The fans have spoken...Pickles IS America's MOST Beautiful Clown!

The first night of the Fire Fighters Fair at Vero Beach, FL was a rain out! The National Weather Service issued a high wind, heavy rain and dangerous lightening alert. So...I stayed in my hotel room...safe and DRY! The next day was VERY windy! It was a challenge, once again, to twist balloons in high winds. The rest of the week went really well! I gained lots of new fans...even some fans from St. Lucie County Fair came to visit with me! Of course I always make friends with all the security, vendors, carnival workers and fair staff! The last day of the fair...a violent thunderstorm moved in a few hours prior to the fair ending. We took cover under a pavillion shelter. Good thing we had a giant RV from Walgreens Wellness in front of us! The wind pushed the rain so hard that it moved the chairs at the other end of the pavillion across the floor! The band that was playing had to stop because the rain was blowing under the pavillion and onto the stage. Through all of this...I kept on twisting balloons! When the rain seemed to come to an end...we said our good-byes to everyone and left early caling it a done deal. Next stop...home for a few days...then off to Green Cove Springs, FL!

We had so much FUN at the St. Lucie County Fair in Fort Pierce, FL. Even though the weather was chilly, windy, rainy, chilly and...oh...did I say...WINDY??!!

I introduced my new magic show and it has been a HUGE hit!! The kids are having a great time coming up on stage to assist me with some exciting tricks!

I celebrated my birthday at the fair...our new friend, Lloyd Mabrey, sang "Happy Birthday" to me while I twisted balloons for children under the Hometown News Music Tent. The audience joined in! It was so AWESOME!! I had a little boy that had come up on stage to help me with a magic trick give me a "love note" a few days later. His name is Bruce and he is 5 years old. His grandma said he talked about the magic show all the way home that night. He couldn't wait to see me again! I was so touched by his adorable note...it had lots of letters in bright colors and he signed his name at the bottom. For my Bake A Magic Cake trick...I had the cutest 3 year old girl help me on stage...her reaction at the end was PRICELESS as she turned to her daddy and gleefully said "I did it, I did it!".

I twisted my little fingers off!! I made so many balloon creations I lost track! Some days I twisted for up to 5 hours at a time! The favorites are my google eye fish, monkey in a tree climbing for a bananna and two-color twist hats with yellow-bloodshot eyeballs on the top...which have become VERY popular with boys! The final totals...I twisted 1,644 balloons into some sort of creations and handed out 668 pieces of Smarties candies! WHEW!! Are my fingers tired from all that twisting! A great big "THANK YOU" to Jeanne and the gang at the St. Lucie County Fair Association! I have four days off, but I am excited and looking forward to my next stop...the Fire Fighters Fair at the Indian River County Fairgrounds in Vero Beach, FL. After that...it's time to head back to SC for 10 days of rest!

Well...2009 was a break-out year for Pickles Da Clown! Almost one-hundred performances...eight states...twenty venues...not bad for the first year of touring! Pickles and Mr. Jack had tons of fun traveling up and down the East Coast...sometimes having less than twenty-four hours to get to the next gig! We met lots and lots of interesting people, made lots and lots of new friends...in the end we were both so happy to have had the chance to touch the lives of so many children, teens, parents and grandparents. The Christmas season was an absolute blessing! Gearing up for 2010...Pickles has an all new stage show format, new costumes, new wigs and more boots! Be on the lookout for Pickles...she may be coming to a fair near you! If she isn't...call your local fair today and tell them Pickles needs to be there!

Pickles and her friend Mr. Twister The Clown are also joining forces and putting together a thirty to forty-five minute stage show, both secular and Gospel. This Extravaganza will include...music, ventriloquism, audience participation, silly antics, lots of magic tricks and tons of FUN! They also do team roaming entertainment and balloon twisting! If you would like more information about how to bring this Clownamic Duo to a fair near you...click on the link at the top of the page for PICKLES & TWISTER. 2010 looks like it's going to be a GRAND year!! Pickles will be heading to Florida in February for the start of her Spring tour with her first stop in Fort Pierce at the St. Lucie County Fair. 

