Calendar Of Events 

March 30, 8 am- 12:30 pm, Children's Cancer Fund Fashion Show, Hyatt Reunion Hotel

March 31, 9-10 am, Asthma Walk, Lone Star Park

April 13, 5 pm, Children's Hospital Six Flags Family Night, Make balloons, then go engoy the park for the remainder of the evening.

April 14, 8 am, Kidney Walk, Lakeside Market, Preston at Springcreek Pky, Plano, Benefiting North Texas Kidney Foundation.  More event info at www.fkft.org

April 24-29, COAI Convention, Springfield Missouri, www.mostuff362.clm.  Contact Ruthie Mae to get a special discounted registration form provided by Mostuff Alley.

May 7-12, Advanced Studies, Roanoke, VA,  Improve your skills with Buttons, Mr. Rainbow, Momma Clown, Bubba Sikes and more.  www.advancedstudies07.com

June 29-30, Clowning 4 Christ Clown Train, First Baptist Church, 1801 N. Norwood, Hurst, TX, www.clowntrain.com

July 4, 9 am-1 pm, Irving 4th of July Events, ALLEY FUNDRAISER, Parade, Face Painting, Balloons & Show.  Come when you can and do what you can.

Sept. 26-30, TCA Convention, Houston, Operation Funny Bone, with Randy Munsen, will fix you right up. www.cheerfulclowns.com

Event Participants

Cruising Clowns

Tina Cardwell, Beth Clark, Debbie Davis, Emma Danciger, Dale & Hollis DePrima, Tricia & Shirley Gregory, Marcia & David Griffith, Susan & W.T. Keys, Shirley  Tucker, Martha & Earl Warren   

Joey To The World

Sandra Anderson, Nancy Arent, Tina Cardwell, Debbie Davis, Ana Maria Hernandez,  Earl & Martha Warren

Earl Warren, Billy Whiskers, is recovering well from his recent surgery.  Nurse Beddy Pan is taking good care of him.

Spotlight on Susan "Dubble Bubble" Merrymakers Keys

On a dark and stormy night in December of 1991, two brave Brownie Girl Scout leaders ventured out with their troop to sing Christmas Carols to the local rest homes.  After all the fun, we promised the girls we would go have some hot chocolate at McDonalds.  Well, what kind of McDonalds doesn’t have hot chocolate?  I am not sure who was more disappointed, the girls or the leaders.  As we watched the girls play and enjoy their ice cream (brrrr) I glanced around and spotted a sign on the window advertising a position open for a clown party hostess.  Now that sounded like a fun job!  After all, I was voted the class clown in high school. My current job was relocating to Colorado and I wasn’t moving, so the next day I called for an interview. To my delight, the manager hired me and said she would teach me everything she knew about the job.  And she did……..I learned a lot about dealing with people of all kinds, how to organize a party with food, games, prizes, the works.  Looking back, I realize she did not know much about the art of clowning.  I was white face (just on the face, no neck) and I had little balloons on one cheek.  They named me Bubbles.  My make up and costume were provided by McDonalds.  I was a CLOWN.  Not Ronald McDonald by any means, but I sure had fun.  I started getting hired away from the store to do other events too.  I felt like I needed to know more.  I found out about the Storytelling event in Denton and went there.  I called clowns out of the phone book to try to find out how to be a better clown.  Now, I am not into name calling so I will not mention names BUT out of the dozen clowns I called for help, only one, Dianna Moore, Splatter the Clown was willing to direct me.  She referred me to Mid Cities Alley 85 for the UTA Clowning Class.  I signed up for the fall class of 1992 and I was totally hooked.  I then began going to the alley meetings and continued learning from the programs we had there.  My first Alley Event was a Clown wedding in West End.  That was a blast!  During this time, I met Bingo of Bingo’s Clowns.  She took me under her big clown nose and put me to work.  She had a lot more faith in me than I had and gently (mostly) pushed me into growing.  I am so glad for her in my life. Bingo’s husband was transferred out of state (upstate New York) in 1995.  Can you believe she went with him?  I took over her clown agency, Bingo’s Clowns then and became full time self-unemployed. Bingo  was supposed to come back in five years, but they really like it there.  I eventually changed the company name to suit me, MerryMakers Clowns. 

Skip ahead a few years. I met and married W T Keys who later became Pepper the Clown.  He is awesome to clown around with.  My Clown business and reputation as a solid entertainer is great.  Thanks to Buckle, Hanky, Maggie, Cinde, and all of you keep me growing.  Some of these clowns push me harder than others (Maggie) and for them I am grateful.  And I am grateful to all of you in our journey to get THERE. 

Meeting Minutes 1/10/07

Our January meeting was mini, but mighty; as many of our members were enjoying a cruise!  We, on land, enjoyed many laughs that night. Ed called the meeting to order with a water bottle due to his missing gavel. Old Business:  Pat Billups name was misspelled in the last newsletter (my fault). Jim Franklin moved the minutes be accepted; Cinde Sanders seconded; motion passed.     New Business:  Discussion ensued concerning last year's '06 cruise's money for alley donation. A portion of the cost of the cruise was donated to the alley and it is approximately $800.00. Some thought those who were on the cruise should decide how much of the money and to which charity the donation should support. Nothing was decided.     We also discussed the alley's profit from the '06 TCA Convention that we hosted last September. It is approximately $3300. It was suggested that we use part of it for training; perhaps to bring in someone like Barry Mitchell for an area event. Cinde Sanders moved that a volunteer committee discuss ideas for the expenditure and the ideas be brought back to the alley for discussion.  Diane Willis seconded and the motion was tabled.     Terry Petrick who was scheduled to do a class for us on taxes had to cancel at the last minute.  He may reschedule. We later enjoyed a terrific evening of balloon training from our own "Buckle".     Cinde Sanders moved that the meeting close and Wanda Carter seconded. Before the balloon session, we all indulged in hot chocolate, cobbler and ice cream!  The meeting was enjoyed by all.

  Respectfully submitted,                      Lana Sue Fridge

22nd Annual COAI Convention

April 24-29th

You’ll be Pickin’ and Grinnin’ at this year’s convention hosted by MOSTUFF Alley 362 in  Springfield, Missouri, a quaint Ozark mountain town.

     Educational staff includes Steve Kissell, Arla Albers, Carol Coleman,  Teresa Gretton, Tom King, J. T. Sikes, Peachy Keen, Cheri Venturi and lots more.  Check out the web site at www.mostuff 362.com