Archive for News

Clowns accept the Ice Bucket Challenge

If you spend any time on facebook, you have seen your family, friends, TV personalities and even former Presidents accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It seems that clowns have accepted the challenge to..

Visit the ALS website at http://alsa.org/ to learn more…

Ronald McDonald takes the Challenge

Deanna “Dee Dee” Hartmier President World Clown Association

WGN Twist on the Challenge
http://wgntv.com/2014/08/19/wgn-producers-als-ice-bucket-challenge-has-a-bozo-the-clown-twist/#ooid=oybnlwbzqWSM8RP1sYgJr-AB8S7C6wb3

Even sports mascots take the challenge

The Good Friend – The Story of Jim Howle and Teddy Goodman

from BeeryMedia.com

Friendship. A film about lifelong friendship. Its importance to the human condition can not be underestimated.

http://vimeo.com/96918987

The Good Friend – The Story of Jim Howle and Teddy Goodman from BeeryMedia.com on Vimeo.

Meet Jim Howle, The Greatest Clown Artist on Earth. A Ringling Brothers Clown that also has had great success painting, teaching comedy, and is a mentor for so many clowns and artists. His friendship’s are legendary.

Meet Teddy Goodman. A Clown student that attended the very first Ringling Brothers Clown College in 1968. That’s where he met Jim Howle, who was also a student that first year. It was the height of the Vietnam War and during Clown College, Ted was drafted and had to report for duty. Ted was devastated, but did what was right for his country. Upon getting his physical, Uncle Sam declared him 4F and rejected him because of his poor eye sight, weight and flat feet.

Ted never was able to get back to Clown College, let alone tour with the circus. His life became a series of misadventures, journeying from job to job, accident to accident.

Forty years later, Jim and Ted re-connected and the friendship from all those years ago picked up right where it left off.

This is where “The Good Friend” begins. A story of caring even when there are the obstacles of distance, time and age. True friendship and true characters.

Clown Doctors Help Heal with Humor

They say that laughter is the best medicine and The Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit has been helping doctors by bringing humor into their hospitals since 1986. HooplaHa recently spent a day at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland with original Clown Care team member Bill Boots (Dr. Boots) and his partner Matthew Pauli (Dr. Spats). Members of the Clown Care team work with physicians to conduct ‘clown rounds,’ their own version of medical rounds, where the healing power of humor is always the prescription!

Get more feel good video clips at http://www.hooplaha.com/
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hooplaha
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/hooplaha

More Clown College Audition Dates Announced

Feld Entertainment has announced two more dates for their 2014 Clown College® Auditions. This time, they will be on Tuesday, July 29th, 2014 in Anaheim, CA 92806 and Wednesday, August 6th in Dallas, TX. This is a once-in-a–lifetime opportunity to audition to become part of The World Famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Clown Alley.

Register to participate in the auditions at http://www.ringling.com/clownauditions/

Ringling’s Clown College® Auditions

Tuesday, July 29th
10:00am – 1:30pm
Honda Center
2695 E. Katella Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92806

Wednesday, August 6th
10:00am – 1:30pm
American Airlines Center
2500 Victory Ave.
Dallas, TX 75201

Ringling Clown Auditions 2014 – Hershey, PA

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus held Clown College Auditions on Friday, May 23, 2014 at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. This was my first opportunity to actually attend one of their auditions.

Auditions began at 10:00am in the morning. The auditions began as a workshop that include a few warm up activities followed by some group improv. Then, everyone who came to audition had an opportunity to perform a 3 to 5 minute routine. Several of the participants displayed their talents with juggling, stilts, and the roller blades. I performed a brief clown skit. The auditions ended with one on one conversations between the applicants and the Ringling staff.

The Patriot-News/PennLive.com posted a video to YouTube that includes a few brief scenes from Friday’s auditions.

Another Clown College Auditions Announced

Feld Entertainment has announced another date for their 2014 Clown College® Auditions. This time, they will be on Friday, May 23rd, 2014 in Hershey, PA. This is a once-in-a–lifetime opportunity to audition to become part of The World Famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Clown Alley.

Register to participate in the auditions at http://www.ringling.com/clownauditions/

Clown College Auditions
Hershey, PA
Friday, May 23rd
10:00am – 1:30pm
Giant Center
950 West Hersheypark Drive
Hershey, PA 17033

World Clown Association Convention Media Coverage

Several news sources covered the recent World Clown Association convention in Chicago. Here are some of the videos that were posted to YouTube.

