What Happened in August?

The meeting was called to order at 6:43 PM on August 10, with 14 members in attendance. It was a great evening of sharing, catching up, and making plans for upcoming activities.

Stand and Share

Ace shared about his trip to Mooseburger Camp for International Clown Week.

Posey has been recovering from knee surgery and working hard through several weeks of therapy. We’re glad to hear she is on the mend!

Margaret Clauder attended the International Ventriloquist Convention and also visited the Red Skelton Tribute Theater in Pigeon Forge. She highly recommends adding it to your travel list!

Mid-Cities History

Cinde Sanders has the Mid-Cities history documents and will be working with the group on preserving and organizing this information.

Paradeability Brainstorming

We put our creative clown minds together to come up with ideas for a Paradeability presentation for the TCA Convention. Some of the fun ideas discussed included:

Using inflatable stick horses and cowboy hats, generously offered by Bonita
Creating a toy-themed presentation
A humorous idea involving clowns using pooper scoopers to pick up balloon “droppings”!

We elaborated on the stick horse idea and took that skit to convention.

COAI Convention & 2027 Plans

We also discussed the COAI Convention and began looking ahead to a possible group trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina, scheduled for April 27, 2027. Current pricing was discussed at approximately $300, with prices increasing to $375 between March 1 and April 15.

After a productive evening of sharing, planning, and plenty of creativity, the meeting was adjourned at 7:12 PM. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed their ideas!

We also stuffed the convention goody bags, put together Swinger badges, and got a little more organized for the convention, which commenced on August 12.

A Word from Our Clown in Chief

We had a wonderful time at last month’s 2026 Texas Clown Association Convention, and Clowns “R” Us did an outstanding job as host!

Now that the convention is behind us, it’s time to look ahead to what’s coming next. DFW Clowns R Us has an important fundraising opportunity coming up—the River Legacy Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10am to 7pm at River Legacy Park, 701 NW Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington, TX.

This is a paid performance event, which means that the DFW Clowns “R” Us alley is receiving money for the balloons we make. We will need balloon twisters and strolling clowns. Be sure to sign up for the time that works best for you. William “Wee-Bo” Beaty has all the details about what to do and where to go for the event.

At our next Clowns R Us meeting on Monday, we are honored to welcome Margaret Clauder, as she performs one of her fun shows and will share what it takes to be a children’s entertainer and how to write a themed show. We look forward to all the fun—see you Monday!

President Tricia “Jolly” / “Hanky” Gregory

September Program

Dinosaurs Are NOT Extinct! — From Idea to Library Stage

Take a walk on the wild side as seasoned performer Margaret Clauder brings her 2026 Library Summer Reading show, “Dinosaurs Are NOT Extinct!” to life!

First, she will perform the show so you can see how a complete library program comes together. Then she will pull back the curtain and share the secrets behind the show, including how to:

Choose a theme
Develop the program
Create engaging activities
Handle logistics
Turn a great idea into a successful, audience-friendly performance

This is a hands-on, behind-the-scenes look at creating and performing a library summer reading program.

Come for the dinosaurs. Stay for the secrets. Leave ready to create your own library adventure!

Volunteer Opportunity

Children’s Holiday Celebrations

Our clowns at the 2024 Children’s Cancer Fund volunteer events!

Each year, our alley volunteers at two special Children’s Holiday Celebrations. This year it will be at Glen Eagles Country Club – 5401 West Park Blvd, Plano, Texas.

Children’s Cancer Fund — Monday, December 7, 2026 — 6–8 PM
Children’s Sickle Cell Program — Monday, December 14, 2026 — 6–8 PM

Volunteers needed: Balloon artists • Face painters • Magicians • Stilt walkers • Costume characters • Walk-around entertainment

Come in your favorite holiday attire—elf, clown, or simply holiday colors—and have fun with the families! Volunteers receive a meal and T-shirt as a thank-you for your service.

Please let Susan Keys know if you plan to attend: 972-986-7388 / merrymakers1@juno.com

River Legacy Fall Festival

Saturday, October 10 • 10am–7pm
River Legacy Park • 701 NW Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington, TX

(formerly Dark in the Park)

We will be twisting simple balloon animals for the kiddos (the more we twist, the more $$ we raise for alley education and expenses). Everyone is invited to join us—clowns new and old. If you don’t know how to twist balloons, that’s OK! We can teach you.

