I returned from Japan on a mission. Bill Fox, Chairman of the Great Circus Parade (GSP), was on my companie’s Board of Directors. I’d never met him, but he knew I’d done some clowning from reading our company newsletter. He put me in touch with Tickles, the GSP Clown Coordinator, and rolled out the red carpet for my family and our Japanese friends.
Our wonder-filled GSP story would take many pages. We did three different clowning engagements during the week of parade: The Circus Train, The Wings Program (Busloads of special needs children all got a clown to take them to the circus at Milwaukee’s lakefront), and the parade. Just driving around with six clowns in the car was hilarious, but for the blog, I will describe the process we all went through as we readied ourselves.
Preparing for a gig with six clowns in the house was a pageant. A shared ritual that multiplied our anticipation and excitement. I never tire of the transitional experience as we become agents of delight and laughter. The house smelled of grease paint and baby powder with a CD of circus music playing in the background. Makeup is applied with fingers and dabbed into the skin. The baby powder is used to seal the makeup. You fill one third of that rouge, unmatched sock with powder and pummel your entire face. We remove the excess with a brush a house painter would envy. Now, the makeup will not smudge or be compromised by: sweat, water, the involuntary touch or even tears. Big shoes, wigs and colorful attire are scattered around. The silly-meter starts to register as our clown characters take form. The transition is a gateway, a passe-partout, a license, a permission, and an expectation to perform. The costume is a conduit to a source of special energy. A consciousness where we make ourselves available for folly. And folly is a serious endeavor that, if bestowed, can connect to a numinous presence. It can leave me humbled by the hope I was worthy to be the vehicle of such an intimate gift. The reward is the sparkle in the children’s eyes, a currency for the soul.
Our Japanese friends would be in the final two Great Circus Parades in Milwaukee. Kristin and I would add one more in Baraboo, WI.
The last GSP was 2009. Clown Camp officially closed it’s doors in 2023.
Scary clown movies helped squash the tradition, but I’m grateful we could share in Takko’s dream and perform in front of 250,000 people.
The Adventures of Spaghetti Eddie 