Archive for July, 2008

This week in the news - 06/30/08

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Clowning around means work - The theme for this year’s Fourth Fest Parade is the circus. “I thought, ‘What’s a circus without a clown?’” said Addie Grimal, and from that thought came Sunday afternoon in an empty storefront at Elmwood Plaza. Grimal, a member of the Fourth Fest board of directors, was there along with six other people for the second-to-last session of clown training. More than part of the theme, she said, this will mark a return of clowns to the parade to replace the Belle City Clowns, It’s a way for people to get into the parade and, hopefully, a program which will grow in the future, she said.
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Big Laughs from the Big Top - The Lewisville Life And Fire Safety (LAFS) Clown group will have the honor of studying with the Masters once again on August 6th at American Airlines Center in Dallas
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Restaurant’s demise sparks Cui-daore Taro interest - –A mechanical clown in front of Cui-daore restaurant in Osaka’s Minami district is enjoying a surge in popularity in advance of the restaurant’s closing on July 8.
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Shrink on the corner can shape up your life - ”Step into my office,” says Richard Gladfelter. That’s easy. His office is a folding chair on a street corner across from Acacia Park. A pump at his foot inflates skinny balloons he twists into shapes.
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4-H Clowning for Smiles University of Missouri Extension 4-H members entertain veterans in the hospi - Following the old adage that laughter is the best medicine, University of Missouri Extension 4-H members put on makeup and wigs to bring some laughter to people in hospitals and nursing homes. Each year, more than 100 Missouri 4-H members learn the art of clowning and perform skits in a variety of venues. Recently they performed for a group of veterans at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia
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Clown A’Round raises $8,000 - As part of its second birthday celebration, Branson Landing helped give back to the community this weekend by hosting the first ever Downtown Clown A’Round.
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Sacred Clown Wedding - Picture, if you will, an enchanting arboretum brimming with colorful flowers and other bright growing things. It’s a glorious sunny autumn day. A bride and groom are surrounded by admiring friends and family. A sacred ceremony is about to unfold for two loving people. It’s also, coincidentally, the 799th anniversary of Rumi’s birthday. Music and poetry are flowing from the loudspeakers. It’s a perfect wedding in every way.
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QI at the circus - The circus is a British invention. In 1768, former cavalry officer Philip Astley (1742-1814) opened a riding school in Lambeth, south London. Traditionally there are two types of clown: the White-Faced Clown, who gets into trouble and Auguste, his foil To mark it out from the competition and to indulge his skill as a rider, he began performing tricks on horseback. One involved his wife Patty riding around the ring with a swarm of bees covering her hands. They were an instant hit and Astley began to gather acrobats, jugglers, rope-dancers, clowns and strong men to join him.
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Clown Visits Austin Children’s Hospital; Bring Smiles To Kids - One doesn’t usually think of hospitals as a place where kids laugh and giggle but Thursday dozens of sick kids got a dose of comedy at the Dell Children’s Medical Center.
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Hard to frown wearing the nose of a clown - IT is hard to keep a straight face wearing a whopping-great clown nose — just ask these giggling Collegiate school girls. The chuckling children will be among many wandering around Hobart with red noses and big grins today.
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Wanna host a clown? Circus Smirkus performers need places to stay - Champlain Valley Exposition is looking for additional local families to host two or more Circus Smirkus troupers during their stay in the Essex Junction area from July 2-7. Circus Smirkus is coming to Champlain Valley Exposition July 3-6 for eight shows.
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Life as a clown is harder than it looks - IT’S not every day you get the chance to run away and join the circus, so when asked if I wanted to have my very own red nose day, I jumped at the chance with a pair of size 12 clown feet. Zippos, Britain’s most popular circus, arrived in Scotland this week for a tour that runs until August 5. And, perhaps to dispel some of the myths surrounding the circus, yours truly was invited to be a clown for the day.
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This Week in the news- 06/23/08

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Clown News

Life as a clown is harder than it looks - IT’S not every day you get the chance to run away and join the circus, so when asked if I wanted to have my very own red nose day, I jumped at the chance with a pair of size 12 clown feet.

Zippos, Britain’s most popular circus, arrived in Scotland this week for a tour that runs until August 5.

And, perhaps to dispel some of the myths surrounding the circus, yours truly was invited to be a clown for the day.

