My name is Sharon Hodges and my life began in earnest in Amarillo, Texas, where I grew up the product of a military family traveling extensively throughout my childhood. I spent three years living in Europe and returned to the US just in time to graduate from high school back in Amarillo, Texas again. I fell into the entertainment and art world by accident several years ago and have been totally hooked ever since. I began face painting and doing balloons for tips at a local theater at the urging of my cousin, Cinde Sanders (Boopsie the Clown) and progressed from there into my own clown character, Hodge Podge.  

I specialize in puppetry, magic, balloon art and face painting, doing everything from birthday parties to corporate events. In the field of clowning I have earned the 2002 Funny Business Entertainer of the year award, held various positions on the board of directors for Mid-Cities Clown Alley #85, including president for two years and helped to coordinate the Texas Clown Association Convention, 2001, hosted by Mid-Cities #85. As my growth as an entertainer has progressed my love of face painting has equally evolved. I have a strong connection with this art form and it is where I feel the most accomplished and comfortable. I have taken several classes from artists in this industry that are considered the best in the world and I attended the first Face Painting International Convention ever held in the US, in Orlando, FL in 2002. I have been an active supporter of the exploration and development of this art form. In 2003 I founded the first organized face painting group in the United States, DFW Face Painters Guild and held the position of president for the year 2003-2004. I am the owner of Enchanted Bodys/Your Enchanted Face, a company that specializes in all forms of face and body art enhanced by professional photography. I recently competed and received the highest award given at the 2005 Face and Body Art Convention in Orlando, Florida, First Place Best All Around.  I have taught and demonstrated beginning and intermediate levels of face art and constantly strive to personally improve and share the skills and talents that I have. I truly feel that painting is a wonderful way to color our world, one face at a time.

Dusti the Clown was born after a visit with my aunt and uncle, Lou and Bob Stoddard (Honey & Boppo the Clowns).  They told me stories about their adventures with the carnival and circus.  Uncle Bob’s eyes really lit up when he told me about the articles he wrote in the Carnival News.

They told me about their involvement as two of the founding member of Clown Alley 85 and the events and volunteer opportunities the Alley offered. 

I told them about the two years that I volunteered at the Scottish Rite Hospital, visiting the patients, reading, talking or just visiting the children.  I helped the nurses station, distributed food and helped in the gift shop.  Aunt Lou and my mom encouraged me to join Alley 85.

I attended clown college at UT Arlington in 2000.  After graduating I attended four TCA Conventions and numerous balloon twisting workshops.

I volunteer my time at many events during the year such as Baylor Hospital of Irving, Children's Museum of Ellis County, Brookhaven Children's Cancer Party, Relay For Life and numerous others.

When Dusti isn’t volunteering her time, she is performing private birthday parties, corporate events, grand openings and family reunions.  She provides face painting, balloon twisting, magic and games. 

Margaret Clauder, AKA Maggie the Magical Clown, Mother Goose, Bucky the Rodeo Clown,, the Bookworm, Patchy the Scarecrow and Mother Nature has been performing full time publicly since 1991.   She became a clown so that she could stay home with her kids and let her husband watch them on weekends while she performed parties.  Her business evolved from there.  She wanted to be a stay at home mom because her oldest was lost by a daycare center.  The short version of the long story:  He was left alone in a daycare center by the management.  He left the building (he was 4) and was later found him wandering around a shopping center by himself resulting in charges of child endangerment being filled against the management.  She never put her kids in daycare after that, quitting her full time job selling pharmaceuticals in order to stay home with them.

Margaret is the president and owner of Funny Business, an event and family entertainment company in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  Funny Business performers entertain at over 1,600 events each year.   Margaret personally specializes in performing at schools, libraries, and preschools as over 15 different characters which she personally created.  She has enjoyed writing articles for The Calliope and The Funny Paper magazine (2 leading trade magazines for children’s entertainers), and lecturing at State, regional, and National Conventions for clowns and children’s entertainer organizations.  A business major in college, Margaret’s theater training (aside from high school) has been through attending “Clown School” through Clowns of America International, the Texas Clown Association, and World Clown Association conventions and seminars. 

