Question: Why won't lions eat clowns? Answer: Because they taste funny.

Question: Why was the clown sad? Answer: He broke his funny bone.

Oh, I could go on, but I'll stop myself right here! Those are just two of the kid-friendly and grown-up groan-inducing jokes told by Cotton Top, one of the El Riad Shrine clowns I got to spend time with over the weekend.

It has become a tradition of sorts for me to do a live broadcast at one of the Campbell's Supply stores during their Circus Dayz promotion. It is pure joy to watch the Shrine clowns work their zany magic on children just like the adorable Lucy brandishing her balloon sword below.

Lucy & her new balloon sword
Patty Dee
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These guys and gals thrive on the wide eyes and smiles of kids who are simply trying to figure out if "that guy Monkey Wrench can really make me a balloon helicopter!" Turns out he can.

My favorite Halloween costume as a kid was this clown outfit that I wore two years in a row. It had a wonderful mask with a huge red nose and a friendly smile. The rest of the costume was a shiny yellow, red, orange and blue kaleidoscope and when I wore it I felt like I was ready to join the circus. I still have that mask somewhere in my possessions and seeing it still conjures up one of a very few really good childhood memories.

So yes, I like clowns, (excluding Stephen King's It, of course) and don't mind a bit when they make me a monkey-in-a-tree balloon in exchange for a hug. Perhaps it's just the kid in me!

Red & me
Patty Dee with Big Red the El Riad Shrine clown
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You can see these clowns at work while the circus is in town this week, April 23-26, 2015 at the Sioux Falls Arena. The light-hearted fun and entertainment the El Riad Shrine Circus and its clowns offer is just one way they support their Shrine Hospital mission. Twenty two Shriner's Hospitals for children in the U.S., Canada and Mexico provide high quality care to children suffering from burns, orthopedic conditions, spinal injuries and more, regardless of a family's ability to pay.

Patty & Mulligan
Patty Dee & Mulligan the El Riad Shrine clown
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