Escapees November-December 2023

skpstops

over the area were asking for him to come perform for the patients. He could not meet all the requests, so in 1991, he got permission to use a room in the hospital to teach six other people to be hospital clowns. Then hospitals started asking him to teach in their hospitals. That’s when he started a Clown School in Lake Placid. Today over 2,500 clowns, ages eight to 96 and from all over the U.S. and Canada, have trained there to spread their joy and fun. In 2010, another of Toby’s dreams came true when a small building became known as the American Clown Museum. “Lake Placid has wide, clean streets and is a joy to walk or drive around.” When we visited the Clown Museum, we saw a video about the history of the museum and some of the famous clowns in the U.S. It is jam-packed with items, such as over 3,000 clown salt and pepper shakers, posters of famous clowns (such as Red Skelton), ceramic clown fi gures, clown toys and costumes. Someone is

in the process of painting a clown face on each of the ceiling tiles. The circus theme is also prevalent around town with two clown benches and clown fi gures along the fence at the nursery school. Lake Placid has wide, clean streets and is a joy to walk or drive around. Besides the murals, they have created and painted 18 artistic trash containers such as a school bus, a train engine, a car and a truck. The paintings on the smaller trash containers all have something signi fi cant to the history of the town. Over four dozen small, circular paintings of birds that are indigenous to Lake Placid can be seen on buildings all around town. I suggest starting your visit at the Chamber of Commerce/Welcome Center at 18 North Oak Avenue (27.2976 -81.36409). We were there in March and the parking lot next door had very few cars so there was plenty of room even for large rigs. It may be full other times but the streets around town were wide enough and empty enough that large rigs could park on the streets. We even got permission to park our truck camper overnight in the Welcome Center’s parking lot. By Joyce Space #61818

GUIDELINES FOR SKP STOPS SUBMISSIONS Material for each issue will be selected based on location and the migration of seasonal travel. Submissions of 300 to 500 words are ideal. Due to limited space, submissions will be edited. High-resolution photos are included on a space-avail able basis. Include the name of the photographer and anyone in the photo. HELPFUL HINTS Share unique and o ff -the-beaten-path RV travel destinations. Keep submissions brief and include only pertinent information. Include the best season to visit the destination. Include information on RV parking and accessibility. Send submissions to Escapees Magazine, 100 Rainbow Drive, Livingston, TX 77351, or to editor@escapees.com.

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November/December 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine