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Dana “Liberty”, “Professor Dude”, “Hapless” Abendschein, Warson Woods, Missouri. Dana has been clowning for Christ for 22 years and has been on the task force/faculty since 1991. He is part-time with the Clown Docs at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and spends most Saturdays ministering in prisons. His other expertise includes character development, skits, and clown worship.
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Jane “Belle”, “Dr. Tickles”, “Forlorna” Abendschein, Warson Woods, Missouri. Jane has been clowning for Christ for 22 years and has also been on the task force/faculty since 1991. She is the founder and ‘boss’ clown for the Clown Docs at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Dana’s boss the rest of the time.
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Doug Anderson, Grove, Oklahoma. Doug is brand new to our faculty this year. From close-up magic to hilarious stand-up comedy magic, Doug has been ‘wowing’ audiences for 25 years. He’s done over 10,000 performances to over 3 million people at trade shows, hospitality suites, churches, amusement parks and on cruise ships. After he received a Top 10 Magicians award from Siegfried and Roy in Las Vegas, Doug has been called on to use his magic and marketing savvy with clients including Coca Cola, McDonalds, LifeWay Christian stores, and Pearl Vision to name just a few.
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Jackie “Lolli” Barrett, St. Peters, Missouri. Jackie has been clowning for over 25 years and served on the faculty before this year from 1991-2008. We are blessed to have her back to serve with us again! She is frequently ministering in nursing homes as well as doing birthday parties and children’s ministry. Her teaching expertise is in makeup application, face painting, and balloon sculpting.
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Terrie “Gitsy”, and “The Rainbow Lady” Basko, Jackson, New Jersey. Terrie is the webmaster for Show Me Clowns for Jesus National Conference and is joining the faculty for the first time. She has been clowning since 1994 and is now also a full-time balloon artist, face painter, and airbrush artist doing hundreds of shows and birthday parties each year. She has been on staff for the 1998 International Festival of Children’s Magicians and also lectured at Clownfest.
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Chris “PJ” and Heather “Penelope” Burton, Lexington, Kentucky. Chris and Heather are joining the faculty for the third time. Chris claims he has been a clown all his life, but only recently explored the professional possibilities. In addition to ministry clowning, Chris and Heather entertain for birthday parties, schools and even a professional baseball team!
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Will “Grandpa Pokey” Channon, Williamsburg, Kansas. Will is returning to the faculty after a brief sabbatical (in London we believe). He has been clowning for 13 years, but loves making balloon creations best. He may hold the record for blowing the most 260 balloons at one time, and he’s the only one we know who can blow a 130 balloon with his mouth!
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Angel “El Tito” Contreras, Chicago, Illinois. Angel is a repeat offender serving on the faculty for a third time. He has entertained crowds with his wacky caricatures and illustrations since 1988. Kicked out of fine institutions like the School of Art Institute of Chicago and the Ray College of Design, Angel is an expert at seeing the clown character that lurks within us. He has a quick wit and a sharp pen that he’s not afraid to use!
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Len “Chuckles” and Debbie “Mercy” Fort, Van Buren, Arkansas. Len and Debbie are joining the faculty for a sixth year and have been on the task force since 2008. They are part of an active clown troupe that frequently participates in worship, children’s church and other church-related events.
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Bob “Wawa Jud” Gardner, Springfield, Missouri. Bob has been clowning for 11 years and joins the faculty for the second time, now also as a member of the task force. His clown name came from the WWJD bracelet. Bob clowns at many places, but his love is for children. He is the ‘official clown’ of the Children’s Hospital of St. John’s and also works on the children’s ward at Cox Hospital.
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Wayne “Mr. Sonshine” Gillam, Jefferson City, Missouri. Wayne has been clowning for 25 years and has served on the faculty since 1999; with many years also on the task force. He has expertise in ballooning, illusions, and developing routines for skits. He also directs the Kingdom Klowns for Jesus in Jefferson City, Missouri.
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Beth "Sonflower" Helmer, St. Louis, Missouri. Beth has been clowning for several years and is on the task force/faculty for the sixth year. She uses her clowning in nursing homes, parades, VBS, mission trips, block parties and school events.
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Dave “Rex the Wonder Clown” Hill, Goldsboro, North Carolina. Dave is back for the fifth time on the faculty. He has been performing for over 20 years at events including company picnics, grand openings and banquets. As a member of the Berkeley Civitan Clowns, Dave entertains to raise money for the mentally and developmentally disabled. He is also the owner of Balloons and Clowns that provides supplies and includes an entertainment agency.
