In 1986 my Grandma and Grandpa Applegarth attended the Utah State fair. While being at the fair, my grandma received this clown bell. I do not know the full story of how she received it. However, my Grandma loved collecting bells. A couple years before she passed, she was giving her bells away. When I was a child it seemed like she had hundreds of bells, I am sure it was close to a hundred.
Now if you have read my previous post about the Search for the Balloon Blanket, you know that I have a love for clowns. I know most children at that age are terrified of clowns but not I. At one of my visits, Grandma asked me which bell I wanted. I proudly said I wanted the this clown bell.
I wish at that time I would have asked to know the story behind, but I was a young naive teenager who was not into stories about peoples' treasures. At that age I loved hearing stories about family traditions and the stories about my grandparents, but not heirloom stories. Now I am rambling. Back to the story....
You may be wondering how I know that she received the bell from the Utah State fair in 1986, well my Grandma was extremely smart. SHE HAD IT WRITTEN IN THE BELL!! (I should note that the handwriting is my Grandpa's).
**Here is just a little tip for you awesome readers.... write everything down. Write where you got your prized treasure, write the information about the photograph (who is in it, age, place, year it was taken, etc), write your experiences down! You may feel like it is not important, but trust me IT IS IMPORTANT!! You future generations will thank you for it. For all you know it could knock down a brick wall. **
I have had this bell for 10+ years. It is truly one of prize possession. Not only is it a clown bell, but it was my grandma's. In the same post about the Search for Balloon Blanket, I mention that I have a close relationship with my Grandpa. Although this is true, I also had a close relationship to my Grandma.
I do not know if I mention before that I am youngest of 11 grandchildren. Well being the youngest in the family, she always called me "Little One". There will be a separate blog post about that. Anyways being her Little One, I had a special bond. I won't say much more about it since it will be in another post.
Anyways, this bell is really special to me. I miss my Grandma very much. This past 17 September 2019, marked nine years of her passing. I do not talk about it much, but do know this, I know without a doubt she is always with me. I miss her very dearly, but I know she is still around. I might go into more detail in another series of blog post (Sorry rambling again).
In another blog post I'll write about some other heirlooms, that I once upon a time had in my possession that she gave me. Unfortunately there will not be any pictures with those posts.
To end this long post, enjoy these pictures of the clown bell. If you are wondering it still rings, it does.
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