I have been so busy that I haven't had the chance to update my blog! My goodness!! After the Orange Country Fair in Connecticut...I performed at the Virginia Peanut Festival in Emporia, VA. The president of the festival, Kay Calhoun, loved me so much that I am now the official clown for the festival. After that we made our way back home to South Carolina. The first weekend in October...my alter ego, Barbara The Puppetlady, taught classes and performed at the One Way Street Regional Puppet Festival in Concord, NC. My puppet ministry, Hands of God Puppet Theater, competed for the first time against other puppet teams in a song competition. They came in second winning a Silver Medal and received an additional award for Outstanding Originality. The festival was on a Friday and Saturday...on the next day, Sunday, Jack and I left for a last minute hire at the Pitt County Fair in Greenville, NC. We had so much fun! It rained a few times...the other stage acts that were performing there cancelled their shows due to the rain. I was set up under a gazebo and had a covered pavilion with benches. When the heaven opened up and a sudden shower started...people ran under the pavilion for cover...instant audience! I kept them entertained until the rain stopped. Next I performed at the HILLarity Festival in Chester, SC. It was a chilly, rainy, breezy day! I performed my stage show twice and twisted balloons for the rest of the day. Next...on Halloween I had a birthday party in Chester, SC in the afternoon and then drove from there to Hopewell Baptist Church in Blacksburg, SC to perform at their alternative Halloween party. From there....I have spent the whole month of November getting ready for my Christmas show AND getting my puppet ministry ready for their show! The first weekend in December...4, 5 & 6...I was part of the celebration here in Rock Hill, SC known as Christmasville. On Friday night I worked through the crowds waiting for the parade to start. On Saturday & Sunday I performed my stage show and twisted oodles of balloons! On Sunday the festival ended around 5:00...I was still twisting balloons in the middle of the street...the street lights came on...the city sanitation workers came along picking up the garbage...there I was still twisting balloons...I told one of the city workers that if they took down the street barricades I would still be twisting but willing to also direct traffic. I finally finished somewhere around 7:00 pm. So, then we left Monday morning for Roanoke, VA. I was hired to perform at a country club for the children and grandchildren of club members. It was AWESOME!! Jack and I had such a good time! Baby Lizzie was a HUGE hit! So was my Spiral Illusion trick! Full speed ahead for 2010! We are heading to Florida in February! I will be performing at the St. Lucie County Fair in Ft. Pierce, FL. Meanwhile I will keep you all posted about the adventures of Pickles Da Clown, Balloon Chick and Barbara The Puppetlady as they happen! I promise!

We left for Greenville at 5:15 p.m. on September 2...the fair started the next day. We were able to stay at my cousin's home in Williamston...just a short distance from the fair held at Pickens Speedway. Being able to stay there saved us a whole lot of money because the fair was eleven days! We met a bunch of new friends! The fair staff was awesome to work with! Keith Cochran, the entertainment manager, became a real pal! I performed two or three shows a day. The heat got to me a few days. I ran to the office to cool down. They had a floor fan that I stood over to cool down quickly...I kind of looked like Marilyn Monroe in the Seven Year Itch! LOL! I twisted hundreds of balloons...my line was really long every night! I twisted for hours!! It was all worth it! I loved the look on kids faces as they watched me twist a balloon for them and then when I gave it to them...it's hard to describe the joy...I love my job! This was the first time I performed for eleven days straight! It was a challenge, but I loved every minute of it! There were late nights...midnight...early starts the next morning...getting up at 7:00 a.m., but I made it through! I was told by Keith that Pickles will be a permanent feature at the Upper SC State Fair. I felt like Sally Fields when she accepted her Oscar, "You like me, you really like me!!". I had an amazingly, wonderful time and can't wait until next year! 

The Cummington Fair was a charming country fair that seemed like a huge state fair. The fair staff was well organized and extremely sweet...this made my job easier! I met so many people and loved every minute of it! I met the comical, talented magician Tommy James. He was inspiring! I performed two stage shows each day. I twisted hundreds of balloons! The weirdest thing that happened...one of my balloon pumps broke...that's ok...I have a second one...thirty minutes later...the second pumps BROKE in the middle of making a balloon for a little girl! UGH!! I was so embarrassed!! It was time to leave the fair, anyway, so we drove to Wal-Mart...YUP!...in full costume I went shopping at Wal-Mart! I bought two el-cheapo pumps in the party section. Hey, they did the job!! LOL! The next day I twisted a ton of balloons!! We really enjoyed our time at this lovely fair! We jumped in the car Monday morning, August 31, at 6:45 a.m. and drove all day to get back to SC. We finally arrived at 1:30 a.m. on September 1. We had a brief moment of rest and left for Greenville, SC on September 2!

