardboard Feet .
Erecto Cups ............... ....... ............ .
Khp • n Seal-Plast ic Snap Sealer .... .
Squawker Tubes. ................. ...... .
Cut & Restore Balloons
Needle Thru Balloon
Spike Thru Balloon
Silk 1n Balloon
Wand Thru Balloon
Turkish Turmoi l
MAGIC WITH BALLOONS
Illusion
100/o DISCOUNT *
ON ALL BALLOON ORDERS
OVER $40.00
"SAME DAY SERVICE"
SHIPPED VIA UNITED PARCEL SERVICE (UPS)
All UPS Orders Insured-No Charge for Insurance
OnC.O .D.. lbuPayC .O.D Charge
"Prices SubJect To Change Without Notice"
SHIPPING CHARGES
Orders $17.50 or Under. Please Add ..
Orders S17.51 or Over. Please Add
Foreign Orders. Please Add .....
All A,rma1/ Costs Billed D,rectly To )bu
New 'l'brk State Residents-Please add 8% Tax
PRICE
S 3.00
3.20
3.40
3.75
3.75
3.25
4.30
3.00
3.00
3.00
6.30
6.30
4.40
6.30
5.00
2.25
6.40
6.40
10.00
6.80
1.35
8.60
9.00
,.so
16.50
2.00
14.50
17.50
20.50
3.00
1.75
1000 $ 2.00
144 3.75
144 2.75
144 7.25
144 5.25
144 3.25
144 10.CX'
4 $ 1.50
6.75
10.00
19.00
10.00
27.50
SEND ALL ORDERS AND CHECKS TO:
Jessi SI. John
C.O A 7220
THE BALLOON BOX
I B.M. 20945
2 Fairlee Drive
E Northport N Y 11731
SAM
WC .A
10105
Lile Member #8
516 368-2223
$1.75
10%
25%
The New Calliope 5

September/October, 1984
Fellow
Joeys,
Minnesota Alley 19 cordially invites you to
the Annual Clowns of America International Convention
to be held at the Radisson St. Paul Hotel
in St. Paul, MN, April 24-28, 1985.
We have chosen Paul Bunyan and the Lumberjack
Era as our theme. We invite all conventioners
to attend the theme events in costumes
of the lumberjack era. On Wednesday evening in
the Radisson pool, we will have a logrolling
show by Jim and Chris Fischer, logrolling
champions, and their dog, Buttons. Friday morning
we'll enjoy a traditional Paul Bunyan pancake
breakfast and Friday evening we'll put our
best foot forward at the Woodchopper's Ball.
With our motto "Getting Into the Act" we invite
all of you to get into the act, both in
Clowns of America International and this convention.
Participation in the following events
will help each of us to polish our clown skills.
Make-Up Competition. Competition in whiteface,
auguste, tramp, and character categories.
Balloon Sculpture Competition. Competition
in single, multiple, and large balloon categories.
Skit Competition. Competition in single and
group skits of no more than five minutes in
length.
Education Sessions. Eighteen one hour education
sessions on various aspects of clowning,
including make-up, costumes, magic, and
performing techniques, taught by experts in
these areas.
Workshops. Three limited attendance sessions
of three hours each, one each on
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for pre-registered
participants.
Adults: $45.00**
Juniors: $39.00
Mail To: Pat Roeser
1536 14th Street
St. Paul Park, MN 55071
1985 Annual Convention
REGISTRATION
"GETTING INTO THE ACT"
April 24-28, 1985
One session will consider the clowns's
appearance. A make-up demonstration will be
given, followed by individual attention as
everyone puts on a clown face. This will be
followed by the opportunity to try on costumes
of several styles. Clowns may also
make an appointment to have their clown wig
trimmed by a licensed beautician with experience
working with clown wigs.
The second workshop will be Prop Building
with Bob Wood of Alley 19. Watch as Woody
shows you how to make clown props out of
simple materials. Then try your hand at making
something of your own, under Woody's
direction.
The third workshop will be Skit Produc ­
tion and Performance. Skits will be demonstrated,
sources of ideas will be discussed,
the importance of props, costumes, and music,
will be explained. Workshop participants
will each learn at least one skit.
Remember, these are limited to
five (25) participants each. You
register for these workshops, after
registered for the convention.
twentymay
preyou
have
Auction. An auction will feature clown props
and accessories. A complete set of the Calliope
has been donated by Edith Wharton of
Providence, Rhode Island. Other donations
to this auction are welcome.
Register early. The first 300 to register
will be eligible for a drawing of a complimentary
weekend at the Radisson St. Paul Hotel.
This can be used during the convention
or at some other time within one year.
Looking forward to meeting you
April.
i
**$5 Late fee
after April 1.
next
Ruth Erkkila, Convention Chair,
and all the members of Alley 19
HOTEL RESERVATIONS
Make reservations directly with
Radisson St. Paul Hotel
11 East Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55101
612- 292-1900
Name:
----------------------- --------
Clown Name: _______________ Membership No. _____ _
Address:
City: ___________ State : ______ Zip Code: _____ _
I am interested in: Hospital Visits, Skit Competition,
Make-up Competition, Balloon Sculpture Competition,
Workshops, please send more information.
Single: $48.00
Double: $54.00
Cabana: $75.00
Specify that you are with the
Clowns of America International
Convention to get this reduced
rate.
RESERVATION DEADLINE IS
APRIL lt_ 1985
6 The New Calliope

September / Octobe r, 1984
• Enter the Tall Tale's Contest.
• Come in costumes of the Lumberjack era.
• Dance at the Woodchopper's Ball.
• Enter make-up, skit, and balloon sculpture competition.
• Learn new tricks in 18 education sessions .
• Enjoy the Lumberjack era at the log rolling demonstration
and pancake breakfast.
Annual Clowns of America International Convention
Radisson St. Paul Hotel
St. Paul, Minnesota
The New Calliope 7

