Face Painting and Balloon Twisting Blog

My very first clown convention was the Circus Magic Convention in Williamsburg, VA. Circus Magic is a regional clown convention that is held each year at the end of February and that means that it is coming up soon. This year, it is February 23-26, 2012 at the Holiday Inn Patriot in Williamsburg, VA. The convention is one of several conventions run by Steve “Salty” Kissell and DJ “Fancy Pants” Ehlert.

Although this is a clown convention, they have workshops on balloon twisting, face painting, magic, and other topics that would be of interest to clowns and other types of children’s entertainers. They have a great list of instructors coming to help with the workshops. Ken Stillman will be there teaching balloons. Marcella “Mama Clown” Murad and her co-workers from Silly Farm will be there to teach face painting. Jim Howle and Leon McBryde, both former Ringling Clowns, will also be there helping with makeup and clown noses.

Circus Magic Convention
February 23-26, 2012
Holiday Inn Patriot 3032 Richmond Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
http://www.circusmagicconvention.com/

Presented by Steve Kissell. Bringing Education Excellence to the Performing Arts! Come Celebrate, Laugh, and Learn at Circus Magic with the special theme of: Tribute to the Wizard of OZ!

I have never been big on reading books. In school, the only books I ever read, were the books my teachers said I had to read. But, once I decided to become a clown, I realized I needed books to help me learn the skills I needed to succeed. I ordered a few books from the various websites that sell clown, face painting, and balloon supplies. I also got a few books from Amazon.com. It wasn’t until I was bored one weekend and decided to venture into a used book store that I discovered there was a cheaper way to get great books.

I have been visiting the local used book store every month or two and never walk away without finding something interesting. I have found books on juggling, magic, mime, clowning, face painting, balloons, puppets, jokes and a variety of other topics. The best thing is that I rarely have to pay more than $3 for a book. I don’t think I can go wrong spending $10 and coming home with 3 or 4 used books. Actually, it is usually more like $30 and 8 to 10 books.