No Joking Matter

Don’t clown around: Stay in school. That’s one message a circus clown conveyed to more than 100 children at an Eastside youth club.

Kenny Maicke, a goofy, red-nosed clown in big-toed sneakers, presented an hourlong workshop on being a clown and making people laugh. Speaking Wednesday to youngsters at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles, he also offered advice on the importance of developing their talents.

“I want them to find something they’re proud of, something that makes them happy and stick with it,” said Maicke, a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown who has been performing for five years. “I’m trying to show kids no matter what you do in life, stick with it, even if it’s being a clown.”

The preschoolers and elementary school students in the audience clapped, cheered and laughed, especially when the clown’s baggy blue pants dropped to the floor to reveal his polka dot boxer shorts.

“I thought he was funniest when he did his tricks and kept falling from the chair,” said Alexander Peraza, who plays soccer at the center.

Maicke also visited four other youth clubs--in downtown Los Angeles, Watts, Whittier and another on the Eastside--on Wednesday and Thursday.

The clowning clinic is part of a national project that is expected to involve more than 20,000 children at Boys & Girls Clubs in 76 cities this year. The program, launched last year, targets disadvantaged communities. Many of the youth will receive free tickets to the circus, which has upcoming performances in Long Beach, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena and in Anaheim.

“We try to bring the circus to kids who may not have the opportunity to ever see a circus,” Maicke said.

The workshop began with a demonstration of how a clown dresses. As Maicke painted his face, slipped on his big red sneakers and baggy pants, he explained the different types of clowns.

When asked what kind of clown they would like to be, most children shot their hands up after he defined an auguste, or prankster, clown.

The dress-up was followed by various clown antics that included juggling, chair balancing, unicycle acts and slapstick comedy.

But aside from pranks, some spectators said the clown taught them some important lessons about life.

“He’s silly and he enjoys it. It’s his profession to be silly,” said Mark Chavez, executive director at club. “You can be great at something as long as you take it seriously and do it right. It’s important that the kids know that. It’s the same kind of seriousness that goes with not just studying to be a clown, but any other career.”

“He was funny,” 9-year-old Peraza said. “I learned that it’s better to stay with something fun you like than to be around gangs and drugs.”

“It was fun. It helps the kids here,” said 13-year-old Nicholas Castello, who volunteers to supervise the younger children at the club during the summer. “They see something happy, something positive in the community.”

The project is a partnership of Ringling Bros. and Sears, which donated $100,000 to run educational programs at the clubs and 21,000 tickets to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “It’s better that they’re here than on the streets,” said Laura Ornelas, a parent volunteer at the youth club. “There’s a lot of drug and gang activity around here.”

But Maicke, who is traveling to 37 cities this year, said the children aren’t the only ones who benefit from the program.

“If I were paid for every person I made smile, I’d be the richest person in the world,” Maicke said. “I’m here to make them smile. That’s the greatest reward for me.”