September/October, 1984
An Outsider's View of Clown College
( ••• with help from many insiders)
by Barry DeChant
Redford, Michigan
It's been more than 17 years since Irvin
Feld and his brother, Israel, purchased the
Greatest Show on Earth from John and Henry
Ringling North. This month (September) the 17th
class for prospective clowns begins at the
Ringling Brothers Clown College in Venice, FL.
The need for clowns became apparent when the
Felds, new owners of "Big Bertha", realized
that their new acquisition contained, in addi ­
tion to the animals, aerialists, and acrobats,
about 14 clowns, all between the ages of 50 and
80. Obviously, they had a problem. The old
"spread eagle and scram" was gone. Falls dur ­
ing gags were mostly memories, because no one
knew if the veteran clowns could get up once
they fell. You couldn't ask a clown to run
for fear he might have a heart attack.
Fac i ng this impending extinction of clowns,
the Felds, in mid - summer of 1968, announced
plans for a College of Clowns. The sole purpose
would be "finding and training clowns for the
Greatest Show on Earth."
Named to head the college was Mel Miller,
who at that time was curator of the Ringling
Museum of the Circus in Sarasota, Florida. Mel
had been a Ringling clown in 1946. He had
helped create and direct various circus productions
since 1929.
Mel asked Danny Chapman, an experienced
clown and friend, to assist him at the school.
Mel would run it, and Danny would teach.
Even with this new exciting venture under
way, it was difficult to find people for the
first class. Ads were run in the Sarasota Herold
Tribune, Variety Magazine, and soon the
local wire services sent the story nationwide.
Letters of inquiry were received, and on September
26, 1968 the first Clown College class
began with 26 students.
The early teaching took place at Danny's
house. The clown/ students lived in Danny's
living room, and throughout the house.
In a very short time, they outgrew the Chapman
facilities and Mel moved the training 20
miles south to the Ringling Winter Quarters in
Venice. Classes were held in the 5,000 seat
circ u s arena, where they are still held today.
At the end of the first year Mel didn't want
to return, and a new dean was appointed three
weeks before the start of the 1969 class. He
was Bill Ballantine, a Ringling clown in 1947-
48, and Executive Director and Assistant to the
show manager from 1952 to 1954. Ballantine
brought many new innovations to the Clown Col-
lege curriculum and introduced new teaching
techniques which are still being used today.
Ballantine was dean until he resigned after
the 1977 class. Re was succeeded by present
Dean, Ronald Severini, a graduate of the 1971
Clown College Class and an advance clown, a­
long with his wife, Sandy. Severini had also
been the boss clown on the Blue Unit, and promoter
of the Ringling Thrill Circus at the Ohio
State Fair.
Since it's beginning in 1968, more than 850
mirthmakers have graduated from the school.
The arena, situated along the US-41 bypass,
on the edge of an airport, was build in 1960.
It contains one classroom which doubles as a
lunch room, lecture room, and movie room. In
addition there are areas for make-up, unicyle
training, working with foam rubber, prop building,
stilt walking, a costume shop, acrobatic,
trampoline, and tumbling areas, a practice area
for track - gags, seats for show spectators, and
the dean's office in an upstairs corner.
Outside jobs are strictly forbidden, since
the heavy curriculum and practice requirements
take too much of the student's, already scarce
10 week period. They are housed at either the
Venice Villas or the Kent Motel for the duration
of classes. Although tuition is free,
students must pay for their room and board, as
well as travel expenses to get to Venice. In
1983, students were required to pay a $550 deposit
prior to beginning of classes. This was
applied to the cost of their costume, hat,
shoes, wig, movie and slide rental, physical
examination, and make-up. At the end of the
term, any unused monies are refunded to the
students.
One 1983 student from Detroit said, "It cost
me $ 1 ,700.00, with plane fare, and all expenses."
In larger cities, the circus holds public
auditions for prospective clown college students.
The first audition was held in Baltimore
in mid - March 1970. At the auditions, the
college procedures are explained, students are
introduced to some of the show clowns, some
gags are presented, students are asked to perform
some basic mime techniques, and are then
given the opportunity to show their individual
skills to the boss clown. In addition, everyone
must submit the official student application
form. In cities where no public auditions
are held, interested students can contact the
arena and arrange for a private audition with
boss clown when the show arrives.
The application is unique in its own way. It
was originally designed by Ballantine in 197 0
and contained 31 questions. In 1976 he r ede ­
signed and expanded it to 91 questions, asking
many things that reveal a lot about the indivi-
8 The New Calliope

September/October, 1984
dual applying for admittance. The 1983 applicat
i.on contained only 6 changes from the one
designed in 1976.
Some questions are: How do you enter a
crowded room? If you could be someone else, who
would you be and why? When was the last time
you cried? and, What does it take to make you
mad?
After the application is received, prospective
students receive a call from the secretary
of the college, and are usually interviewed, by
telephone, by the dean. A letter is sent to
selected students informing them of the need
for expense monies, where to report, and when.
One student told me, "I heard about the college
in October of 1981, and went down to watch
the auditions and talk with some of the clowns.
In October of 1982 l auditioned along with 30
others. The clowns talked with me, asking if I
was really serious about attending. 'Would you
really like doing something like this?' They
gave me ideas for submitting my application.
They said 'Don't mail it until after the 1st of
the year, till after the shows leave winter
quarters. Don't turn it in when it's busy at
Clown College. Be truthful, and don't give
short answers to quesLions. Answer them in
depth. For a question about whether or not I
ever performed on stage, I wrote a five (5)
page summary. It took six (6) months to finish
my application. The clowns advised me to follow
up after sending it in. 1 felt every question
was a 'trick' question, and they were
trying to read into the answers."
From 1968, when the staff consisted of three
(3) people (an instructor, director and secretary),
to 1983 when the staff contained 30
regular instructors (according to the Medi.a
Guide), Clown College has come a long way.
During its formative years, outside instructors
were the primary teachers, but today many
of the instructors are Clown College graduates
presently employed on the show. Although this
helps perpetuate training being used on the
show, it inhihi ts an influx of "new" ideas,
since most of the show clowns are best qualified
to teach only what they were taught at the
college.
What happens to the new student when he or
she arrives at Clown College? On the first day,
they report to thei.r assigned living quarters
and get settled. The next clay they report to
the arena for an orientation meeting with the
dean and hear lectures about the backgrounds of
their instructors and the format of the college
for the next ten (10) weeks. For the first five
(5) weeks, the students have classes from 8:30
am to 1 pm, lunch from 1 to 2, more classes
from 2 to 6, dinner from 6 to 7:30, and more
classes from 7:30 to 10:30. This is a six day
a week schedule. Even at lunch classes were
"in session" since films were shown to allow
them to study humor and comedy techniques.
In 1983 the films were primarily previous RBB&B
shows with a few outside selections.
They start make-up as if everyone is new to
it. The first week all students are required to
put on a different white-face each day. The
second week they concentrate on tramp make-up,
and from the third week on the concentration is
on auguste. Students are usually in make-up
from 8:30 am until after dinner.
Among classes taught are: Clowning, Water
and Pie Throwing, Costuming, Stilt Walking, Explosives,
Unicycle Riding, Tumbling, Acrobatics,
Trampoline, Juggling, Improvisation, Foam
Construction, Nose Making, Elephant Riding, and
Nutrition. Many classes end after the fifth
week. Students start working on the show which
will be presented at the graduation gala. Specialty
classes are the concentrated areas of
instruction

September/October, 1984 ·
In Praise of Folly
by Dr. Thomas Niccolls
Hiram College
Hiram, OH 44234
In the February issue of the Newsletter we
told of Rodney (ZAPPO) Burnap's approach to
clowning as aimed at trying to "win people to
Jesus." The discussion centered on the question
of whether clowning should try to "make a
point," whether a religious point or a safety
point or health point, or should clowning just
be for entertainment?
Our response came from Sister Mary Josita,
St. Francis Residence, 25 Jackson St., Paterson
NJ 07501. Since she takes a somewhat different
view from Zappo, here are her comments in full:
"Know first of all that my clowning experexperience
is only one month old. I am much in
need of knowing how to develop my clown character.
However, after living as a Sister for
some thirty years I have some opinions about
clowning and the Faith, and I appreciate an opportunity
to share. So bear with me.
I don't believe I can introduce people to
Faith at all. Only-The Father draws people to
Himself. With God's blessing, I can introduce
people to Jesus. Hopefully my faith in Jesus
(God/Trinity) will be caught by others.
Naturally to introduce people to Jesus I
think of the Gospels. Jesus did not put people
on the spot. He first created a desire in them
to form a relationship with Him. When people
come to a show, they want a good time and don't
expect to be preached to.
First I would give the audience the expected
'secular' entertainment and allow them to respond.
I would not want to trick even one of my
spectors by suddenly transforming the entire
group into a captive audience in religion's
name. In order not to do this, I would make an
announcement that I would like to present a
five minute ecumenical religious salute to the
King of Laughter. I would allow time for anyone
to leave and then go immediately into the skit.
I would allow and request a silent response to
the presentation. Even in my short career, the
Father is 'timely' in making the Faith relationship.
In the meantime I shall be happy to
hear from you.
Let us also petition the Father to shower us
with His humorous appearances in even the most
difficult times of life. Let us pray also for
the know-how not to make religion 'funny!'"
Signed by OHJOH the clown.
Sister Mary's letter certainly reminds us
that there will be very different approaches to
the question Zappo asked. The value of her response,
it seems to me. is the helpful reminder
that clowns, above all, should be wary of trapping
people in uncomfortable situations. While
clowning deals, to be sure, with the unexpected,
the surprises we bring surely ought not to
make our audience feel like "they've been had,"
as the saying goes.
Perhaps we clowns can learn from contemplatives
like the great Thomas Merton, who
wrote in his Seeds of Contemplation that those
who are seeking to know God should be very cautious
about breaking in on other people's lives
with words about the interior life, lest the
focus be on the human response rather than on
God. As Merton puts it, "In actual practice one
of the last barricades of egoism, and one which
many saints have refused to give up entirely,
is this insistence on doing the work and getting
the results and enjoying them ourselves."
(Cont.)
*****
students, with 3 additional contracts offered
in the weeks following graduation.
The Felds are businessmen. They're involving
a great deal of money to train clowns, and
they want to be very sure the students are serious
about clowning and going with the show.
They have certain likes and dislikes, which is
normal for everyone, and they have every right
to select the student/clowns that impress their
tastes. Although not every student sees the
selection process as fair to them, there are
many positive comments from clown college a­
lumni.
A 1971 student, "Clown College was the pinnacle
of my career. It should be the ending and
not really the beginning of a career but it
was. To me it was snow on Christmas, an allday
sucker, never-never land."
And this quote from a student, "Say what you
want, but being a part of the Greatest Show on
Earth is a valued credit and one I am proud
of."
Persons interested in applying for Clown
College can request an application by writing
to: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown
College, P.O. Box 1528, Venice, Florida 34284-
1528.
Books written by two of the former deans of
Clown College are: Clown Alley By Bill Ballantine,
Published by Little, Brown, & Co. (This
book highlights the 9 years the author was dean
of the Clown College.)
Circus Buffoon By Danny Chapman, P.O. Box
3684, Sarasota, Florida 33578. Cost $6.00 plus
$1.00 p&h. This is a novel about a circus clown
and his adventures. It seems to parallel the
actual circus career of the Mr. Chapman.
1 O The New Calliope

September / October, 1984
KRAKO'S KORNER
by SW Regional VP John Guthrie
BALLOONS, BALLOONS, BALLOONS
Balloons , a clown's best friend and possibly
his worst enemy. Balloons are something that
all clowns do in one form or another. It may be
the ever popular balloon animals or the helium
balloons, which we see so often . All clowns
should learn to make balloon animals. They are
impressive and loved by children of all ages.
They are a great item to give away and everyone
loves to watch the clown make them. It's just
a part of human nature .
I know some clowns cannot blow up the animal
balloons. Some people just don't have their
lungs trained to do it. Fine, there are other
types of balloons they can work with. One that
is cute and impressive is the apple balloon.
They are easy to do and they look great. You
can put these on a swizzle stick for the old
familiar candy apple. Again, everybody loves
them and they marvel at what you can do. They
are time fillers and they can and do create a
full time business for many clowns. I have done
them for many years, and yet, I find myself not
wanting to do them as much as I used to.
We now have several people in the country
that are true balloon experts. They have written
books about them, won competitions, and
they know all about balloons. This has become
their specialty. I am impressed by them and I
admire what they do with balloons. But, it is
not my specialty. I have developed other areas
in my routines. This past year, I have had the
opportunity to talk with several balloon experts
and they have given me a new insight into
balloons. I asked one person what he did when
he had a long line of children waiting for a
balloon, knowing that he was a perfectionist
and wanted each one to be just perfect. He
said, "If all of the children don't get one
that's too bad." How sad I found this statement.
I, for one, feel that if any children are
going to get a balloon, they all should. I know
one clown that just enjoyed seeing long lines
of children waiting for a balloon. He didn't
really care how long they had to wait or that
the parents might not wait, but pull them out
of the line to leave. Too bad •••••••••
I recently had a Fourth of July job where I
was to give out balloons for two hours and then
present a show. I finished up with the balloons
and many of the children had two, since they
broke a lot of them on the grass. When I was
getting ready for the show, a parent, who had
just arrived, came up to me and asked if I had
any more balloons. I did not have time to give
out more balloons. It was time for the show.
I told them they were all gone. As the parent
IU\AKEl'Si EIJEIWN MAEilE
~ 234 LANSING
ST. AURORA, COLO. 80010 ~
turned to leave, I heard someone say, "what a
bummer." There really wasn't much I could do or
say. I did what I was hired to do for the time
I was to do it.
One thing I don't like about balloons is
that many parents with little children do not
watch their children. Of course, with little
children, you know where the balloon goes.
Right into their mouths. This can be dangerous.
No matter how many times you warn the parents,
they still don't watch much of the time.
I have worked in a pizza parlor for twelve
years. They have their own balloons. They are
not the animal balloons. Many will ask me if I
can make the balloon animals . I assure them I
can, but, the balloons the pizza parlor uses
are not the right ones. Theirs have advertising
on them. It is part of my job to use their balloons,
not show my skill as a balloon artist.
If you do balloons, great. If you don't, at
least, learn to make several types. But, be a­
ware that they can be dangerous. They can also
cause a lot of hurt feelings with parents and
children. Of course, once you give it away,
it's not your worry. But, where did the child
get the balloon? From the clown, and you are
the clown. Do yourself a favor and let balloons
be your best friend, not your worst enemy. It
can happen. I have seen it happen and so have
you. Make all the children and parents happy,
not just a few. After all, you are the balloon
expert.
HAPPY DAZE
John Guthrie
The New Calli ope 11