We will have a simple list of all the supplies and help each other out. It is a great opportunity to hang out with a bunch of fun clowns and entertain a built-in audience. Want to stroll with magic, juggling, puppets, or clown bits? Bring it on!

If you can’t be there the whole time, please come for just an hour or two. Whatever time you can put in will be appreciated. The more balloons we make, the more money we make for DFW Clowns “R” Us.

RSVP to BeatyWilliam@ymail.com with your availability. We want to make sure all shifts are covered.

What to bring: water, a fan (if needed), and your balloon pump, if you have one. (Balloons provided; pumps to share.)

Parking is available at Lamar Baptist Church, 1000 W. Lamar Blvd, Arlington, Texas 76012. A shuttle will be provided to our booth.

Invite your friends. Let’s all pitch in an hour or two and make this event a success.

More information: riverlegacy.org/event/2025-fall-festival

Convention Reflections by Juliana Winiecki

The 2026 Texas Clown Association Convention was truly an “Out of the Box” adventure! Since my clown alley hosted the convention this year, I had the opportunity to get to know my fellow alley members better while working together to bring it to life. I also enjoyed meeting clowns from all over Texas, reconnecting with friends, and making wonderful memories along the way. It was a week full of creativity, learning, and fun.

There were so many amazing classes that I wished I could have attended them all! From Brenda Marshall’s show class, face painting to clown makeup, yo-yos, and bubbles, there was always something new to discover. Matty’s puppet class gave me some amazing “aha!” moments, and seeing Maggie the Clown in action was truly inspiring. I’m so grateful for all I learned, but especially for those moments when something just clicks and opens your eyes to new possibilities. Derrell Allen’s class also showed me new ways to use AI tools to work smarter and not harder—and who doesn’t need that?

When Tony became sick and couldn’t attend convention, I had the opportunity to teach the juggling class on my own. Sharing spinning plates, devil sticks, and scarves with others and watching them try something new was a highlight. Thursday’s Ice Cream Social, with delicious Beth Marie’s ice cream cakes and a fantastic costume contest, was another favorite memory. Seeing everyone’s creativity, greeting our new Red Nose Royalty, and joining together for Paradeability reminded me what makes the clown community so special.

I left with new ideas, new friends, and lots of inspiration—because there is always something new to learn and someone ready to share a laugh along the way!

Giving Back to HopeKids

A portion of the proceeds from the Swap Meet & Auction at the 2026 TCA Convention was donated to HopeKids North Texas, helping bring hope and joy to children and families facing life-threatening medical conditions.

HopeKids provides free, ongoing events and activities that give families something to look forward to, create special memories, and connect with others who understand their journey. Their mission is simple but powerful: Hope is a powerful medicine.

We are proud that the fun and generosity of our TCA family could help make a difference for these amazing kids and their families!

TCA Convention 2027 Clown Cruise

September 12–19, 2027

Our headliner will be Randy Christensen. He is an author, keynote speaker, and multi-talented in children’s ministry clowning and family professional clowning.

Theme: SUPERHEROES

Ship: MSC Seascape • 7 nights • Sunday to Sunday

Round-trip destinations: Galveston → Costa Maya → Isla de Roatan, Honduras → Cozumel, Mexico → Galveston, Texas

Itinerary

Monday and Tuesday — at sea (filled with classes and workshops during the day)
Wednesday — Costa Maya, Mexico
Thursday — Isla de Roatan, Honduras (with an option to possibly take a mission trip to a school and perform)
Friday — Cozumel, Mexico (fun experiences await like Swim with the Dolphins and many more, at your own purchase)
Saturday — at sea to enjoy the ship and entertainment
Sunday — return home

Prices are per person; you must have two in a room. Rates include prepaid gratuities:

Interior (no window) — $614.79 per person
Oceanview — $694.79 per person
Balcony — $824.79 per person

Deposits of $199 per person to hold a cabin. Fully refundable up to June 6, 2027, when the final amount owed is due!

Clown Chronicles: September ‘26