From Don Covington

!3, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. To quote the immortal Dr. Suess, “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.” May 1st of this year will begin our sixth month of caretakers of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center. It has been our privilege to collect, organize and hold in our hands the artifacts and history of this thing we do and love called clowning. To be in the same room with the props, scrapbooks, wardrobe, photo’s and books of some of the greatest funny people on earth has been a gift that we will never forget or stop appreciating. But it’s really the memories and life stories that these items hold that make them so special. As we pick up steam in preparing for our opening weekend, we are continuing to deal with the other aspects of running a museum. As much as we need to be self-sufficient and strong in our business endeavors, we also inherited may financial challenges and past debts. Working alongside us are community leaders and some angels in the tax accounting and legal fields. Their work, all done pro-bono has allowed us to begin to make our way right in all aspects of our business life. The road ahead is long, but we have created a positive business model and are working toward a conservative, professional future. With little less than 4 weeks away from our grand opening, we come to you and ask for your help and support. Our physical space is nearly complete, but still needs funding for exhibits and restoration. Our goal is to create a base of stable exhibitions that will encompass all aspects of the clown arts and offer tribute to the finest professional performers of the clown arts. To showcase the artifacts and create the necessary presentations, we need funds to properly display these priceless parts of our clown history. If you believe in what we are trying to do and would like to support us further please consider donating any amount you feel comfortable with to this project. ClownAlley.net has generously offered to let us use their PayPal feature on the website, www.clownalley.net for financial contributions. We are a 501(3) C not for profit organization and all your contributions are 100% deductible as allowed by law. Checks can be mailed to ICHOF PO Box 204 Baraboo, WI 53913. In closing, we’ve set a minimum goal of $5,000 by midnight Friday, April 30, 2010. Please consider helping build the future of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center. We thank you, but most of all the clowns thank you. Greg DeSanto Executive Director International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center