Circus ‘advance man’ clowns around

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By Christina Scanlon

By the time the Kelly Miller Circus hits town later this month, one of the clowns will be long gone.

Melvino, whose real name is Aaron Rider, made his rounds in Granville June 25 as part of his duties as an advance clown, traveling two weeks ahead of the rest of the circus.

Part of his tour of Granville was atop a unicycle.

“He’s the crème de la crème of clowns,” said Paul Manchester.

As director of the Granville Rotary Club, sponsor of the event, Manchester visited five local commercial sites selling advance tickets.

Melvino honed his clown skills on the road for the past 12 circus seasons, though he said being a clown was his childhood dream.

Around age 14 he started juggling and, he said, “I asked for a unicycle for Christmas.”

He’s been hooked ever since.

His work now can be lonely, he said.

Traveling alone, promoting the circus without the captive, excitable audience that normally gather under the big top.
He had no complaints, though.

“I’m a bit of a loner, anyway, so this works out,” he said.

He was in full clown makeup, one feature that’s remained relatively consistent throughout the years.

His name has changed though.

“I started out as Melvin, but then I added the O,” he said, explaining the reasoning behind the additional letter.

“A bunch of clowns’ names end in 0, like Bozo,” he said. “It seemed like the thing to do.”

For most performers, the circus schedule can be grueling.

Shows go on seven days a week for nine months straight, often with two or three shows per day.

“It’s really a family atmosphere,” he said of working with the other circus members.

Though he hasn’t had experience working on the animal side of the performance, Melvino noted the company has a deep commitment to the humane treatment of the performance animals.

“They do everything right,” he said.

Two shows will be held at the Firemen’s Carnival grounds, July 11 at 2 and 5 p.m.

Advance tickets can be purchased at Scarlotta’s Car Hop and Diner, Jen’s Pit Stop, Manchester Newspapers office, Schoony’s General Store and Wells Country Store.

Advance ticket prices are $6 for children and $12 for adults. Prices the day of the event are $7 for children and $16 for adults.