Since I was a little girl, I had a crush on Emmett Kelly and his clown Weary Willie. My Aunt Bess bought a Willie clown for me. It was my last doll. I'm not sure if I had the crush first or the doll, but either way, I loved this man and his talent.
In the 80's I was working with my then husband in the high school theatre. Barnum and Bailey Circus had come to town and were holding auditions. My husband asked if I would take the one student who was interested in auditioning. Of course, I jumped at the chance.
I sat on the sidelines making friends with the clowns as the auditions took place. I met Tuba, Scott, Tami and Tommy. When auditions were finished, a call went out to anyone else who might like to try. Being urged on by clowns is hard to resist, so I stepped into the middle of the ring. Not being shy, I enjoyed my moments ad libbing with the clowns.
After walking through the train, I wasn't so sure why anyone would run off to join the circus. However, the experience was one my children and I won't forget. In fact, I wrote to Tommy, Tammy and Scott for some time after.
Oh, by the way, I got an offer to clown school, but never did get on that train.
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