September / October , 1984
My First Clown Date With
CLOWN PRINCE, EMMETT KELLY, JR.
by Robert Wood
Minneapolis,
Minnesota
I remember how thrilled we Minneapolis Aqua
Jesters were, in the summer of 1968, when we
heard that Emmett Kelly, Jr. might clown a­
round with us at some of the Aquatennial Summer
Festival functions in Minneapolis. He was selected
that year to be Grand Marshall of the
Grand Day Parade.
Our first glimpse of the "Clown Prince" was
from our clown jeep fire truck, that followed
his convertible through the Minneapolis
streets. A barker in his car repeatedly announced,
"Here he is, the great Emmett Kelly,
Jr!"
A few days later, we found ourselves again
in the Kelly entourage; this time we were visiting
several shopping centers in the Twin Cities
of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. We,
Aqua Jesters, appropriately took subordinate
roles, when performing with Kelly. We were a­
mazed by the simplicity of his routines. One
"bit", in a shopping center parking lot, involved
blowing up a balloon. He laboriously
huffed and puffed, several times appearing to
be on the verge of collapse. At least two balloons
"got away" from him before he could tie
it. Once successful in filling a balloon, he
went into a baseball routine. Here in slow
motion, he went into a windup and pitched the
balloon. He sadly watched it drift away and
softly bounce on the sidewalk.
In another act, Emmett spent a full five
minutes sawing a three foot long two by four in
half. The saw must have been intensionally dull
It finally became apparent, the object was to
nail the two sawed off pieces together and form
a "T". Of course, during the nailing, he hit
his thumb and made a big fuss about it. Once
the Twas constructed, he used it as a stool
and sat on it. The gathering responded by applauding
the action.
We went into the shopping center, momentarily
losing sight of Kelly in the crowd. Inside
was a stage already set up in preparation for
Emmett Kelly, Jr's appearance. We climbed onto
the stage, not realizing that he would not follow
soon. A slight panic came over us, when we
realized, he was not even in sight. Our capable
M.C., Joe, announced that the celebrated
clown would soon be on stage. Joe exhausted his
collection of one-liners, and still no Emmett.
Our magic clown struggled through his two minute
routine. Now we were left with only our
final stage act: "The Great Zapp Family, Aerialists."
In no more than a minute, Stuey, as
Zelda Zapp, clumsily "walked" the rubber rope
(Clown Pr i nce , Emmet t Kel l y , J r.,
j o in ed th e Aqua Jest er s of Minnea
polis, MN f or a day o f cl ownin g .)
stretched between two chairs. We were too preoccupied
with Emmett's absence to acknowledge
any applause, or lack of it, from the waiting
audience .
When slow death on the stage appeared imminent,
someone yelled, "Here comes Emmett." After
signing one last autograph for a fan, he
finally was ready. He got onto the stage, with
help from Joe, who literally pulled Emmett up
by his arm. He took the microphone from Joe and
went right into his pantomine act. He pointed
to someone in the audience, as his lips moved
silently. Joe ad libbed well, as he approached
the mike and said, "There must be a bad connection
here." He snapped his fingers to check.
"There. It seems to be working now. Try it
again," Joe offered. Kelly repeated his pantomine,
still pointing out to the crowd. At the
same time he looked straight at Joe and silently
addressed him. Joe was not in tune with
Kelly's gag and looked a little distressed; he
struggled to get Kelly's message, but to no a­
vail. Kelly finally saw that Joe did not "get
it," so whispered under his breath, "I want to
give myself away to that little girl in the red
dress, you dumb clown."
Earlier, from somewhere in the cro wd, Emmett
had seen us perform the Zapp Act and now he
grabbed the rubber rope and did his version of
12 The New Calliope

September / Octobe r. 1984
the tight rope act. He laid the rope in a
straight line on the floor, did a few preliminary
exercises and then "balanced" his way to
the center of the rope. At that point, he stopped,
bounced, and did a quick 180 degree jump,
his big shoes slapping noisily on the floor. He
then ran to the end of the rope and posed
gracefully to his audience. We still, after all
these years, kid Emmett about upstaging us and
stealing our act.
We drove to another shopping center, where
we finished our clown evening with Emmett
Kelly, Jr. There was no stage here; instead we
all "worked the crowd." We soon learned that
Emmett travels with few props. My bag of small
props was well used by the end of the evening.
The tramp clown, when he so chose, reached into
it, until he had tried everything: the melodica,
the telescope with a bird at the end, the
(Emmett Kelly, Jr., and Stuey
"Zelda Zapp" Storm . )
big comb and scissors and the feather duster.
It was interesting to see how he worked with
these familiar props and how easily he was able
to bring out a smile or a laugh, with these
simple things.
Today, a few of us in the Aqua Jesters still
keep in touch with Em, who seldom fails to contraveling,
one-ring, indoor
tact us when his
circus is anywhere near the Twin Cities. His
telephone
day.
calls can come at any hour of the
One night he called, about midnight, from
Rochester, Minnesota. His show was set up
there, at the Civic Center.
"I have my circus here in Rochester, I know
they're expecting me, because, right here from
my hotel room window, I can see my name in big
letters on the marquee. How about you and (Bob)
Stanek working the show with me tomorrow and
Sunday?" he asked enthusiastically.
"But, we' re really not set up for circus
acts, you know. Besides, we don't have many big
props," I answered.
"Bring what you have. I trust you guys."
Three of us, Bob Stanek, Randy Munson, and
myself, went to Rochester on this somewhat improptu
basis. We took Bob's small motorcycle
and some hats. I was the clown cop and Bob ran
right through my large stop sign. We also did
an act with the hats and here Emmett joined
right in. Emmett is great on "winging it" with
very few, if any, rehearsals. For those of us,
who like to rehearse our acts very carefully,
this was a new experience. And, we had a lot
of fun, too.
Emmett's wife, Nancy, was the ringmistress.
She introduced Emmett, who did a pantomine act
and made a rabbit disappear. Other acts were
hired for this particular show, which lasted a­
bout one and a half hours.
There were two shows that day; then we had
dinner with Emmett and Nancy. Next morning we
helped take down the tent and bleachers and
loaded them into Emmett's truck. He climbed in
and drove off honking his horn and waving. We
waved "Good-by" to our friend and drove back to
Minneapolis.
When not traveling with the circus, Emmett
and his charming ringmistress wife, Nancy, live
in Tombstone, Arizona. There he is known, not
only as a clown, but also as a guide for tourists.
Many people have gone on his tours of
caves in the area.
* *** *
(The Aqua Jesters is a Minneapolis clown club
with approximately sixty men and women members.
It was started in 1947 to help entertain in the
Minneapolis Aquatennial, an annual summer festival.
Bob Wood has been a member since 1966.
He is also a member of Minnesota Alley 19.)
The New Calliope 13

