Stop denigrating circuses

I was raised in East Wenatchee and was lucky enough to be a member of the Wenatchee Youth Circus as a teenager. We traveled around the Pacific Northwest and as far as the L.A. County Fair and Alaska. It was (and is) a great experience for kids to learn to work together to put the circus up, put on shows and tear the circus down. What a great experience.

Commentators keep calling his campaign “a circus.” That’s not true because circuses are fun, especially the WYC because we had no animals. Circuses bring laughs and oohs and aahs.

Now Americans fear “scary clowns.” I was a clown in the WYC. Kids and their parents laughed when we performed.

One last note: Paul Pugh, a local junior high school principal, started our circus. “Guppo,” as Pugh’s alter clown was known, died earlier this year. Guppo was a funny and loving clown. Thank you, Guppo, for giving me and all your kids that experience-clowns are funny. “Scary clowns” are getting a laugh from scaring you, just like Trump.

Please don’t call Trump’s campaign a circus and don’t be afraid of clowns. Only Trump is truly dangerous. Clowns should be funny.

Deborah Lawrence Hale

Spokane