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Tony “Junior” Jones, Atlanta, Georgia. Tony has been clowning for over 20 years and is on the faculty for the seventh time. He is dedicated to promoting professional clowning and is a frequent teacher at ministry conferences across the country. He is co-director of the TNT conference, editor of The Cross and the Clown magazine for ministry clowns, and co-director of Clowning for Christ International. He has expertise in walkarounds, skit performance, and improvisation.
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Don “Mr. Flakes” Keck, Millstadt, Illinois. Don has been clowning for 11 years and is joining the faculty for the second time. His expertise is in balloon sculpting and creations. He has taught several balloon classes for the St. Louis Clowns of America alley and at St. Louis Community College. He also provides balloon entertainment for church, school and corporate events.
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Karen “Karabout” “Karabotchu” Kroen, St. Louis, Missouri. Karen has been clowning for 26 years and on the task force/faculty since 1988. Her expertise includes clown drawing, mime, and using clowning in a variety of places such as mission trips, hospital/nursing homes, VBS, block parties and community events.
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Vivian “Sugar” McArthur, Kirbyville, Missouri. Vivian has been clowning for over 13 years and most of that time she has been face painting as well. She joins the faculty for the second time. Vivian has taken every face painting class that she can and has developed a great talent as a result. She has been on staff at many conferences and has won numerous awards including first place for both cheek art and full face design at Clown Jam 2008 in Branson, Missouri.
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Steve Narewski, Columbia, South Carolina. Steve is retired from the US Army as a Chief Warrant Officer after serving 23 years as an Automotive Maintenance Technician. He is currently enjoying his second career as an Investigator in the Special Victim’s Unit of a municipal police department in the Southeastern part of the United States. Steve’s typical cases involving violent crime have made him an expert in the area of criminal profiling and how to avoid becoming a victim.
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Curt “Handy Andy”, “Dr. ICU” Patty, St. Louis, Missouri. Curt has been clowning for 18 years and has been on the task force/faculty since 1998. He is a part-time missionary with the North American Mission Board. He is also one of the Clown Docs at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. In addition to hospital clowning, his expertise includes prison ministry, children’s ministry, and church and school programs. He is co-owner of The Clown Gadget Store.
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Diana “Blossom”, “Nurse Sniggles” Patty, St. Louis, Missouri. Diana has been clowning for 18 years and has been on the faculty since 1998 with 10 years on the task force. She is a part-time missionary with the North American Mission Board. She is also one of the Clown Docs at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Besides hospital clowning, her expertise includes prison ministry, children’s ministry, and church and school programs. She is co-owner of The Clown Gadget Store.
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Herb/Katie Riley, Fort Smith Arkansas. Herb and Katie are on the faculty for the second year. They are part of an active clown troupe that frequently participates in worship, children’s church and other church-related events.
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J.T. “Bubba”, “Oscar P. Nerd” Sikes, Jacksonville, Florida. J.T. is a perennial favorite back on the faculty for a 14th time. He is nationally recognized for his teaching in clown ministry. Clowning since 1989, J.T. has served three times as an Artist-in-Residence for the Clowns of America International, and has produced numerous materials for training in makeup design, character development and hospital clowning. J.T. says, “We shouldn’t give God any junk” and seeks to promote professionalism in ministry clowning through his workshops and his company, Bubba’s Clown Supplies.
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David “Shorty” Sneed, Benton, Illinois. David has been clowning for 17 years and is on the task force/faculty for a seventh year. His expertise includes worship, school safety shows, hospital clowning, parades corporate picnics, birthday parties, and fairs.
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Darrell “Binky” Webb, Ewing, Illinois. Darrell has been clowning for 14 years and is serving on the task force/faculty for the seventh year. His expertise includes clowning at corporate functions, church camps, parades birthday parties, Vacation Bible Schools, and on foreign mission trips.
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Norma Webb, Ewing, Illinois. Norma has 14 years experience as a sign language interpreter and is on the task force for the second year.
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Mary “Granny Opps!” White, Lee Summit, Missouri. Mary is joining our faculty for a third time. She has a degree in theatre and is very active in the drama ministry at her church, First Baptist Raytown. She is the owner of The Happy Store.
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..Meet Our 2010 Featured Faculty