Clown convention comes to Northbrook by the Chicago Tribune

World Clown Association holds annual convention by CCTV

Clowns heading for US convention make senior home stop by AFP news agency

Just Clownin’ Around by the Daily Herald

Worldwide Circus Summit 2015

The Worldwide Circus Summit 2015 will be held on the Big E Fairgrounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts U.S.A. from July 14th until July 18th 2015. The Summit will be a unique and wonderful opportunity for a wide variety of circus-related save_the_date_smorganizations to join together at a world-class location at a common time to hold their conventions, meetings and/or activities and share their love for the circus. The theme of the Summit is: Celebrating the Circus … Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!

Worldwide Circus Summit
July 14th – 18th 2015
Big E Fairgrounds
1305 Memorial Avenue
West Springfield, Massachusetts
http://worldwidecircussummit2015.com/

*** Edit *** Start Date is now July 14th instead of July 15th as previously noted.

Big Top Parade

Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Big Top Parade in Baraboo, WI on Saturday, July 26, 2014. The Big Top Parade planning committee in is seeking circus performers past and present as well as clowns, marching bands, horses, other animals, as well as float entries and sponsors. Spend the entire weekend in Baraboo! The Big Top Parade is part of the four day-long Circus Celebration Days, presented by Downtown Baraboo, Inc. and the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce.

Big Top Parade
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Baraboo, WI

Baraboo, Wisconsin will celebrate its stupendous, colossal circus heritage on Saturday, July 26, 2014 with a day of family-friendly festivities in the heart of the historic downtown retail district. The highlight of the day will be an old-fashioned, circus and community Baraboo Big Top Parade at 2:00 p.m., featuring antique circus wagons from Circus World Museum. In 2013, Smithsonian Magazine named Baraboo, the historic home of the Ringling Bros. Circus, as the 4th Best Small Town to Visit in America. For more information, contact the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce at (608) 356-8333 or visit www.baraboo.com.

Camp CO-AI 2014

The following email came from Cheri Oats about the upcoming COAI Convention…

The Clown Education Promotions, llc. is
Proud and Honored To Host
The 2014 Clowns of America International Convention
Camp Co-Ai 2014

April 29 – May 4 at the Wyndham Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
This convention is open to everyone: clowns, teachers, magicians, jugglers, twisters, or
face painters – there is something for everyone.
We invite you to come to Camp CO-AI.

Do you need a break from snow and cold? The only snow down here is Snow White. Put away your boots, hats, and snow shovels and come to Florida for educational experiences, games, and laughter.

There will be wonderful educational opportunities to hear from various board members and fourteen lecturers from all over the country as well as COAI competitions and contests galore. Here are some of the contests that we’re looking forward to:

  • MERIT BADGES will be given for all the events and for attendance at lectures. Those with the most badges will win prizes at the end of the convention.
  • FLASHLIGHT DECORATING will be a People’s Choice Award. Who goes to camp without a flashlight? Remember those nights when all the lights went out? Be prepared and don’t leave home without it.
  • SPOOKY STORYTELLING AROUND THE CAMP FIRE night will award a $50 prize for the best spooky story presentation. Think about it! Practice your best storytelling techniques and let your peers decide. $50 can go a long way at the Camp Store or Disney.
  • BUILD A SOCK PUPPET CLASS in the evening. All materials will be provided. All puppets will be displayed and a prize will be given to the best sock puppet; in addition, an instructor will try to arrange a fun skit with all the puppet people. After the puppet show you can buy the other sock and wear it home – just kidding.
  • FREE FORM FACE PAINTING is another People’s Choice Award. Paint anything you like. The only limit is the competition time: that will have thirty minutes. There will be glitter, feathers, jewels, and fun! Get your roommate or friend to be your model. This will take place before the General Membership meeting on Wednesday.
  • BALLOON CONTEST is also a People’s Choice Award. Have fun and be creative. Go for the gold; don’t settle for bronze or silver. Have fun.
  • GROUP CONTEST: There will be a monetary award for the cabin that wins the scavenger hunt. Come see how the cabins are selected, meet all kinds of new people, and find out what the winners receive. How good are you at finding clues?

There will be jams every night, hosted by many of your friends and members of your clown family.

If this isn’t enough, wait until you see the prizes in the Camp Store – you will have to come to find out what kind of prizes will be handed out. Sound interesting?

Don’t forget to enter all the traditional competitions as well: make up, single skits, group skits, face painting, balloons, and, of course, the Convention Best in Clown Award.

We can’t wait to see you and start the fun. You can RSVP by registering today online at coai.org or www.coaiconvention2014.com.

Can you remember camp when you were younger? We are going to bring back some of those great feelings, but this time we will be in a beautiful hotel (no tents here), have Disneyworld at our back door (it may be a little Goofy), great food (s’mores of course), and wonderful camaraderie. Are you ready for camp?

Haven’t signed up yet? There is still plenty of time.
Don’t forget to reserve you room. Room rates may go up if the block is filled.
Can you see yourself in the next New Calliope accepting winning awards?
How many do you think you can get?

SEE YOU AT CAMP CO-AI