International Clown Day is celebrated each year on first week of August as a tribute to the first recognised group of organised clowns. Clown groups often celebrate the week with special activities such as performing volunteer shows or having their local mayor declare the week as a city celebration to coincide with the national and international clown week.

History

Clown Week was celebrated on a limited scale in the 1950s. In 1966 the first International Clown Week chairman was appointed by Ray Bickford, president of Clown Club of America. In 1967 Clown Club of America members were urged to write to their congressmen and senators requesting a presidential proclamation naming July 21–27 as National Clown Week. In 1969 a resolution was introduced. After clowns met with Senator John McClellan of Arkansas, who was chairman of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

subcommittee on Observances and Holidays, success was finally achieved. Concurrently, Bill "Boom-Boom" Baily was an original member of Clowns of America when it was founded in 1967. Baily was named the U.S. Chairman of National Clown Week for that organization. Because each year a chairman had to be chosen in each state to ask their governor to issue a proclamation honoring National Clown Week, Baily pushed for National Clown Week publicity. He convinced Congressman Garmatz of Maryland and Congressman Myers of Indiana to introduce a joint resolution in Congress establishing National Clown Week as an annual event. He lobbied the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

and organized a visit by clowns to the senate building in Washington, D.C. On October 8, 1970, Public Law 91-443 under the 91st Congress, JJR 26 was passed by both the House and Senate and was sent to President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

for his signature. The joint resolution was signed into law by President Nixon on August 2, 1971. Many clown organizations have an international constituency and over time the National Clown Week has expanded to be International Clown Week.

References

{{Clowns Clowning August observances Awareness weeks in the United States