Lake Placid, Florida: The Largest Clown Population Per Capita

With a population of just over one thousand, Lake Placid is the only Florida town that has more clowns per capita than any other state. Toby's Clown School, founded by a professional clown named Keith Stokes, is the first clown school that is planning on opening a clown college in America. The clown college will train students in the clown arts, which stem back throughout the centuries.

Stokes, a local resident and professional clown, founded Toby's Clown School in the early 1990's, after he suffered a near fatal heart attack. He wanted to have students carry on the specialty of "clown medicine," where clowns could go into the hospital to cheer up sick patients, namely children.

The most recognizable clowns at the school are known as white-faced characters, yet there are some diverse characteristics within that make the art of clown school a study in theatrics and history. Students must engage as auguste characters, contra-auguste characters, which means basically "good clown, bad clown". Theatrical technique and physicality come into play as well, and one must know timing and technique if they are to entertain. There is definitely more to clowning than meets the eye.

As early as the fifteen hundreds characters today known as court jesters were the lowest form of being in a patriarchal society. Now clowns are either feared, but most often loved, regarded as one of the most recognizable symbols of childhood. The art of clowning has its roots in theatre, vaudeville, film, as well as historically. There are famous French clowns, and some popular American actors have used the art of clowning in their skits, Lucille Ball being the most famous female to incorporate elements of clowning that were mainly reserved for male performers throughout the centuries. She brought the art of clowning into the modern age of television as well, if not better than some of her male counterparts.

There have been over four hundred and fifty students that have graduated from the school, and continue his work. There is a mural of the clown school sponsored by Toby's Clowns. It was painted by artist John Gutcher in the 1990's, and brings to life the side of an ordinary building, along with the Lake Placid Mural Society and their forty award-winning murals. These murals continue to grace the storefronts and businesses of Lake Placid, making Lake Placid internationally known as the "Town of Murals". It is fun to go throughout the town and discover all the murals. I found this place quite by accident while researching my Florida related guide book, and spent most of my time looking at the murals! Lake Placid is also home to over twenty fresh-water lakes, so there is plenty to see and do, aside from looking around and taking pictures. In a town where it is quite normal to see a person walking around dressed as a clown, this place is as regular as any other small southern town, though in Florida, regular is quite the euphemism!