The Capital Region Clown Arts Festival Presents!

Albany,NY...August 3, 2011...One objective of the Capital Region Clown Arts Festival is to recognize the talent, efforts, accomplishments and achievements of clowns who live and clown around in our sphere of influence. There is no doubt that the past twelve months has been very busy in our clown community. A lot of energy has been expended, talent has been displayed, skills polished, new-fangled skills developed, and new experiences have been gained. The results have been 1000s of smiles, abundant laughing and realization that this area truly enjoys all the clowns who participate in the Festival with us. On August 3^rd, the Festival proudly announced the following awards and recognition:

The Entertainer of The Year is presented to that marvelous performer who always entertains the audience and leaves the audience laughing and wanting more. This year we are recognizing two clowns who have been active in the Festival. In no particular order! OK, maybe alphabetical order…Debra Bartolucci a.k.a “Puddles” and Linda Terwilleger a.k.a. “Daisy“. OR, is it Daisy and Puddles? In any case, Daisy and Puddles are two clowns who know how to get the laughter started and then keep it going! They have both made great strides in the last few years, continually challenging themselves with new performance situations. Both have participated in a variety of classes and programs taking full advantage of the opportunities to learn more and develop further as clown performers. Each has enjoyed great success in smile making! Their audiences love ‘em! The title “Entertainer of The Year” is truly deserved by each. Congratulations! Keep it up!!

The Community Service Award is presented to “Strawberry” & “Patch” a.k.a Seguard “Bud” and MaryAnn Keerps. This exceptional husband and wife team of clowns gives freely of their time and many talents to numerous worthwhile causes around Westfield, PA and beyond. They perform, they serve, they minister, they share and they teach. They are inspirational in all that they do! Their community, and ours, is a much better place because of their comical and laughter generating efforts.

The Clown Community Spirit Award is presented to Dan Ciufo, Gavin Giles and Stephanie Swald. Dan is a clown who is building a great performance reputation and spends a lot of his time developing and sharing his comical perspective in the community in which he lives and works, spreading laughter and smiles along the way. Gavin is a clown with a undeniably distinctive spirit that he shares with everyone when he is out clowning around. He’s clown comedy in action and is truly entertaining. Stephanie has continued to build her personal skills while becoming active in the Electric City Clowns. Last September she took on the challenge of building ECCA’s CHARLIE Award submission. In April COAI awarded it’s CHARLIE Award to ECCA as a direct result of Stephanie’s efforts. Stephanie in now serving as the alley Treasurer and as Clown Week coordinator. Hers is a spirit there that deserves to be recognized.

Leadership means many things to people. We like this definition … “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.” The 2011 Clown Arts Leadership Awards are presented to William Okesson, Andy Mullin, and Bob Widner. Each, in his own way, has exercised exemplary leadership over the past year that has made sure our clown community is a community of which we can all be proud. With unquestionable moral compasses, personal integrity, and a passion for the future of our art form, each picked up the mantle of leadership during the past twelve months. Some challenges have caused struggle. Not all the decisions have been easy ones. Accomplishment has been difficult to attain and success has not been easily defined. However, each of these clown arts leaders was undeterred in his efforts to serve; each is willing to be held accountable to and by their various memberships; each, guided by his principles, moral fortitude, creative perspective has given freely of his energy, time, and talent. We are happy to note that each of these clowns is also the cause of wonderful smiles and lots of laughter when they step in front of their audiences.

Enthusiasm can be difficult to define, but we all know when we see it! We are blessed to be surrounded by so much enthusiasm for the clown arts! We marvel at the energy these clowns bring to their performance. We are sometimes envious of the impact they can have on the clown community at large. And, we have to admit that it is those with enthusiasm who generally make the things happen that are worthy of recognition. The 2011 Enthusiasm Awards are presented to the Battenkill Joeys, The Mecca Klown Klub, Ted Jacobsen, Avery Toledo, John and Nick Edwards, “Grumpie”, “Blondie” and Diane Giles.

