LIUZHOU, CHINA: The Melee at Stage Three

The talented cast of performers from Stage Three of the Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival at Long Tan Park in Liuzhou, China...

Stage Three

The Martian Brothers

Chris, Gina and Hunter Allison

Festival Organizer Extraordinarie: Brenn Swanson

Ron "Toto" Johnson

Kevin Brown

Eric "EZ" Zander

MYSTERY CLOWN: Substitute Ringmaster

I'm in Orlando with the family and staying at the beautiful Marriot Cypress Harbor resort right around the corner from Sea World. I'll get back to the Liuzhou festival photos tomorrow, I PROMISE and then it's right back to posting classic videos.

As for today's photo: Many Ringling clowns have acted as substitute Ringmasters on the show over the years. Duane "Uncle Soapy" Thorpe did it for many years during the North era. How many of you can identify the former Ringling clown in this photo? Hint: He was in Liuzhou AND works here in Orlando...

RINGLING RED ALLEY AND HAMID SHOW: Thank You!

Thanks go out to the Ringling Red Unit Alley, especially Leo, Kelly and Alan for showing my son Shane and I a really wonderful time with a nice long post-show conversation in the Alley. Thanks for the homecoming!

We left the Red Show in Trenton, NJ and headed over to Plymouth Meeting, PA to catch the Hamid show where Shane played with all the show kids while I visited with friends and shared stories about the trip to China. Everyone there raved about how Greg and Karen DeSanto KILLED in Springfield.

I leave for Orlando at 6:00 AM tomorrow morning and hope to get to see Todd Zimmerman, Thom Wheaton, Kirk Marsh and maybe Brian Weckerly while I'm there.

Oh, by the way, the above photo comes from Gary Peare and is of Mike Coco, his son, Coconut and Bobby Kay doing a LA area hospital visit to promote the Ringling show July 31, 1970. It has nothing really to do with what I've posted but it's a really great photo!

WE INTERUPT THE LIUZHOU PHOTOS...

To ask this important question: Can anyone positively identify this clown from the Tom Mix Show?

LIUZHOU, CHINA: Stage One

Stage One AKA The Traditional Stage AKA Woodstock/Led Zeppelin Stage List of Performers...

The Troubadors:
Greg May & Sean Fagan

Clowns Without Bearings:
Ted Lawrence, Chris Grabher & Chris Shelton

Supersonic Hypercool Awesome Clown Show:
Matthew Duncan, Brian Foley & Erin Schmahl

LIUZHOU, CHINA: More from Stage Two

Here are more Stage Two photos from the Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival in Liuzhou, China...


Stage Two in the final stages of construction and decoration.

Stage Two fully completed and being rocked by Thom Wheaton (reaching for hat), Jesse Dryden (holding ladder on left) and Todd Zimmerman (holding ladder on right) who KILLED with a 40 minute trio show of amazing circus skills and really well-planned and executed slapstick.

Backstage Stage Two with Jason T. Stewart (foreground), Gary Spear (left) and Mike Smith (right). This picture gives no indication of the frequently hectic backstage pace but all three teams got along famously and jelled into a great "Alley" back in the dressing rooms.

LIUZHOU, CHINA: The Stage Two Crew

As CLOWNALLEY.NET's 800th post, here are the first of a series of photos from what was surely the largest international clown event in history, The Happy Liuzhou International Clown Festival in Liuzhou, China. The performers on Stage Two (the "Water Stage") were...



Todd Zimmerman (back to camera), Jesse Dryden (holding ladder) and Thom Wheaton (on ladder).



Jason T. Stewart (back to camera) and Mike Smith were a huge hit performing the classic Washer Woman Gag in their own style.



Andrew Scharff, Pat Cashin and Gary Spear. A guy couldn't ask for two better partners.