Professional Variety Entertainment is what Cinde Sanders represents.  She began her journey as an account executive with a large advertising agency, where she met actor, magician and clown Dal Sanders and became his partner in life and in business. Cinde would hire Dal to provide entertainment for her clients. Soon she was working with him and Amazing Attractions was formed. They built a unique Co-op for the benefit of all entertainers in the Metroplex. The idea was then and still is today, that instead of entertainers back stabbing each other, that they could work together to share leads, resources and office expenses, in order to provide the best entertainment available. The theory is that when one entertainer works, it is good for all the other entertainers. Next time that client needs to spice up an event, they will think of the excellent work provided by Amazing Attractions and continue to call for variety entertainment. Therefore, everyone works and everyone helps each other.

However it wasn’t until 1989, while pregnant with her first child did Cinde get the itch to become an entertainer herself. Until then she was the agent and office manager for the variety artists at Amazing Attractions. After studying, taking classes, reading books, observing others, and learning various skills, Boopsie the clown was born. With none other than Ronald McDonald as a mentor, Boopsie devised her make-up and costuming, which over the years has been revised, tweaked and enhanced. The name Boopsie came from the cartoon Doonesbury. In the comic strip Boopsie is the sweet starlet cheerleader character that is reminiscent of the character that Boopsie portrays.

With her endearing personality and ability to entertain, it did not take long to gather a following of her own. One of the unique talents she has developed is the art of close-up or strolling magic. She performs at events ranging from private parties, restaurants, banquets, corporate events and trade shows to grand scale theatrical magic productions.

Today, Boopsie is one of the few white faced clowns in the area. Her publicity sheet reads: She is a tall red head with ruby painted lips. She is loved by all who meet her. Men and boys stop and stare. Women wish they were in her shoes and they marvel at her make-up. She is colorful, exciting, outgoing and she never met a stranger.  No, she’s not some new starlet flirting her way to the top. She’s Boopsie the clown and she is going to win your heart too!

Boopsie performs as a professional clown, face painter, balloon artist, magician, and puppeteer. In addition to hundreds of paying shows, she volunteers for many charitable events delighting children and adults alike. In addition to Boopsie The Clown, Cinde has developed other characters and shows including “Sister Cat” (The Cat in the Hat’s Sister), “Safari Cinde” (Dinosaur puppet show) and seasonal characters “Cinde The Magical Elf” and “Cinde the Magical Witch.”

Now where did Hanky the clown come from?  The first time I found the joy of playing like a clown was the summer of 1981.  I was on a youth mission trip in Colorado.  I did not clown again until my senior year, the summer of ’84. (During high school I was one of the class clowns, but I was not seen wearing any clown make-up!).  That summer (1984) I was on staff at Brookhaven Retreat in Hawkins, TX when I received my nick name “Hanky”.  They called me “Hanky” because of all my sneezing and love of country music (they also said I had a country drawl but I did not think so). One weekend at Brookhaven the girls on staff were to have a party for the guys.  Our theme was “Christmas Morning” so we all dressed up as Christmas gifts (toys).  I wanted to be a clown, and that was the first time I was actually “Hanky” the clown.  In 1986 I really wanted to learn and perform more as “Hanky”.  My mother made “Hanky” an outfit with a big wire going all around the waist, and I thought I looked like a great clown!  I got lots of attention at the Snyder, TX 4^th of July parade and family picnics.  I performed as “Hanky” at church, parties, parades, ect.  I tried to learn balloon art, but they always scared the pee-waddles out of me when they would pop!  When I performed at birthday parties I would have the 12” balloons already aired up with clown faces drawn on them and cardboard feet attached to them.  The kids had a blast watching the clown balloons pop up and always land on their feet! 

     I got involved in the alley in 1995 and took the class at UTA in 1996.  The clown class at UTA really helped me find the “Hanky” I am today, and a lot of thanks go to Rosalie Perryman for giving me ideas on my make-up.