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QCSB will match $100K for Flushing Library - Some people might think of it as a bad day when a couple of clowns steal your thunder at a press conference, but Joseph R. Ficalora, the chair, president and CEO of New York Community Bancorp, didn’t seem to mind.
But as part of the day’s schedule, the library had two juggling clowns from the Big Apple Circus perform on unicycles in the library plaza near the intersection of Main Street and Kissena Boulevard in downtown Flushing, as a preliminary.

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Hey! You with the big red nose! - Dear Mom and Dad,

Sorry it’s been so long since I last wrote. Madrid is still great! I love the people here! This morning on the metro there were a bunch of clowns, passing out brochures and joking with passengers. You know, doing the things clowns do

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Slava to set Taipei alight with Snow Show - You could say the clowns are now laughing back.
Russia’s cultural ambassador for absurdity Vyacheslav Ivanovich “Slava” Polunin has launched the craft out of clumsily oversized shoes and into a new light.

After making a name for his art almost overnight at the 1988 Hackney Empire in England, Slava decided five years later to amass the cream of his repertoire to churn out his piece de resistance.

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Fringe: Joe - The Perfect Man - A sure-fire contender for funniest show at this year’s Fringe Festival, this solo performance by Ottawa native Rachelle Elie lays bare the heart of Joe Mal, would-be Shakespearean actor.

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Inside The Smile Factory - Here at The Smile Factory, it’s more than okay to be the class clown.

It’s mandatory.

Otherwise you don’t get your red nose.

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Britt plays clown but no there’s masking ambition - gymnast Britt Portelli.

The 18-year-old, who has competed internationally in synchronised swimming, artistic gymnastics and aerobic gymnastics, is studying a three-year Bachelor of Circus Arts at the National Institute of Circus Arts
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Ahoy There, Matey! - “Ahoy There, Matey, Beware” read the birthday party invitation on a torn piece of paper. Captain Nathan was hosting (with oodles of help from Mom and Dad) a Pirate Birthday Party at his home “pier.” “Come if ye dare!” We took the dare and are so glad we did!
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Clowns encourage kids to read - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Circus clowns Slappy and Monday performed at the Mesquite Main Library as an invitation for kids to join the summer reading program.

During the 45-minute show, performers entertained both children and adults with silly jokes and tricks like juggling, dancing. They also performed music with unusual instruments, for instance using a hand saw as violin.

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Volunteer clowns seriously devoted to kids - The emotion that Don Tootle feels when he coaxes a laugh out of a child — especially a sick child — is indescribable.

“The wonder in the eye” represents the pay he receives for his volunteer efforts as a clown with the Aladdin Shrine Temple.

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Clowning around on the Cape -  It’s now time for On Cape from the news room of the Cape Cod Times in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

We’ll take a look at a family that doesn’t have to go to far to entertain themselves.

Jay and Kristin Stewart of Harwich met 15 years ago at clown college.

It’s a video story

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No frowning when clowning - Valerie Tutson worked as a meter reader for a gas company and tried her hand at nursing.

She also reared three kids.

But clowning was her calling.

“I really wanted it. It was in here,” she said, pointing to her heart, “in my innermost being.”

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Running Away To Join The Circus Both Fun And Work - For a couple of hours Wednesday evening, I did what almost every child dreams of doing one day. I joined the circus.

It was an experience I had been anticipating since last year, when the marketing director for Cole Bros. Circus suggested that I write a story from inside the show.

He jokingly (and with much love, I’m sure) offered to shoot me out of the “World’s Largest Cannon,” which fires performers across the arena and, hopefully, into a safety net. Needless to say, I declined without hesitation.

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No more clowning around - Jay and Kristin Stewart are clowns.

And they don’t hide it well.

Links
See the Stewart family in action on CapeCast Webcast! When they speak, the couple, who met 15 years ago at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ clown college in Baraboo, Wis., wave their arms excitedly. Their cheeks flush a light red, and they offer loud, extended laughs.

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OUR NEIGHBORS: Real-life family circus - Treci Collender and her family have learned playing make-believe can result in real cash.

Treci, also known as Princess the Clown, can often be found painting faces at birthday parties or outdoor festivals with husband, Steve, and their three girls.

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