Published: August 08, 2008 12:08 am            

Gizmo the clown brings big bag of characters to the rodeo

The Ralph Morgan Rodeo returns to Lauderdale today and Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m.

The rodeo is held at Ralph Morgan Arena located on Highway 45 North.

Admission is $10. Children under 12 years old will be admitted for $6.

The rodeo is a semi-annual event, held each April and August. Events include bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling, and bronco riding.

This year's clown entertainment for the rodeo is Gizmo McCracken.

Originally from Wheaton, Mo., he said he became a professional rodeo clown in 1992.

His real name is Dale McCracken. He's 46 years old.

"Sometimes it just don't seem right to have this much fun and get paid for it," McCracken has said.

A family man, in recent years he's logged about 45,000 miles to rodeo arenas through dozens of states.

First a bullfighting clown, McCracken then performed stand-up comedy in Branson, Mo., for a while.

One trademark of Gizmo's routine is that he provides various characters for the rodeo crowd.

"A lot of clowns and specialty acts sell themselves with a bucking car or a dancing horse," McCracken said. "I supply a character. Nobody knows what I'm going to do next, they just have to trust me, Ha!"

Like a stand-up comedian, McCracken sizes up his audiences to decide what character he may bring out.

"I love people. I love working the crowd," McCracken said. He tries to help people forget their problems for a while, and have a good time with some family fun.

"If I can pull that off, I've had a good night," he said.

        

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