A dog, a clown and a friendship

Local 4-H club members help remember a Ringling Bros. entertainer, By Gale Miko Wantage — Some time ago, Roberta Brandau of Wantage started a long distance friendship with Pat Little from Boise, Idaho, over a black Pomeranian and a clown. Little’s husband Glen “Frosty” Little was one of four master clowns from Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. When Glenn Little fell and broke his hip he ended up in a nursing home and his Pomeranian refused to drink. That led Pat to contact Brandau, who had been featured in a dog magazine. Brandau raises Pomeranians. During hours of phone calls, the two women became friends and Brandau was excited to find out that Pat was the wife of a clown. She grew up loving clowns and going to Madison Square Garden for the circus. She couldn’t help but wonder how many times she may have shaken hands with Frosty when she was a child sitting in the front row at the circus. Brandau had even dressed as Bobo the Clown for the old Jamesway store in Wantage many years ago for the Big Sale Days. Brandau felt a connection to Frosty and wanted to make his time at the nursing home enjoyable. As a 4-H leader she stared an activity called a clown hunt. She asked her club members to collect clown paraphernalia, which they sent to Pat Little to take to her husband when she visited him at the nursing home. Imagine making a clown smile, she thought. The more she learned of Pat and Frosty the more she wanted to share it with others. She went further with her project. She and the members of the Kitty Kat Kidz 4-H Club decided to make Glen “Frosty” Little the club mascot. For a year and a half, the group invoked the clown during their meetings by talking about him and his career. At each meeting, Brandau would show the members pictures and tell them related stories that she had learned from Pat. Frosty was the last of four master clowns for the circus, she learned. In his role, he met many famous people and taught clown school. When Glenn Little died on Oct. 26 at the age of 85, the group felt they wanted to memorialize his life. The following month, the Kitty Kat Kidz, whose members range in age from 9 to 19, all signed and sent Frosty’s wife Pat Little a sympathy card. According to Brandau, they felt they’d not only lost their mascot but a person they’d come to know. In the spirit of giving The club has also been busy making handmade holiday gifts of necklaces, bracelets and goodie bags for residents at the Homestead nursing home. They also just completed a food drive for the Sussex Help Center. Their next project will be to pick a local veteran for whom they will a brick engraved with and installed at Woodbourne Park in Wantage.