Fun-loving clown character still a part of local business owner

MUNDELEIN – Although the costume and makeup may be put away, Dweedle the Clown is far from gone.

Dweedle’s presence is apparent in the way Mitch Dicker, director of Clowning Around Entertainment in Mundelein, interacts with children – making silly faces and cracking jokes, even while in the middle of an interview. Dweedle also can be found giving presentations to potential clients using balloon-twisting as a visual aid.

Dicker may have put a pause on performing at events with the full Dweedle persona, but the clown within always peaks through, he said.

“I never put the clown character away; think it’s too much fun and people enjoy it,” he said.

For about 20 years, Dicker has been part of the clowning industry. His business – which employs clowns and offers hundreds of other entertainment options – covers more than 3,000 events a year, Dicker said.

What started simply as a fun hobby, eventually grew into a passion that allowed Dicker to receive recognition and reach the ranks of Master Clown.

In recognition of National Clown Week  – the first week of August – the Lake County Journal spoke with Dicker and his family to get a better understanding of the unconventional job of clowning.
 
Getting started
It was at age 16 that Dicker first got a taste of clowning. Although he took a clowning class simply to fulfill obligations for the Boy Scouts of America, Dicker first caught an interest in clowning because of the ballooning aspect of it.

“I wasn’t very creative, and the balloons are a great way of expressing your creativity and your artistic abilities,” he said. “People were always impressed by taking a little balloon that uninflated is only 6 inches long and you inflate it to 60 inches long … and twist it to different contraptions.”

The class also taught Dicker other clowning basics, such as juggling, face painting and how to portray the physical characteristics of a clown through walk, speech and attitude.

As the hobby progressed throughout the years, Dicker made a decision that would shock his parents.
 "They thought I was crazy," he said. "I told my parents that I didn't want to go to college. I wanted to become a clown."

Though Dicker was certain that he would continue to pursue clowning, he went on to receive a degree in special education from Northeastern Illinois University. His interest in clowning had not diminished, however, as he found a way to integrate it into his life while at school.

“I used clowning all the way through college for different presentations I did for school,” he said. “I always correlated balloons to whatever the subject was.”

Dicker furthered his clowning expertise by attending clown school and training with some of the best in the business, he said.

“I did all my training locally with people who were award-winning clowns, nationally and internationally recognized clowns who traveled all over the world performing and doing different clown skills,” Dicker said. “The classes in clown school are actually very extensive.”

Through clown school, Dicker became exposed to different types of clown personalities and chose the one he would continue to portray throughout his career.

"You pick which clown character most resembles your personality," he said. "For me, it was a white-face clown. I had all the white face makeup and a colorful costume; ironed, pressed and clean."
 Thus, Dweedle the Clown – a "very goofy, wacky, fun, zany, loud, outgoing and energetic" character, according to Dicker – was born.

Building a business
 As Dicker continued to clown at different events, more requests were coming in than he could handle by himself, he said. He turned to his girlfriend and now wife, Suzanne, and offered to train her in clowning.

“After we dated for about a year, he deemed that I was ready to train as a clown,” Suzanne Dicker said. “He started taking me to shows and training me on the job, and then it got to the point where I would do my own jobs.”

While Suzanne Dicker jumped on board with clowning, she did not anticipate the role it would take in her life.
 "When I first met him … I didn't know that clowning was going to be any part of our future," she said. "As things started to progress and snowball, then it was like 'Wow, this could be a different lifestyle for us.'"

Suzanne Dicker developed the character Soozee, a very gentle and sweet character, especially with kids, she said.

While working at different events, people would constantly ask the Dickers whether they knew of reputable DJs and other entertainment vendors, Dicker said.

“Ultimately … I saw there was a need for somebody that could provide more services than we were just doing – just the clowns – so that’s when the company was basically born,” he said.

Growing each year, Clowning Around is now one of the largest special-events rental companies providing party rentals and novelties in the Midwest, Dicker said. The company stretches across four warehouses that are filled with party supplies, such as costume characters and popcorn machines, he added.

Running the continuously growing business has prevented Dicker from being able to perform as Dweedle the Clown, while Suzanne Dicker puts shows on now as an “undercover clown” – a clown without makeup or costume – Dicker said.

While their characters have had to take a backseat to other priorities, there is a new clown in the making for the Dicker family. Six-year-old Marissa Dicker has developed a passion for ballooning like her father did before her.

She has been ballooning since she was 3 and can now proudly construct an assortment of animals, Suzanne Dicker said. Marissa Dicker has adopted the clown name Mariposa – which means butterfly in Spanish. That is her favorite animal.

Want to learn more?

To learn more about Clowning Around Entertainment, call 847-566-3006 or visit www.celebrationauthority.com.