      After playing around with the clowns of Mid-Cities Clown Alley #85, and attending some classes around the metro, “Hanky” started to listen, learn, and achieve.  I have been a member of Clowns of America International, Texas Clown Association, Texas Mid-Cities Clown Alley #85, and has been an officer of Alley #85 since 1997.  In the year 2000, my regular job in accounting, with New America Financial (mortgaging) offered me to keep my job and move to Houston.  That was the last thing I would want to do.  Susan (Dubble Bubble) and I decided to try something new, and that was to work together on shows for day cares.  And I would become a full-time children’s entertainer.  I promise to say it was not easy going full-time in entertaining!  Susan and I have been working together for five years performing shows at day cares, schools, and libraries all around the metro.  Performing as “Hanky” the clown is fun, but not everybody wants a clown, therefore “Jolly” was born.  I perform as “Jolly” (without make-up) for restaurants, day cares, and children who may be afraid of clown make-up.  I am not only “Hanky” and “Jolly”, I also have a character by the name of “Bertha”.  “Bertha” performs fun and clean parties for adults as a BIG-old woman from Fluvanna, TX.  Susan also performs with me as Bertha’s sister, “Mertha”.  “Bertha” and “Mertha” are fun comedians with jokes, songs, and tears from laughter!    Another specialty I love to perform is puppets.  I have been a puppeteer for around 25 years.  Now Susan and I are performing marionette puppet shows (as well as making the puppets).  Throughout these years I have learn to be a professional Balloon Artist, Face Painter, Magician, Puppeteer, and Characters as well.  Today “Hanky” has to perform with very little (No) make-up around her eyes (my allergies are awful), but ya know she is still “Hanky”.   a clown grows up and changes just like a human does.  They grow up and make something of themselves.    

Hello, my name is Francisco Jaurez and clowning for me is like breathing.  It is a thing I do that brings me the incredible joy of making people laugh.  I began clowning at the old age of 26 as Mundito the Clown, which means little world in Spanish.  

     I later changed to Tako the clown after I came to America and have been Tako ever since.  I strengthened my clowning skills in the areas I love the most, those being puppetry, juggling, clown magic and stage performance. 

Debbie "Posie" Davis

Posie the Clown was born for my nephew’s first birthday, which was a long time ago.  He has already graduated from college and is working on going to medical school.  It all started one day when I was walking through a toy store looking for something special for his first birthday.  I happened upon a clown “jump suit” mind you, half off in price.  How better to make a birthday special then to send in a clown.  So I proceeded to get make-up and the clown suit.  I knew nothing about being a clown but that didn’t stop me.  Well we all know what a one year old does the first time he see a clown and my nephew was no different.  Except he never stopped crying, till I took the clown costume completely off (I really think it was because I looked so bad).  You would have thought that would have ended my clowning but it didn’t.  That very next week I read an ad for a clown class at UTA.  Wow!  I already had the outfit so I took the class, and learned how bad I really was.  Then I joined Mid-Cities Clown Alley right after the class, which is what my instructors told me to do.  I really needed a lot more help then just one class could do.  I was told to sign up and go to all the free clown events to get experience and help from the other clowns.   The first one I signed up for was a nursing home.  I got there all eager to learn and found out I was the only one that showed up.  Needless to say I had nothing to do, so I just walked room to room and talked to the people.  Afterwards I cried all the way home, because I was so bad.  Well to make a long story short, I didn’t give up and thanks to a lot of great clowns in the Alley, it got better.  I went to a lot of events and learned from every Clown I could.  By the time my nephews second birthday came around I thought I was much better and would appear again at his birthday party.  This time I took my costume over and put everything on at his house, but when I closed the door to finish the look and make my grand appearance, guess what?  He took one look at me, let out the loudest scream and never stopped.  I was forced to make the change back to a person, just to get him to stop crying.  You would have thought that would have ended my clowning, but by that time I was in love with clowning.  I just never clowned for my nephew again.  That’s how Posie was born.