Did you go to summer camp? There are sports camps, art camps, music camps, science camps, computer camps, writing camps—just about every kind of camp you can think of. But did you know there’s also a clown camp? And it’s not just for kids.
Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosted the 35th annual Clown Camp. More than 140 people participated. Some were young, like 11-year-old Arianna Subera. She uses her clown skills at church. Her dad is a clown too—and a firefighter. He dresses as a clown to teach fire safety lessons. That helps hold people’s attention.
Others were not so young, like 83-year-old Arthur Pedlar. Pedlar has been a clown for a very long time. He once worked with famous actor Buster Keaton. Keaton got started in movies on the Silent Screen. (The Silent Screen era was from 1894 to 1929—when movies were black & white and had no sound!) Back then, people acted out everything the audience needed to understand. Many scenes were very silly because of that. Pedlar and the other Clown Camp instructors say that communicating without words is part of the art of the clown’s job.
Modern clowns got started in the late 19th century. Face paint, costumes, and red noses have been clown trademarks since then. But the trade probably goes back to medieval times when royalty kept jesters in their courts. The jester was a highly regarded position, often closely trusted by the ruler he served. Unlike most other royal subjects, a jester was granted freedom to ridicule or “make jest of” high-ranked individuals and their policies.
Today’s clowns are rarely associated with anything so serious. But they’re more than just entertainers at birthday parties too. Some clowns work in healthcare facilities. They cheer the sick, like Proverbs 17 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine.”
“It doesn’t cost anything to smile,” says professional clown Stephanie Payne. She became a clown when her 19-year-old son was very sick. “It’s all about love.” Now, 20 years later, she’s still helping others smile, and her son is fully healed.
After a week at the camp learning about makeup, costumes, props, shenanigans, and timing, the participants attended Clown Day at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Some of the clown campers were able to perform there with their instructors to get a real feel for the art of being a clown.
