There was a lot going on over the past week. Jersey’s favorite son released a new song and announced a new album. Jersey Devil Press wrapped up its Brilliant Disguise writing exercise. Oh, and there might’ve been an Internet protest or two regarding SOPA.

Amidst all that, I didn’t want to let an important milestone pass by unnoticed. Last Wednesday was Calico the Clown’s fifty-sixth birthday.

For those that don’t know, the Evil Clown of Middletown is a twenty-foot-tall, metal roadside attraction constructed in 1956 to deeply unnerve small children and possibly advertise a local grocery store. When I contemplate the events that shaped me and made me the person I am today, I can’t help but think of driving past this huge, demented motherfucker every time Mom took me with her food shopping. Trust me: there was more than one night I was sure Satan’s jester had broken loose from his metal moorings and tracked me down to murder me in my sleep.

So, Happy Birthday, Calico! Thanks for scaring the shit out of me as a child.

And, don’t worry: the town fathers made sure to give Calico a fresh coat of paint a few months ago, so he’ll be traumatizing toddlers in Central Jersey for years to come.

Be sure to check out his Facebook Page, for all the latest updates on the metal monstrosity. (Personally, I still like to know what his status is after dark.)

Then come back to JDP and read Annam Manthiram’s wonderful “Rodeo Clown” from Issue 14. Because not all clowns are 20-foot-tall hellspawns.