
Clowns of America International Convention
Texas Station, Las Vegas NV
May 6-9, 2019
Whoever said “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” wasn’t talking about attending a clown convention!
After four days of clowning, learning, laughing, hugging, teaching, meeting new friends, and reconnecting with old friends at the recent COAI convention – Texas Station Hotel, Las Vegas NV, May 6-9, 2019 – I know I wanted to bring it all home with me. Here’s why:
1. I Uber’d.
Since there wasn’t a hotel shuttle from the airport, and Las Vegas taxis are famously expensive, I loaded the Uber app on my smartphone before I left home in Oregon. Using Uber was easy, fast, efficient, safe, and affordable for the ride from LAS to Texas Station on Monday and back again early Friday morning.
2. I learned.
Here are some random musings from a couple of the workshops I attended. No spoiler alerts because I’m not going to summarize the entirety of the workshops, just the stuff that stuck to my personal flypaper. You’ll have to attend yourself sometime in the future to get more.
Hospital Clowning/Joe Barney
You can tell there’s an impact made by a visit from a clown doctor when you "feel the shimmer" in the room. Fart putty (where have I been?). Magic words: "Have a banana." Pee in a cup – a yellow P in a cup. Hot tub and chocolate frosting routines (think toilet . . . you can figure it out). "Kids open the door, and I walk through." That says it all.
Marketing/Lee Andrews
Build your brand, and use your website to represent the brand. Own your own domain name, which you can get through GoDaddy; otherwise, the host will own yours forever. Instead of plain e-mail or formats like Constant Contact, use Mad Mimi, an e-mail interface program. 100 contacts free, <500 for $10/month.
You learn a lot when you teach, too, as I discovered preparing for and teaching three workshops at the convention – Simplicity, Stupidity, and Truth/Back to the Basics, Red Nose Response, and Walkabout Physical Comedy. Those folks attending my sessions taught and inspired me, too, with their curiosity, focus, playfulness, genuineness, energy, and humor. Even up to the very last time slot before the Thursday night banquet – which was when Walkabout Physical Comedy was held – there was a roomful of folks eager to learn. A BIG tip of the hat to all of you!
3. I clowned.
Marie Beck, Dr. Funnybones from Schenectady, New York, joined me (as Dr. Fun E. Bone, no relation except for the humerus) for a clown doctor visit to the Children's Hospital of Nevada. We were transported to the hospital in an old police car, courtesy Marie’s two sons, who had to unlock the doors from the outside to let us out – we were captive. Spent two hours in Pediatrics, Pediatric Intensive Care, and the Pediatric Burn Unit going room-to-room where the patients and families invited us in, escorted by the hospital’s community relations coordinator. Bombarded with group photo requests with staff and visitors while awaiting the arrival of our ride back in the cafeteria. Back at the hotel, did a little photobombing myself when I dropped into Tricia Manuel’s Lite Auguste class.
What was the purpose of our visit? During the 2016 COAI Convention in Las Vegas, I took a team of four clown doctors from the convention on a service project field trip to CHN. It was so successful, the Hospital invited us back whenever we were in Las Vegas.
The visit to CHN this year gave our small team of clown doctors an opportunity to get out in the community and show the kind of humanitarian work in which many clowns are involved in today's world, where hospital clowns inject the healing power of laughter into the hospital environment.
What a delight it was to clown with Dr. Funnybones! Marie started Clowns on Rounds in the Albany, NY area over 20 years ago, was named Clown of the Year by Clowns of American International in 1999, and received COAI’s Lifetime Achievement Award this year. She is truly a master clown.
Back at Texas Station, I sat down for a conversation with my clown doctor partner, Marie Beck, to pick her brain about starting a hospital clown program. She encouraged me to approach corporations as program sponsors to build a funding base. Her program model includes these features: 4-hr shifts, 2 times a week, clown doctors on solo rounds, monthly training and debriefs.
4. I made new friends, renewed old friendships, networked, hugged, laughed.
And that was all in the first five minutes. It was an enjoyably exhausting four days.
Texas Station turned out to be a great convention facility and hotel, if you could skirt the casino smoke. None of that made it into the meeting room space. Off the Strip in North Las Vegas, which was fine for me. Decent cardio room on site, and Walmart Superstore just a 10-minute walk away for staples like yogurt, cookies, fruit, and beer, plus a styrofoam cooler for $2.74. I have simple needs.
5. I was reminded – over and over again – that what we’re doing as clowns is important.
From No Red Nose . . . Now What?/Joe Barney . . .
"The noblest art is that of making others happy." PT Barnum
Boy, was it great to be home, though!
Niagara Falls in 2020, anyone?