Neighborhood residents Evelise Sandidge and Tony Keller are paid to clown around. But they say they’re working hard.
Sandidge and Keller work as professional clowns at street fairs, birthday parties, weddings and company picnics.
“I really enjoy the smiles that you create,” says Sandidge, also known as Star the Clown. “People leave you happy.”
“I like interacting with kids. I like kids who are in awe of clowns. I have rainbow-colored eyelashes, and one of the biggest questions kids ask is: How did you grow your eyelashes like that?”
Sandidge began “clowning,” she says, more than two years ago. She was dating a juggler and would tag along to Dick’s Last Resort in the West End with her friend, Heart the Clown, who would make balloon hats for customers.
Sandidge wanted to join the fun. She already knew how to juggle, and Heart taught her how to put on clown makeup and make balloon hats.
Keller began clowning with Sandidge in September under the name of “Sparky” after the two were married in July.
“I got into it because it was fun,” Keller says. “It’s a release for me. I like to put on another face.”
Sandidge and Keller put on more than clown faces.
Their business card describes them as “entrepreneurs extraordinaire.” In addition to clowning, Sandidge cleans houses part-time. Keller does home remodeling and painting, and the couple also makes rope sandals and beadwork.
“Clowning is only one of the things we do,” Sandidge says. “By being versatile and flexible, we keep afloat.”
The couple also has performed at benefits for the Sons of Hermann Home, 3414 Elm, a historical landmark built in 1910 that is leased out for social events.
Sandidge also performs for children with AIDS at Bryan’s House, for homeless children at Trinity Ministry, and for low-income children at a Dick’s Last Resort Christmas party benefiting the Wesley-Rankin Community Center.
“Kids aren’t afraid of me as a clown,” Sandidge says. “Kids tend to be afraid of really loud clowns. I’m real soft. I have soft purple hair. I don’t have the big red nose and the big red mouth. I’m really good with little kids.”
It takes an hour or more for Sandidge and Keller to apply their clown makeup, they say. Then they drive themselves to jobs dressed in full costume, attracting more than a few stares on the road.
“It’s fun once we get to a job, but it’s work getting there,” Sandidge says.