September/October. 1984
RINGLING
CENTENNIAL
by Ruth
Erkkila
It was a grand day in Baraboo, Wisconsin on
July 7, 1984. Clowns, along with old circus
wagons pulled by horses, wi l d animals, bands,
and exotic performers recreated the sights,
sounds and smells of the old circus parade in
the Ringling Centennial Parade celebrating the
100th birthday of the Ringling Brothers Circus.
It was here in Baraboo that five brothers put
on their first circus performance with only
twenty - four employees and one clown , John Ring ­
l ing, himself. Now one hundred years later,
thousands of people had gathered from many
parts of the nation to celebrate that event and
recall, perhaps, the joy and excitement of
those days when the circus parade came to town.
Br i ght, sunny skies and tree shaded streets
provided an ideal setting for this journey into
the past. For some , it was a chance to relive
some of the excitement of their youth, when
they scrambled to get a good vantage point on
t he circus parade that had come to their small
t own. For the parade participants, it was a
chance to l i ve for one day in the aura, magic,
and fo r some , the fatig ue, of those by-gone
days of the circus. For yo unger people, it was
a chance to glimpse some of the past. In those
days before airplanes, automobiles, or televi ­
s i on, the circus parade was an event not to be
missed.
This seventy-five unit, two hour, two mile
parade was an historic event. For par t icipants
like Grand Marshall, Rain - bow the Clown, it was
a joy to be there. Her enthusiasm was evident,
when she competed for a spot in the parade at a
walk-a-round competition at the Jefferson Meadows
Care Center on Friday night before .the
parade. Janette "Rain - bow" Irwin just wanted
to be a part of the parade . She was absolutely
thrilled to be chosen Grand Marshall . Her husband,
on the sidelines, shared some of her enthusiasm
as he talked with us. They came from
St. Louis, Missouri, just for this parade. Both
are employees of AT & T in St. Louis. Janette
is president of her local clown group and re ­
cently polished her clowning skills at Richard
Snowberg's Clown Camp at the University of Wisconsin
in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.
We counted twenty-seven clowns in this pa ­
rade, many of them long-time COA members. Gene
"Cousin Otto" Lee (COA //1075), from Whitewater,
Wisconsin, was there with his ice cold hot
dogs. Barry "Bonzo" de Chant (COA //6460) from
Redford, Michigan, stopped by to say hello to
us. Art "Jolly" Petri (COA //90) was there from
:-tilwaukee, Wisconisn, with eight members of his
alley . Gary Soule, of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin,
walked the entire 2.1 mile parade route atop a
towering pair of stilts. All had come to share
some of the American tradition in the circus to
which the Ringling Brothers had contributed so
much.
Besides the colorful sights of the clowns,
mounted riders, and circus wagons, the sounds
were there. The cr eaking wheels of the circus
(Eugene "Geno " Jurewicz , COA /14152,
of Timley Park, IL, rode atop this
animal cage wagon . )
(A clown band entertained from on
top of the Gollmar Mirror Bandwagon
. )
14 The New Calliope

September / Oc tober. 1984
~ARADE:
JULY
7, 1984
wagons , the marching bands, the clicks of hor ­
ses hoofs on the pavement , the air calliope ,
and the steam calliope bring i ng up the rear.
This steam calliope was built as a te l escoping
tableau for Barnum and Bailey in 1903. It was
converted to a steam calliope by the Cole
Br others Circus in 1939 . Now it can be seen and
heard at Circus World Museum .
This entire parade was produced and staged
by Circus World Museum of Baraboo , Wisconsin .
The circus wagons featured in this pa r ade are
part of their collection and can be seen on the
grounds of this museum, owned and operated by
the State Historical Society of Wisconsin . The
museum is open daily from early May until mid
September.
With al 1 of the more that forty wagons being
pulled by horses, there were the smells of the
circus, too . Long after the ho r ses had passed
the smells lingered. The smell as the elephants
walked by, was familiar, too. Fort una t ely , for
the faint of heart the boa constricto r s , ti ­
gers, monkeys, and wolves were all in caged
wagons.
When we arrived downtown at 9 AM, people
were already spreading thei r blankets and un ­
folding lawn chairs in anticipation of the 12
noon parade. But, we wanted to see the wagons
and ho r ses close up, so we walked up the parade
route to the Sauk County Fairgro unds, whe r e wagons
, horses, and parade part i cipants were ga ­
thering and t he Bar aboo High School Band was
practicing . The wagons looked ve r y bright and
(The flags were carried by the
Wisconsin Morgan Horse Club . )
(Barry "Bo n zo " de Cha n t ,
GOA #6460 , of Red ford ,
MI. )
(Gene "Cousin Otto" Lee,
GOA t/1075, of Whitewa ­
ter , WI.)
(Art "Jolly " Pe t ri, GOA
#90 , of Milwaukee, WI . )
The New Cal liope 15

September/October. 1984
side of the driver's seat. This wagon, over 100
years old, came to Circus World Museum from
Mary and Bailey Fossett, owners of the Sir
Robert Fossett Circus of Northampton, England.
It is 19 feet 4 inches long and weighs 7,400
pounds.
We watched girls in oriental dress climbing
on top of the Asia Wagon and a band climbing on
top of another wagon. The horses were being
hitched up to the wagons. These horses came
from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and
Ohio, as well as Wisconsin. Now the horses
were hitched, the bands in position, the riders
mounted and the flags waving. It was time for
the parade to begin.
We found a grassy spot on a sunny street
corner. And for two hours all the signs and
sounds and smells of the old-time circus parade
were there. The fantasy was there and the cotton
candy and peanuts, too. Baraboo was like
the early 1900s, when the circus parade marched
down their tree-lined streets.
Baraboo has not forgotten those early circus
days. Circus World Museum occupies twenty-five
acres on the site of the original winter quarters
of the Ringling Brothers Circus on Water
Street and the Baraboo River. Molded elephants
are cast into the sidewalks downtown. A plaque
donated by Irwin asnd Kenneth Feld, erected on
the Town Square in front of the Court House,
commemorates the May 19, 1884 birth of the
Ringling Brothers Circus. A memorial honoring
Baraboo citizens who have worked for or owned
circuses has been built. The names of these
seventy-six residents are cast in aluminum and
mounted, with elephants and horses interspersed,
in a wall along the north side of the Sauk
County Court House. On July 7, 1984, circus
posters were in all the store windows, as they
might have been in the early 1900s, and thousands
of people had come to share that bit of
nostalgia created by a real circus parade.
(Gary Soule, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, enjoyed
the view from this high position.)
colorful, many of them having been recently
painted. The details of the carvings were wonderful.
The Asia Wagon displays faces of exotic
people from China, Tibet, Borneo, Persia,
Afghanistan, and Ceylon. Even to us today, in
the age of jet travel, these names bring up images
of very foreign places. How foreign and
exotic it must have seemed in 1903 when the
Barnum and Bailey Circus had this wagon built
for them by the Sebastian Brothers in New York
City. Two carved lions covered in gold leaf sit
atop the 17 foot 7 inch high Twin Lion Telescoping
Tableau Wagon with dragons on either
16 The New Calliope
(The elephants from Circus World Museum)
***

September / October, 1984
Circus
Wagons
from the Circus World Museum Colection
come from England as well as the United
States. The Pawnee Bill Bandwagon (right) was
built in 1903 by the Sebastian Wagon Works of
New York City. The Pawnee Bill Wild West Show
paid $4000 for it and used it through 1908 . An
eighteen piece band can ride on its roof during
a parade.
Detail of the Gladiator Telescoping Tableau
is shown at left. This is an English circus
wagon given to Circus World Museum by Mary and
Bill Fossett, owners of the Sir Robert Fossett
Circus of Northampton, England. Nine horses,
three abreast, were used to pull this 7880 lb.
wagon, which is 19 feet long, 8 feet 2 inches
wide and 17 feet long.
(Detail of the Asia Wagon shows faces of an Afghan,
a Ceylonese, and a Chinese person. This
wagon was also built by the Sebastian Wagon
Company. It was used by the Barnum and Bailey
Circus until 1918 and by the Christy Brothers
Circus from 1926 to 1930 and the Cole Brothers
Circus from 1935 to 1938.)
The France Bandwagon, left, was built for the
F. J. Spellman U. S. Motorized Circus in 1918. It
was converted from a truck to a horse drawn wagon
in 1924. In the Ringling Centennial Parade,
France was pulled by six Belgian horses.
The New Calliope 17