The Battenkill Joeys continue to delight when they are performing. They display more and more enthusiasm with every smile they create. The Mecca Klown Klub is one of the oldest clown units in Shrinedom and at the same time one of the newest. Reorganized a couple of years ago, they display a authentic enthusiasm for the clown arts, and they practice contagious smile making at every opportunity! When some one says “enthusiasm“, Ted “Profy” Jacobsen is whom we think of. Sometimes called Teddy J, Ted is a non stoppable bundle of love and energy. Avery “Nium” Toledo has come a long way in a short period of time. Often accompanied by his wife Eva “Looney Baboney” and/or his daughter Emiya “Ming Ming” making it a family affair, Avery’s enthusiasm for the clown arts is an inspiration to all the Mecca Klowns. John and Nick Edwards known to us as “Cornbread” and “Breadcrumb” are a father and son team who know how to have fun. When they appear together in local parades, everyone has fun with them! Plus, they appear at Shrine events and Circuses across the Northeast. “Grumpie”, also known as L.John Garhartt, has been a staple in the local clown community for 26 years. He took up clowning with his wife at HVCC. He has been involved with smirks, smiles, giggles and laughter ever since. He is a continual source of amusement for every audience he is in front of. Byron “Blondie” Moak has proven time and again that audiences love classic clown performance and lively wit. Keep it going Blondie! Dyann Giles, who performs as “Kit-10”, loves the art of clowning. Every time she is in front of an audience she displays her love and the audience responds by smiling, laughing and asking for more. She is enthusiasm in motion!

The President’s Award is presented to Barbara Bird and Cathy Mackey. Barbara, known to most of us as “Sparky“, is the 2011 COAI Clown of The Year. We want to recognize Sparky for everything she has done for Red Nose Response. Simply stated, without Sparky, RNR wouldn’t have the spark it has. Cathy, who is known at “TOTS“, as well as “Moon Light” in certain circles, continues to work with the XP Camp and all that it entails. Her leadership has helped the camp generate a whole lot of clown support during these testing economic times. The campers and their families have enjoyed the benefits of not only attending camp, but have been exposed to some great humor therapy and some very funny clowns because of Cathy’s continuing involvement. Both Sparky and TOTS are truly inspirational!

The Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented this year to Ernest Pearlstien, Dave Newcomb, Bill Ogren and Joe Barney. Ernie, who performs as “Rollo”, is a past president of the International Shrine Clown Association, a former dean of the Northeast Clown Institute and has been performing as Rollo for 30+ years. He was recently awarded the Shrine’s Award of Merit for his “extraordinary dedication to Shrinedom…”. It’s the highest award any Shriner can be presented. Way to go, Ernie! Dave, who performs as “Do-No”, is an award winning clown with his feet solidly planted in classic clown comedy. He has many accomplishments over his 22 year clowning career to include service as the Dean of the Northeast Clown Institute. He has been an Assistant Director of Education for the International Shrine Clown Association and the source of a whole lot of smiles and laughter during our first ever “Make Me Laugh Clown!” effort. Awesome Dave! Bill Ogren performs as “Woody” and has been the foundation of the Cyprus Shrine Capital District Clown Unit for over 28 years. An award winning clown with an engaging character, Woody has been a staple at Shrine Circuses and events in the region always creating smiles and generating laughter where ever he was. Forced by ill health to retire from clowning, Woody is still active in his clown unit. Thanks Woody for all you have done. Joe Barney is a family entertainer who is second to none. His clown personas are loved by all. We know him as a teacher, a motivator, an innovator and a shining example of the power of laughter in action. Once known as the Stupidvisor of the Yale New-Haven Children’s Hospital Clown Care troupe, and COAI’s Northeast Regional Vice President, Joe has a long career of accolades, accomplishments and is a continual inspiration to thousands of clowns and clowning enthusiasts across North America.

We are the first to say that we share the stage with some awesome clowns. We bask in the light of their star power. We love their enthusiasm. We appreciate their leadership. We are inspired by their passion and their involvement. Thank you for all you do for the art of clowning! Congratulations!!