UPCOMING EVENTS IN
MONROE COUNTY
Calendar items run
free of charge as a
community service each
week as space allows.
Mail items for the
Community Calendar
to Diane Glidewell at
news@mymcr.net by 8
a.m. on Monday.
August
Kingdom Builders
seeks applicants,
volunteers & dona-
tions
Monroe County King-
dom Builders is taking
applications from elderly
and needy homeown-
ers for local building
projects to be done Oct.
18-19 (Fall Break). Appli-
cations are available at
Forsyth United Methodist
Church, Circle of Care,
Monroe County Report-
er and various partici-
pating churches during
August. Projects such as
repairing roofs, doing
plumbing, electrical and
painting work, rebuilding
bathrooms and porches
and adding wheelchair
ramps are appropriate.
The group welcomes
volunteers and donations
for purchase of building
materials. For more
information, contact
Forsyth UMC at 478-
994-5706.
Aug. 9-31
Enter your favodte
dog in Save A Pet's
Photo Contest
Save A Pet, Inc. will
offer its very first photo
contest to raise funds
for rescue pups. The Top
12 photos with the most
votes will be included
in Save A Pet's 2020
calendar. Photos will
be accepted Aug. 9-31.
Voting will continue
through Sept. 6. Enter
today, vote for your
favorites, and share the
contest link with friends
and family: https://www.
gogophotocontest.com/
saveapetincorg
Habitatfor
Humanity
Homeowner
orientations
Homeowner Orienta-
tions will begin promptly
at 11 a.m. on these Sat-
urdays: Aug. 24 at Rus-
sellville Baptist Church,
111 Russetlville Rd
Forsyth; Aug. 31 at High
Falls Legion Hall, 8 Tow-
aliga South Rd Jackson;
Sept. 7 at Sanctuary
Baptist Church, 12643
Highway 87, Juheffe;
Sept. 14 at Christ UMC,
417 N. Frontage Road,
Forsyth; Sept. 21 at
New Providence Baptist
Church, 2560 Highway
41 South, Forsyth.
Aug. 19-22
Qualifying for
Culloden Coundl
Three alderman positions
in'the City of Culloden
will be up for election
this year. Election is for
two-year terms; the
qualifying fee is $10.
The election will be
Nov. 5. ualifyJng is
at Culloden City Hall
Monday-Thursday, Aug.
t9-22 from 8:30 a.m.-1
p.m. For more informa-
tion, call 478-885-2249.
Around
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Monroe County Forsyth Juliette High Falls Bolingbroke
1B
August 21, 2019
Cullo en Smarr
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Over 100 clowns, many from far away from Monroe County, contributed to The Big Top Show at the Monroe County Fine Arts Center last Thursday.
Above, clowns greet and play with children in pre-show activities before they even enter the Fine Arts Center auditorium. (Photos/Diane Glidewell)
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymccnet
The American Clown Academy,
which moved to Monroe County
last year, gave the community a
priceless gift on Aug. 15 in the form
of "The Big Top Show" at Monroe
County Schools Fine Arts Center.
Over a hundred downs in full
make-up, costume and character
welcomed everyone who accepted
their invitation to a couple of hours
of carefree silliness, non sequiturs
and child-like wonder.
The American Clown Academy
is owned and operated by Monroe
County natives Lee and Rebecca
Andrews. They moved the long-
time entertainment institution
from its site in Ohio to Georgia last
year when they found a site for its
annual week of intensive Clown
College at Camp Kaleo. As part of
the Academy's finale, Andrews has
parmered with the Fine Arts Center
to bring the Big Top Show to town.
It is a chance for the student and
instructor-clowns to try out some
of the routines, skills and moves
they have polished over the preced-
ing week in front of a live audience,
Lee Andrews was the Master of
Ceremonies for the 20i9 Big Top
Show. He is in demand as Lew-E
the Clown throughout the U.S.
and beyond, and he brought that
professionalism and experience to
the local stage. Many of the Ameri-
can Clown Academy instructors are
legacies in the industr The show
combines that experience with the
energy and innovation found in a
Left below, all kinds
Show. Above, at the
were encouraged to
and lobby.
hundred clowns. Each clown has
developed his or her own persona
that is reflected in costumes, make-
up, little giveaways and actions.
The Big Top Show is an experi-
ence beyond what happens on
stage. It begins as clowns greet
those arriving in the parking lot
and continues as they enter the
festively decorated lobby of the Fine
Arts Center. There are huge balloon
sculptures at every turn, stations for
of clowns brought smiles to people of all ages at the American Clown Academy's Big Top
end of the show hundreds of balloons rained down to the delight of the audience. People
take all of the balloons, even the huge balloon sculptures that decorated the FAC auditorium
face painting and downs waiting to
hug you, challenge you to a balloon
sword fight, tell you a joke, take a
picture with you or give you a fist
'bump.
Moving from the lobby to the
Fine Arts Center auditorium, there
are more clowns welcoming those
arriving and more incredible bal-
loon decorations. Looking to the
balcony, one can catch a glimpse
of not only the Monroe County
Schools sound and lighting crew
but also a group of"Santa's help-
ers" who are a special segment of
students at the American Clown
Academy. They are important but
don't perform in The Big Top Show.
No one is told to sit still or be
quiet at this show. It begins with
children being invited to come on
stage for hula hoop activities, from
twirling them to nmning through
tunnels made from them. Mon-
roe County children weren't shy
about accepting the invitation. For
a brief time it seemed no one over
12 would be left in the audience.
The Big Top Show went into full
gear with almost all the downs on
stage for a musically choreographed
number.
"I live right here, and I have the
pleasure of wrangling all these
cats" said Andrews in introducing
himself.
He introduced some of the
individual acts that came from
Maryland to England to Alabama.
Several young members of the au-
dience volunteered to help onstage.
There was a ventriloquist, slapstick
antics, a ukulele concert, a mime,
a balloon-wearing skit and more.
Even a live chicken named 'Bob'
contributed to demonstrating how
one magic trick worked.
After a final number that brought
the full wave of downs back to the
stage, a net from the ceiling released
hundreds more balloons on the
audience.
"Take the balloons with you!"
said Andrews. "We don't want
them!"
Children and their adults scooped
up the parting gift from the Ameri-
can Clown Academy and headed
out the doors loaded with balloons,
smiles and memories.
Aug. 24
Fashion Fundraiser
for AJ. Jefferson &
Donna R. Wilson
There will be a Fashion
Fundraiser for A.J. Jeffer-
son, who has received a
new kidney, and Donna
R. Wilson, who do-
nated her kidney, at the
Monroe County Board
of Education Audito-
rium, 25 Brooklyn Ave.
at 3 p.m. on Saturday,
Aug. 24. Tickets at $10.
Text Dr. Margie Bryant
at 478-951-1671 or
email campbellmargie@
hotmail.com for tickets or
more information. Tickets
will also be available at
the door.
Southem Rivers
Energy has Annual
Meeting
SouthernRivers En-
ergy will hold its Annual
Meeting of members
See CALENDAR
Page 2B
Hubbard first grader Marques Mays received the rare honor of being sworn in as an honorary Monroe County deputy Tuesday afternoon. Mays, 7, who
has terminal bone cancer, was sworn in by Sheriff Brad Freeman in front of family, friends and his favorite teacher, Betsy Ford. Mays also received some
gifts, including a police toy set, a Monroe County Sheriff's Office t-shirt and a Scoops ice cream gift certificate. He also got to ride in some of his favor-
ite model vehicles, including a ride with Sgt. Edgar Johnson in a blue Ford Mustang GT.