September/October, 1984
A Visit With Happy of Circus World Museum
by Ruth Erkkila
Riding an elephant in the daily parade,
checking the displays in the former Ringling
Brothers Circus' barns, escorting the female
aerialist to center stage in the Big Top, making
balloon animals, telling jokes to a young
audience in his own show, and walking a drunken
elephant around the center ring are all in a
day's work for Jimmy Williams of Circus World
Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Jimmy, who doubles
as Happy the Clown and the Display Manager,
is a full time employee of this museum owned
and operated by the Wisconsin State Historical
Society. During the summer months, Happy performs
in four shows a day, Happy's Clown Capers
in the Hippodrome and three Big Top shows. In
the Big Top, circus performers create an authentic
circus show, comple t e with a band, aerialists,
horses, dogs, and elephants. In the
winter, Jimmy builds and repairs displays that
help to recreate circus days of the past.
We found Jimmy checking on an interactive
display that had viewers press buttons to hear
Happy the Clown describe various aspects of the
(Sitting on the steps of his circus
wagon dressing room, Happy gives a
last minute polish to a pair of his
clown shoes.)
circus. This, along with Clown Alley, are
housed in the old elephant barn of the original
Ringling Brothers Circus. Jimmy took a few minutes
to show us the cracks, still visible in
the walls, from the day when one of the elephants
became angry and tried to bring the barn
down. The repaired hole in the wall caused by
a blow of the elephant's head is also visible.
On one of the beams, nails are placed one inch
apart around the entire beam. These were put
here to keep the elephant from causing any more
damage, than he did that day when he wr~pped
his trunk around the beam and shook the entire
barn. Jimmy also showed us the spikes to which
the elephants were chained, with back to the
wall and head facing the center, in their spot
in the barn. These spikes are nearly eighteen
inches long and reached completely through the
brick barn walls. "I've got to hurry now, but
meet me after the show," and Jimmy was gone to
make up for his Big Top performance in 45 minutes.
On the grounds of Circus World Museum in the
red and white Big Top Circus Tent with bleachers
and sawdust, the circus performance is a­
bout to begin. Happy the Clown does a short
warm-up before the show starts, using a disap ­
pearing walkin g stick, balloons, and volun ­
teers from the audience. Here he shows the
easy, relaxed way he works with his young volunteers.
Happy is always in control, but his
young volunteers become an important part of
his act, yet nothing they can say will keep the
act from moving forward. Once Happy has the
audience cheering it's time to bring on the
Ringmaster and the circus band. Happy's back,
later in the show, to do a restaurant skit with
an elephant. After the elephant drinks a bottle
of wine, it's intoxicated and falls down. Happy
walks the elephant across the ring on its knees
in his effort to get the drunken customer out
the
door.
Happy does two more skits in the Big Top
Show. One is a sharp shooter skit, again using
a volunteer from the audience and then a magic
act, where his dog, Tuffy, is made to disappear
and reappear again.
We wait our turn after the show. Children,
from the audience, have come up to talk with
Happy and shake his hand. He takes a few minu ­
tes with each of them.
Jimmy Williams got started on his clown
career, when he was still a teenager, he explains,
relaxing for a few minutes in his
dressing room. This dressing room is a converted
circus wagon, which he shares with the
Ringmaster, Peter Sturgis, and his dog, Tuffy.
"Jimmy, have you lived your whole life in
Baraboo?"
"Not yet," he replies.
"No, actualy, I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
in 1943." Jimmy does not remember being
18 The New Calliope

September / Octobe r, 1984
(Ridin g an elephant is all in a day's
work for Happy the clown.)
impressed with the circus, but he does remember
a clown he met several times, at the family
Christmas parties put on by the company where
his father worked. This clown's name was Happy.
When Jimmy was sixteen years old, he thought
it was time to start earning some money. He got
a job as a clown work ing at the Mayfair Shopping
Center in Milwaukee. At seventeen years
old, he also worked as Santa Claus. While working
as a clown at Mayfair, Happy was seen by
administrators of Circus World Museum. They
were interested in him and he worked part time
for them in 1962 and 1963. This was in the
early days of the Museum, which opened in 1959.
Later in 1963, he joined the Al G. Kelly and
Miller Circus. He left them in Vicksburg,
Mississippi and joined the Famous Cole Circus
and stayed with them until he was drafted in
1965. After he returned from the Army, Happy
again became associated with Circus World Museum.
As before, thi s work was seasonal, working
as a clown during th e May to September
museum season. In 1972, he became a full time
employee, when he als o assumed the duties of
Assistant Display Manager.
Now during the winter months in Baraboo,
he's involved in planning displays and building
props for the following season. Jimmy also
enjoys magic, being particularly good at closeup
magic. His two daughters, 17 and 15 years
old, occasionally assist him in his magic
shows, but they have not become interested in
clowning.
During the summer season. when the Museum is
open seven days a week, Happy only has an occasional
day off. On these days, Gene "Cousin
Otto" Lee, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, does Happy's
four shows.
Gene Lee has also taken part in the volunteer
clown program at Circus World Museum. This
is a new program this year, started and administered
by Jimmy Williams. Clowns are invited
to apply. If interested, write to James Williams,
Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin,
53913. Selectedapplicant's work as walk-aaround
clowns at Circus World Museum for one
day. They will be provided with a dressing
room in a circus wagon for the day. They can
do balloons or their own favorite walk-arounds.
At the end of the season, a "Clown of
the Year" will be chosen. Jimmy is very enthusiastic
about this program and speaks very
highly of the volunteer clowns. "They've all
been great. I'm going to have a hard job picking
one. They're all just great." The clown
of the year will be chosen on their walk-around
activity, make-up, and costume.
Jimmy was getting excited now and talking
with his hands. This arm movement reminded him
of yesterday's ride in a horse drawn cart during
the Ringling Centennial Parade. Keeping the
independent horse under control, had left Happy's
arms a little stiff. And now it was time
to hurry to Happy's Clown Capers' Show.
"How many of you saw me on television on the
Hee Haw show?" asks Happy.
Ten children raised their hands.
"Well, those of you, who raised your hands,
better go home and fix you TV sets. I was never
on Hee Haw."
"What would you have, if, after you went to
sleep one night, someone had gone around and
painted all the cars in America pink?"
No one raised their hand this time.
"You'd have a pink car nation."
So it goes with more riddles, stories, balloons,
and volunteers from the audience. Happy's
clown show is clean and when he asks for
riddles from the audience, he sends M.C. Peter
Sturgis to check the answer before they can be
shouted out to the entire audience. With his
easy patter, Happy holds his audience well. And
even the big kids were fighting over the balloons
shot into the audience.
Happy in vited the children in the audience
to watch for him in the parade from the "best
seats in the house." Children can sit on the
railroad cars, formerly used to transport circus
wagons from city to city, as they watch the
parade.
This
horses,
and then
We waved
knew he
Big Top.
work for
parade contained wagons, a Calliope,
Indians, performers from the Big Top
there was Happy riding on an elephant.
goodby to him on his lofty perch. We
was on his way to another show in the
Riding an elephant is all in a day's
Happy the Clown.
Th e New Calliope 19

