Migration of Clown Town is a major loss

Clown Town organizers are moving the annual convention from Newark to Grove City, and may never return, as reported today by the Advocate - all for the want of a building in which to meet.

If they don't return, Newark will have lost a tremendous opportunity to use clowns and the circus theme as centerpiece for a street festival that could draw interest from around the nation. Such an event would beat strawberries, the Irish, and barbecue all the way to the bank and back.

I exchanged thoughts with one of the Clown Town organizers a few years ago about the idea of trying to expand the convention into a community party, but he wasn't so much into that aspect as he was the convention itself and professional purposes attached thereto. I don't blame him; the clown organization's purpose is not to engage in, or promote community festivals.

For all the effort that's gone into finding a decent gimmick to draw a crowd to downtown Newark, you'd think some visionary with organizational ability would have seen this incredibly entertaining subject matter as a festival centerpiece.

Here's a little video clip at the web site of Nerk.com (another vastly under-recognized and under-used community resource) that shows the flavor of the annual parade and opens the imagination to what might have been - or may still exist.