Our Unit

The Green Mountain Clowns is the newest unit of Cairo Temple getting it's start in the begining of 2007. It is our hope to build a long and proud history for the unit in all our efforts, especially those efforts involving any Shriner's number One charity, Shriners Hospitals for Children.

While we are building our history we would like to provide a general history of clowns and the different types of clowns that might be seen at parades, circuses and other events where there seems to be alot of clowning around!

Clowing Around

All Clown Faces Come from three basic types. Every Clown Face in the World is a Variation of one of the three(3) listed below:

Whiteface - The classic Pierrot or harlequin clown face is all white, with features (eyebrows, nose, mouth, etc) painted on in black and red. Other decorations may be added in variety of other colors. This type of Clown Face is somethings called NEAT Whiteface when the features are ordinary size. When the features are enlarged or exaggerated it is called a GROTESQUE Whiteface.

Auguste - The most comic clown face. This clown uses a base color that is pink or reddish instead of white. Features, (normally red and black) are enormous in size. The Mouth is usually thickly outlined with white. Quite often the white is used also around the eyses. The Auguste is the most slapstick of all clowns, his actions tend to be wilder, broader than the other types. The Auguste gets away with more and bigger pranks.

Character - Whiteface and Auguste faces are true clown masks. The Character clown face is a comic slant on the standard human face. Character clown faces make sport of mustaches, beards, whiskers, freckles, warts, odd-looking or large noses and ears, bald heads, strange haircuts and facial features of feminine beauty. The most widespread Character clown face is tramp or hobo.