By Brenda Erdahl
How do you tell a clown he can’t give a kid a high five or paint a funny picture on a tike’s face?
How do you refuse a born entertainer entrance to a nursing home where all she wants to do is make a joke and put a smile on a lonely resident’s face?
That is the new reality for people like Tricia Manuel, A.K.A. Miss Moose, who thrive on making people laugh.
Social distancing has made Manuel and others like her have to re-think their way of delivering entertainment. Fortunately, Manuel is in a position to help. As host of Mooseburger Clown Arts Camp, the Maple Lake businesswoman and resident clown is going to start teaching a new way to connect with audiences and she’s going to do it virtually.
For three days, July 31 to August 2, Manuel and her Mooseburger staff will host The Joyful Journey an on-line clown arts education. The virtual event will take the place of Mooseburger Clown Arts Camp this year which had to be cancelled because of social distancing constraints. Manuel assured Mooseburger Clown Camp will be back next year, but she also expects Joyful Journey to continue, even after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.
Manuel came up with the idea after realizing it just wasn’t safe to hold camp this year. The annual event takes place in Buffalo every summer and ends with an All-Star Clown Show that is open to the public. The camp attracts up to 100 people from around the country looking to learn the art of clowning from professionals at the top of their field.
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