Davenport - The Midwest Clown Association (MCA), an organization serving the educational needs of clowns in a seven-state region, will be holding their annual conference, called a Round-Up, October 1-5, 2014 at the Clarion Hotel Conference Center in Davenport, Iowa.
This will be MCA's 41st annual convention, with a theme of going "Back to School," providing classes for everyone from novice clowns to professional entertainers. The Round-Up will feature 2010 World Clown Association Clown of the Year and Clowns of America International "Best in Clown" award winner Julie "Lovely Buttons" Varholdt, as well as Norm "The Great Normondo" Barnhart, a 2008 World Clown Association Clown of the Year and 2007 America's Funniest Magician award winner in Las Vegas, as headline performers. The week will also include various competitions in make-up and costuming, balloon sculptures, face painting, skits and parade gags.
Midwest Clown Association was created to provide continuing education and promotion for the art of clowning in a seven-state region, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The organization's website (www. http://) provides up-to-date information from the association, registration information for conferences, a photo gallery of past competition winners, and schedules for upcoming events. During the Round-Up, skit and parade competitions are open to the public with free admittance. Skit competitions are held on Friday evening, beginning at 7:00 p.m., and parade competition begins at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.
"We're excited to be back in Davenport! The local Quad Cities Clown Troupe hosted the convention at this same location in 2012, and our experience was such a good one, that the board decided to bring the Round-Up back to Iowa this year," stated board member Angela "Q.T. Pie" Gonzalez. "You don't have to be a member of an established clown group in order to register and attend the convention. Everyone is welcome, even if you've never clowned before. There will be classes for all levels of clowning. Our members are passionate about the art of clowning, and sharing it with others is one of our greatest joys!"
###
