ALLEY OFFICERS FOR 2005 - 2006

PRESIDENT:---Mary Ellen "Delight" Sheehan -- 603-772-0029
VICE PRES:--- Alan "Alley-oop" Flagg ------------ 978-454-5991
TREASURER:- Dave "Topper"  Anderson -------- 603-382-4426
SECRETARY:- Barbara "Puzzled" Novak ------   603-926-0558
SGT-AT-ARMS:--- Brian "Nutty" Hills --------------  978-828-6174

Charlie Chaplin movie night will follow.

                          Early notice, check your calendars: Support the Troops

                                               WHAT:  "OPERATION THANK YOU" (third annual)
                                               WHEN:    August 13, 2006  11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
                                             WHERE:  Red Hook Brewery Portsmouth, New Hampshire
                                                 WHO:  Open to all military members and their families

Contact:  [BONNIELEE.RICE@nhpeas.ang.af.mil]
  (Delight will be at this one! Talk to her at the meeting!)

DELIGHT’s Ringside chat
June Greetings, to all Pounds of Clowns, clown families and friends of the alley,

Children hardly ever miss seeing every thing! Sometimes they need help interpreting what it is they see and how to behave. This is especially true for children who have not seen clowns before.

Number one complaint from parents:  clown fear.
Every clown needs a way of working with timid children. The number one rule is to give the fearful child plenty of space, so timid doesn’t escalate to tears.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have asked Mom and Dad not to push or force a child up to a clown.  Let the child take his/her own time. 

Number one complaint from clowns:  children getting into the balloon or “magic” bag as if it belongs to them instead of to the clown!  When setting up, be aware that the kids will try to get into things and arrange your gear accordingly. If it happens, signal or say in a very level voice, “Please leave my bag alone.”  It so feels like disrespect when kids do this that it may be difficult to use a happy clown voice to take control.  It’s best to assume the kids do not know how to behave and go from there rather than placing value judgments on their behavior. 

 Robert Fulghum said: “Don’t worry that children never listen to you.  Worry that they are always watching you.”  This may be even more true for clowns than for the other people in a child’s life.

 What keeps me interested in the art of clowning is the joy that clowning brings to others that then comes back to me. I always feel so terrific after “clowning around.”  The rewards of clowning are well worth any effort that it takes.

 Bump a Nose

Mary “DELIGHT” Sheehan

Links to these Alley  LINKS

If you are interested in magic, balloons, juggling,  or clowning in general, Come on down to Epping
We would love to see you there!