In recent years, clowns seem to have been getting a bad rap. Some people—usually grown men and women, if you can believe it—are actually more afraid of them than entertained, perhaps thanks to the dubious influence of horror movies.
However, as the kids spending the morning with Ed Tinnelly—AKA Tin Can the Clown—at a recent “Mommy and Me” event held at the Massapequa Park Senior Center can attest, perhaps it’s time to re-think the whole “scary clown” fear and celebrate their true intention—being delightful little scamps that just want to make people happy.
“I’m not sure why people are afraid of clowns,” said Tinnelly, who was adorned in a blindingly loud shirt, suspenders and sneakers, with a grin peering through his lightly-greasepainted face. “But I can tell you that no one’s afraid of me, that’s for sure.”
Tinnelly has been a Massapequa resident for the past 33 years, and has been a regular fixture at many community and Massapequa Park Village events. He said that he got into clowning two decades ago in a rather unusual way—it was actually part of his job description.
“I was working at Verizon and I joined their ‘Clown Unit,’ which was a group of people trained by the Big Apple Circus in clowning to perform community service,” he said. “I joined because I wanted to do something that was different, something creative, and make people happy. We would go into the veteran’s homes, nursing homes, and hospitals to cheer people and kids up. I was with them for a good 15 years before I retired from Verizon.”
However, something within Tinnelly simply clicked with the clowning arts, and having felt like he had finally found his niche, he decided to strike out on his own, continuing his playful, cheerful ways; people took notice, he said, and soon he was up to his bow tie in work.
“I started doing the clown thing on my own here and there, and people started calling and asking to hire me more and more,” he said. “Eventually, I joined the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce, and in addition to working things like Chamber events, birthday parties, and so on, I also started doing charitable work as well. I’ve done a lot of walk-a-thons that benefit ALS, the Heart Foundation, cancer research…I do it to let people know that I care, and I get something out of it too, because it makes me feel good.”
Tin Can’s shtick consists of lighthearted gags, face painting, slight-of-hand tricks, creating complex balloon animals, and more. Tinnelly notes that he eschews the typical over-the-top, in-your-face approach employed by many clowns—which might be a contributing factor towards why some people might fear them—in favor of a more laid-back approach, which seems to make him quite accessible, especially to small children and skittish adults.
Tinnelly has an interesting personal life as well; married for 34 years, he has four children—two boys and two girls—all of whom have assisted him as sidekicks at one time or another during his clown gigs over the years.
Tinnelly is also a Vietnam veteran, having proudly served from 1967-1968 in the U.S. Army as an infantry wireman, otherwise known as a field radio operator.
“It was quite an experience, being in Vietnam,” he said. “I’m glad I’m here to talk about it.”
Tara Spafford, Director of the Massapequa Park Senior Center, runs the establishment’s “Mommy and Me” program. She’s known Tinnelly for at least a decade, and said that he’s a boon to the community; albeit a clowny one.
“Ed is a wonderful, wonderful man. He’s always there for the community, and always there to help,” she said. “You can just call on him, and he’ll be there. And he’s terrific with the kids…they just love him. His make-up and outfit isn’t too crazy, unlike a lot of clowns, so he’s very approachable and not frightening. The kids are very receptive to him.”
(Photos courtesy of Chris Boyle)
The charm inherent in Tin Can the Clown’s act can be summed up succinctly with his interaction with two year-old Bianca Covelli at the “Mommy and Me” event; the tyke had just finished witnessing Tinnelly pull off the ol’ “make a ribbon vanish and pull it out of your ear” trick, and was duly impressed.
“How did he do that?!” she gasped, her hands clasped in front of her mouth.
Clearly, Ed Tinnelly isn’t a scary clown. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you want to clown around with Tin Can the Clown at your next event, visit www.tincantheclown.com.