September/October, 1984
Circus World Museum
offers visitors the
opportunity to stand in the building where Otto
Griebling held his first job, walk through the elephant
barn, built in 1897, that housed thirty - eight
of the Ringling Brothers Circus elephants, see the
costume worn by Henry Fonda, when he played Emmett
Kelly in the movies. It brings on a feeling of nostalgia
and attracts circus buffs from around the nation.
We met a man from North Carolina, who was
looking over the wagons. This was in preparation
for building a wagon of his own to house his Calliope.
He was working on his second retirement now.
Four years ago he had retired from his job as an e­
lectrical engineer to join a circus. Now he was retireJ
from that, too.
The library (closed on Sundays) contains much information
about the circus and circus performers. It
is the highlight of a visit to Circus World Museum
for many.
Others come to see the Big Top Performances, the
clown show, or the aerialist . Every day there is a
parade.
The picture at top right caught this photographer's
eye with its splendid description of the
brick building on which it hangs. Picture at far
right is of the hotel where Ringling employees stayed,
while in Baraboo. Below, part of the circus waon
collection of over one hundred
20 The New Calliope

Septe mber/October, 1984
AN ORGANIZATION FOR
,-HE PERPETUATION OF
,- HE AMERICAN CLOWN
DEDICATED TO THE I
CLOWNS OF THE WORLD I
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NAME (Please Print) _____________________________
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ADDRESS ___ - --------------------------- c,ty Stale Z•P C.000
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DATE OF BIRTH _____________________ _r,G.__ ____ _
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Clowr.s names used: -------------------------------'
Other organizations affiliated with: ________________________
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and positions held with dates: ---------------------- - ----
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Present occupation: ------------------ - --------- - --
Hobbies: ----------------------------------
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Please ruhnit this application with a check or mney onier to:
Cl owns of Ameri ca I nt ern a ti ona l, I nc .
1315 Boul evard
New Have n, CT. 06511
U.S . A.
N'.N--l'IDFIT
Initiation Fee •••••••••••••• •••••••• • $ 5.00
Menrership Fee in C'.ontine~ USA •••• 15.00
1'e!rership Fee C>.Itside USA ••••••••••• 18.00
Family M:!.irbersh:ip ( Secorxi Person) • • • • 7 .50 _
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The New Calliope 21

September / October, 1984
Articles
of Incorporation
ARTICLES
OF INCORPORATION
~c;li
""/\- We, the
OF
CLOWNS OF AMERICA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
undersigned, for the purpose of forming a corporation
under and pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 317 Minnesota
Statutes, known as the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation Act, do
hereby associate ourselves together as a body corporate and adopt
the following Articles of Incorporation.
ARTICLE I.
The name of this corporation shall be Clowns of America
International,
Inc.
ARTICLE
II.
The purpose of this corporation shall be to organize all members
desiring to pursue the honorable profession or act of clowing, and
the dedication towards its advancement and the education of its
members.
ARTICLE
III.
This Corporation shall not afford pecuniary gain, incidentally
or otherwise, to its members.
ARTICLE
IV.
The period of duration of corporate existence of this cor ­
poration shall be perpetual,
ARTICLE V,
The location of the registered office of this corporation in
this state is 425 Hamm Building, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102,
22 The New Calliope

September /October. 1984
ARTICLE VI.
The name and address of the incorporator is:
Donella A. Hoffman 965 East Geranium Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55106
ARTICLE VII.
The number of directors constituting the first Board of
Directors of this corpora t ion shall be five (5). The tenure in
office of such first Board shall be two (2) years or until suecessors
are elected and qualified.
The names and address of each of
the first Directors is:
Arnold S. Firine
Hunter Stevens
Donella A. Hoffman
Myrtle Folderauer
Walter R. Lee
1315 Boulevard
New Haven, CT 06511
1342 Sylvan Way
West Bend, WI 53095
965 East Geranium Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55106
3555 Elmora Avenue
Baltimore MD 21222
1347 Ava Road
Severn, MD 21144
ARTICLE VIII.
There shall be be no personal l i ability for the members for
corporate obligations.
ARTICLE IX.
The corporation shall not have capital s t ock.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto subscribed my name this
dJ@ day of _,p__.ukj

September / October . 1984
665
STATE OF MINNESOTA)
) 8 8 •
COUNTY OF RAMSEY )
On this
;2,--3 day
appeared before me , to me known to be the person
named in and who executed the foregoing Articles of Incorporation,
and acknowledged this to be of her own free act and deed
uses and purposes therein expressed.
STATE OF MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
I hereby certify that the within
instrument was filed for record in this
office on the~day of~-
A. D. 19$ at~~cl~J.,
and was duly recorded in Boo
of Incorporations, on page
a~t1~~~
f" ~ Secretary of State
No
,,":ii,,', 11/# -~" -".~ tt
:, .r.:'..:Z: , ,... • IDTHV J.DW'IER ~
, . -;f,.;.!,;>, -r~r~ -OUSLIC-MINt,IESO TA •"
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'h1Y Comm 'Ulllll'lS Ju>, 28, 1 C"" -
·· ,.,..,v-.,vw, ·v '\/\,·,. ..,•Nv'V\J\:'v...,,
We Carry A Complete Line of ...
Clown Supplies - Make-Up - Balloons - Juggling Equipment
Puppets - Close-up, Platform and Stage Magic
Send $1. 50 for Our New Catalog
Refundable with your order of $10.00 or more.
Owned and Operated by Your Friends Lou Walston and John Tabeling
Open 9:30 to 5:30 Monday thru Saturday, Friday Evenings t ill 7:30
VISA and MASTER CA RD Accepted
* f fl;..' HA' Htr·
HAWfH;W! ~M.,. . ~;o~ + I
!/!-A!
*
HEfl ie-e,
'} THE FUNHOUSE MAGIC SHOP
3339 BELAIR ROAD
BALT IMORE, MD 21213
(301) 675-2066
24 The New Calliope

September/ Octobe r, 1984
In All lo llhom irhese Jresrnts Shall CILomt, lreeting:
18htrtaS,
Articles of Incorporation, duly signed and acknowledged under oath ,
have been rec orded in the office of the Secretary of State, on the ___
2 _ 7 _t_h ____ _
day of July , A. D. 19 ~ for the incorporation of
Clowns o f America I n ter n at ional, Inc .
under and in accordan ce with the provisio ns of the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation
Act , Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 317;
Now, ilrhertfort, by virtue of the powers and duties vested in me
law, as Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota , I do hereby certify
Cl owns of America International, I nc.
is a legally organized Corporation
under the laws of this State.
Witness my official signature hereunto subscribed
and the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota ,
twenty- s ev en t h
hereunto affixed this - --- ----- - -
_J_u_l_y ____ __ __ _, ·n the year
one thousand nine: hundred and ei ght y-f ou r
Secretary of State:.
SC- 0001 9-0 2
The New Calliop e 25

September/October. 1984
Let's Make 'em Laugh
by Steven Bender
(alias Mr. Pickle)
Ickle Pickle Products, Inc.
883 Somerton Ridge Drive
St. Louis, MO 63141
In 1960, when I was a freshman in college, I
bluffed my way into a job with the u. s. Keds
Company. Prior to this job, which was a clown
performing magic in front of shoe stores on a
Saturday morning, I had never done magic. The
crowds varied between 100 to 500 people, After
all, U, s. Keds was sponsoring the event, and
there was free ice cream, balloons, and other
surprises. I was the warm-up act for Texas
Bruce, a local television celebrity. I did approximately
ten minutes of magic and then made
myself available to help with handing out ice
cream and balloons. My pay: $10.00 per show. I
was there for one hour and we usually did two
shows a day. It was 1960. The minimum wage was
$1.00 per hour. Was I thrilled with $10.00 per
show? You better believe it!
I worked a total of sixteen shows. When it
was all over, U.S. Keds let me keep their clown
suit and their size 17 shoes. The suit had the
name KEDSO all over it, so I took out a local
ad that read: "Kedso the Clown for a Special
Birthday Party. Magic, Fun, Games, and Prizes,"
followed by my phone number.
My first show, I booked myself for two hours
and charged $7,00. I only had enough magic for
twenty-five minutes, My assistant, Ickle Pickle,
who was my girl friend at that time and not
into performing, and I played a lot of games
and gave away far too many prizes. When it was
over, we discovered we had given away more than
we had taken in. But, that was the beginning.
We quickly raised our price to $10,00 for one
hour and $17,00 for two hours. The first year I
did a grand total of nine shows. But, there
must have been something that kept me motivated,
Carol, Ickle's real name, and I spent
hours building new games, putting together a
puppet show, going to local magic shows to see
what there was to see, swapping ideas and magic
with local magicians, and putting together what
was to become our format, My second year in
business, I averaged fifteen shows per month.
the third year came and I was now a junior in
college, I was usually available on weekends.
The number of shows had increased to thirty per
month, so I asked Carol if she wanted to stop
assisting and start performing on her own.
You'd never guess what she said. She said
"NO! 11 And she was emphatic about it. She didn't
mind going with me, but she didn't want to go
into strange houses, stand in front of strang-
ers, and perform on her own.
As fate would have it, I caught the flu one
weekend. With a high temperature and other unpleasant
symptoms, I pleaded with Carol to sub
for me. After all, she knew my story backwards
and forwards. One problem: I drove a Renault
with a stick shift and she didn't drive a shift
car, My younger brother volunteered to go with
her to assist. She made it through the weekend.
That weekend was the only time in her career
that she has worn clown make-up.
When we took Carol's nickname, Ickle, and
added Pickle, it was decided that she would
wear a green outfit and if she could get by
without make-up, so be it. And so it was to be
be, That year, we for now we were both performing,
averaged thirty shows per month. The year
I graduated, we had increased it to sixty
shows. Our price was now $22. 00 and the thought
of jumping to $25.00 made me afraid that we
would soon price ourselves out of the market.
Oh, also, at $22,00, you could only get us for
one hour. Neither of us did a two hour show
any longer.
It's now been twenty-four years and ten
thousand shows; our base price is $65.00 for 18
children and $1,00 per child for each child
over 18. That price is for a one hour birthday
party. The base price for a school show or
company picnic is $135.00, if there are fifty
children or less. It's $175.00, if there are
over fifty children. I'll discuss school shows
and company picnics in later articles.
Well, there you have our current base price.
It's taken us twenty-four years to build up to
that price. Some of you think that price is
high, others will ask why it's only $65,00, The
point is: Don't be intimidated by another performer's
price. Charge what you are comfortable
charging. Charge what you feel you can charge
and still book parties. Don't undersell yourself.
Yet, at the same time, don't put yourself
in the same class as a television or movie performer.
If you are going birthday parties as a
professional, price yourself according to what
many professionals earn an hour. After all, you
are just as professional as they are. You already
know entertaining children for an hour is
a very taxing profession. And if you're going
to be successful, you must be entertaining.
Coming Next Issue: What Goes Into s Story.
26 The New Calliope

September / October , 1984
A Statement From the Treasurer
As a new corporation we have taken the first
step to secure the financial future of our new
organization. As a Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation
we have done the following:
1. Bonded our President, Arnie Firine, and,
me, our Treasurer. We have done this to
protect your corporation from any misappropriation
of funds in the future. Since Arnie
and I are the only ones handling monies of
the corporation, we felt it necessary to
bond only these two officers.
2. There has been much correspondence from
members about the status of their membership.
Since the most current membership list
we have been working with is dated April,
1983, one year and five months old, it has
taken many hours to compile what we feel to
be a satisfactory mailing list. There is a
considerable backlog so we ask that you just
be patient.
We have now employed a computer company
to enter additions, deletions, and changes
of addresses. In the future the membership
list will be updated by the computer company
at a much more rapid pace. We have received
our first copy of the list for correction
and have checked this over, made the necessary
additions and corrections and returned
it to the computer company for labels.
As you will note, your address label has
your renewal date on it. Please be sure to
check the date to make sure it is correct.
We feel that this is the most practical way
to handle a membership list of this size.
Unfortunately, there will be some delays and
unforseen problems in the future. We ask
your patience in this matter. None of the
letters you have sent to us concerning memberships
have been thrown away. We have been
working as fast as can be expected getting
The New Calliope on track, changing addresses
and updating the membership list.
When the list is completely entered on
the computer, every member will receive a
current membership card from Clowns of America
International, Inc.
3. We have filed the necessary papers for
the Internal Revenue Service for our nonprofit
status for our corporation as well as
for a federal identification number.
4. Thanks to the quick response of the news
of this new corporation, we have already
received enough memberships to mail out this
edition of The New Calliope. We have a considerable
way to go, but with your continued
support and memberships, we will make
this new organization a success.
Since the incorporation of our organization
in July 1984, we have received income
due to memberships and donations totalling
$4,995.50.
Our expenses since the incorporation of
our organization were:
Printcraft $2,000.00
(Printing The New
Calliope)-- --
United States Post
Office (bulk rate, foreign
and misc, postage) 757.50
Editors Fee 600.00
Northwestern Printcrafters
(stats of pictures
for The New Calliope
and logos) -- 100.00
Computer Company (entering
names on computer) 375.00
Mailhouse (sorting and
mailing The New Calliope)
--- 350.00
TOTAL EXPENSES: $4,182.50
The above expenses for one issue of The New
Calliope will be pretty much the same for the
next few issues. We feel that with the continued
support of our membership, we will soon
be able to have the typsetting and keylining
done professionally. Right now, we are doing
this ourselves and this takes up a lot of the
time.
With proper management, Clowns of America
International, Inc. can be a sound financial
corporation and publish a bi-monthly magazine
with no financial strain whatsoever.
Donella Hoffman, Treasurer
The New Cal liope 27

(Happy the Clown rode in this horse drawn cart in the Ringling Centennial
Parade in Baraboo, Wisconsin, on July 7, 1984. See story on Page 14.)
Clowns of America, Int ernational, Inc.
Editorial Office
P.O. Box 75248
St. Paul, MN 55175
Bulk Rate
u.s Postage
PAID
ST. PAUL , MN
PERMIT NO. 1058
Address Correction Requested
28 The New Calliope