I was to appear on Friday night in the Children's Parade, so I drove down from Calais to Machias (about a hour) in costume. We checked into the Bluebird Motel prior to heading downtown to the church where the parade began. I marched in the parade with the Wild Blueberry Queen, Shelby. We had a wonderful time waving at the crowd and chatting with each other along the way. Saturday turned out to be a really HOT day for Maine! I twisted lots of balloons for children, posed for lots of photos...and managed not to melt! Two ladies from Charlotte, NC got their picture taken with me. They had read about me in the festival brochure and were surprised I lived only a short distance from them in SC. There were lots of tourists from all over the US there. While roaming around the festival on Saturday, I got my picture taken with "Bloody Mary" the Black Fly. Black Flies are infamous in Maine. A few months out of the year these flying bugs swarm, bite and annoy every living creature! Moose are chased out of the woods because they are terrorized by these little bugs. Sunday was a quiet day though the heatwave continued. I stayed under a tent for shade and there was a breeze blowing through. I twisted oodles of balloons for children. I really enjoyed my three days in Machias.

After driving from West Virginia to Maine...we were both wiped out! We stayed at the GORGEOUS Wilson Lake Inn. I appeared on Friday and Saturday at the festival. On Friday we got a bit of rain near the beginning of the festival. On Saturday morning, I marched in the festival parade. I was the official guide for the children that were in costume and riding decorated bikes. We joined the parade and made our way down the street behind the Shriners driving go-karts. I had to make sure the kids stayed behind me for safety reasons. On Saturday afternoon, I was to appear at the Expo Center where the crafters were displaying their goods. Well...as we drove out of the inn parking lot...the car stalled out. Jack got it started after several tries, put it into reverse and parked it. We proceeded to walk into town, about a mile, and were able to take the shuttle bus to the center. A really nice mom told me about a mechanic, so I called him. He said he would be on his way over to the inn shortly. That was great, but we were on the other side of town about five miles away! I called the inn and spoke to one of the owners sons, who said he would send his brother to pick us up. His brother asked him how he would recognize me...he told him, "Trust me, you'll recognize her!". Our car was driven away by the mechanic with some difficulties, but he got it to his garage...at least it didn't have to be towed. The car ended up not getting fixed until Monday morning, so we had to spend another night at the inn. Monday afternoon we were ready to go and made it to my brother's house in Calais for some well deserved rest and relaxation!

I only was at the Tyler County Fair for two days, but we had a fun time there! The folks were so sweet! On Tuesday night we got to see the Colgate Country Talent Search Showdown. There were some REALLY awesome singers on that stage! I have a blast roaming the grounds and meeting all the kids. There is a full campgrounds on the property that was completely full with lots and lots of campers. The one event that had my heart racing was when a gentleman had a seizure and collapsed. I ran to see if I could help him. He almost stopped breathing. Racing through my head were the thoughts of me having to do CPR on him dressed as a clown. He had cut his arm when he fell, so when I stood up I have blood all over the front of my ruffles on my dress. Someone had called 911 and he was taken to the hospital to be checked over. My dress rinsed out...and I went on with my day. That was an exciting first day. I wanted to take a dip in the portable hottub display! It sure looked like fun!

We had a great time at the Marshall County Fair in WV! I performed three shows a day for six days. I twisted oodles of balloons after each show. A few times I did a little face painting. Rain and fair go together like peanut butter and jelly...it pored rain on Thursday causing the fair grounds to flood out so we left early that evening. We felt at home at this fair and were treated like family! The staff was so kind and considerate to our needs and it felt like we all knew each other for decades! I even got to meet Dan Evans from TV's Biggest Loser. He performed a great country show.

We had so much fun at the Madison County Fair in NY. The drive was a true adventure! Over 15 hours in the car...we finally arrived in Middletown, NY to visit our kids! Then we headed to Salt Point, NY to stay with my Aunt Gladys. We left for Brookfield on Wednesday, July 8 for a 3 hour drive to our motel. We stayed at a LOVELY place called Jeannie's Dream Motel on Rte 20 in West Winfield. I have to tell ya...if you are EVER in the area PLEASE plan to stay at this WONDERFUL motel! The owners, Jeannie and Vinny are the BEST hosts!! We were treated like royalty! The building in fully renovated and so clean you could eat off the floor...REALLY! The view was gorgeous outside!! The fair began on Thursday, July 9...it was so much fun to meet new people and get the chance to entertain! On Saturday there was a terrible storm and we had to take cover for an hour or so. It poured rain for a long time and were expecting high winds, hail and lighting...but it ended up missing us! WHEW!! On Saturday late afternoon the clouds parted and the sun came out and I was ready to sing the National Anthem to start the Demolition Derby. It was exciting to have the chance to sing in front of 1200 people. The week finished out on Sunday to a wonderful end. We met Wade the comedy magician...go to wadelive.com to check him out...he was FANTASTIC!! The big attraction near my stage was Kids Buck Game Show with Don and Angel. I twisted lots of balloons and blew lots of bubbles too! I also debuted three of four new costumes! We hope to be able to go back again next year!!

Off we went, on June 27, to the I-85/Rte. 321 Flea Market in Dallas, NC. It was about 98 degrees the entire day! My nose was falling off by noon, so I had to sit in the air conditioned car and  cool down so I could attempt to reattach it. For you wise-guys out there...it was my CLOWN NOSE! LOL! I realized it was a little easier to twist balloons when my hands were a little sweaty...the balloons had less resistance. I guess that was too much information.

My Patch-Up Pets Puppets made their trial debut today to rave reviews! I made bright colored dogs, cats and bears. Each one had a small patch of opposite color under their left eye. They turned out so cute! We almost sold out of all ten that I had made. All the dogs went first. Eventually I will launch my online store where they will be available for purchase. It's been difficult to launch the store because I will be out on tour this summer. My sister will be learning how to process orders and that will help in my in home absence. We have new fair appearance dates in the process of being finalized. Once they are finalized the month of September will be full! I will be updating my blog while I am on the road! 

The Town of Fort Mill, SC really knows how to celebrate Spring! Many local churches and non-profit organizations served up some tasty food. The entertainment on the stage was filled with some really awesome music. We really had a wonderful time and met lots of new friends...like Dr. Know pictured above.

By the end of the day I sure was pooped out! Boy, oh boy, I can't wait for next year!!!

Pickles has been popping up at flea markets in the South Carolina and North Carolina area. We have been to the Barnyard Flea Market in Pineville, NC/Fort Mill, SC and Flea Market Mall in Lancaster, SC. She will be coming to the I-85/Rte 321 Flea Market in Dallas, NC on Saturday, May 9. Stop by and meet Pickles and purchase your very own critter puppet!

Pickles spent the day at the Iron City Festival in Blacksburg, SC on Saturday, April 18. She met so many new friends! Pickles performed her Gospel Show on the steps of the First Baptist Church. Her new puppet friends Baby Lizzie and Cousin Clem joined her to entertain the children. The children laughed when Baby Lizzie was too scared to come out under her blankie. Pickles also roamed the festival handing out candy and posing for photos. Pickles stood on the church steps and twisted balloons for over an hour for all the eager children waiting patiently in a long line.

The most touching story that came out of the day...there was a little girl that was about 6 years old that burst into tears when she saw Pickles and hid behind her father. Pickles took off her gloves so she could see that she had "real" fingers. The girl was still afraid so Pickles continued down the street greeting visitors. Later...the little girl was waiting on line to take a ride on The Little Blue Choo train ride. As Pickles passed by she greeted all the children that were waiting in line. There she saw the little girl. The girl asked her if she was just someone dressed up. Pickles hunched down on her level, looked her in the eyes and removed her glove again and told the girl to touch her hand and see that she was real and only a person dressed as a character. The fear the girl had left her as Pickles held her hand. All of the sudden she threw her arms around Pickles and told her she wasn't afraid anymore. This is the effect that Pickles has on children. She lets them know that she is a sweet, kind person and there is nothing scary about her.

Pickles had so much fun meeting all the kids at Kids Day Columbia! She was treated like a ROCK STAR! She twisted balloons, handed out candy, posed for photos, shook hands, got hugs, blew bubbles and even sang "Hopelessly Devoted To You" at the Karaoke Trailer! Mr. Jack and Miss Sharon got sunburn but had LOADS of fun roaming about with Pickles.

We sure can't wait for next year!

Pickles joined the children's services on Wednesday, March 25 and Friday, March 27 by leading Kids Praise. The children sang two songs with Pickles and had a great time! Pickles also assisted with finding countries on the map with a laser pointer where missionaries were located. Let's just say Kenya is NOT in Russia! After the service Pickles joined the children and their families for dessert in the fellowship hall.

Pickles joined the fun for the City of Rock Hill's first time celebration of St. Paddy's On Main. Pickles brought smiles and cheer to everyone's face...twisting balloons, handing out candy and posing for photos. Can't wait for next year!

Pickles was the sunshine for a gloomy day.

Pickles Da Clown is now immortalized in this little handpainted, wooden doll. This little doll can be purchased directly from the artist, Beccijo, from her ETSY shop located at:

She makes plenty of other lovely wooden toys and collectibles. Be sure to tell her I sent you!