THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 26, 1996 TAG: 9602260036
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
The wedding ring squeaked, the balloon bouquet exploded and the matrimonial kiss caused a fire.
In other words, everything went exactly as planned.
Thank goodness the bride and groom - Uncle Curt and Hugs - were clowns.
The twosome, a.k.a. Curt and Karan Robins, were ``married'' in full clown regalia - from their shiny red noses down to their floppy, boat-sized shoes - at the Circus Magic Convention in Williamsburg Sunday before about 300 fellow clown conventioneers.
It was not your typical marriage. For one thing, the groom took longer to put on his makeup than did the bride. The bride's footwear - bright yellow, leather shoes with striped socks - was hardly the fashion of the latest Modern Bride magazine. And the pre-ceremony song - ``I'm going to the chapel, and I'm going to get buried'' - was not the typical lyrical choice.
The pre-wedding jitters were at a minimum, though, because the Robins had had a more traditional marriage April 6, 1995, in Pittsburgh. Karan wore a white wedding gown at that wedding, and Curt sported a tuxedo, but they did wear red noses during part of the ceremony.
But that wasn't enough clowning around for Hugs and Uncle Curt, who live in Richmond. Since Curt first saw Karan at the Circus Magic clown convention in 1993, and exchanged phone numbers with her at the 1994 convention, and became engaged to her at the 1995 convention, he decided to come full circle by having an on-stage wedding Sunday at the convention at the George Washington Inn.
The couple were joined in matrimony by another clown, Oxford P. Nuts, known in real life as the Rev. Randy Christensen from Bismarck, N.D.
Christensen said he had married many couples, but never a set of clowns, and never while wearing a bulbous clown nose, and never, ever to the tune of ``I love to eat, eat, eat, apples and bananas.''
The bespectacled Christensen was game, however. ``Marriage is a wonderful institution. . . if you like living in an institution,'' he quipped.
``If anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your pizza,'' he said, before getting on with the wedding vows.
``I, say your name,'' Nuts said.
``I, say your name,'' echoed Uncle Curt.
``Do you take Hugs to be your awfully wedded wife?'' Christensen asked.
When the two clowns kissed, fire ignited behind them as their fellow conventioneers stood and applauded.
When you consider the relationship's beginnings, it's a wonder Kurt ever ended up at the altar with Karan. Kurt first saw Karan when he was examining one of her balloon animals at the 1993 convention. It was a fish balloon on the end of a fishing pole, and he was trying to figure out how she had made it when the balloon popped.
``What are you doing?'' she asked him.
Oops.
They didn't exchange names.
He kept asking who she was, but the other clowns wouldn't tell him. At the next convention, however, the two formally met and exchanged phone numbers. At the 1995 convention, they both went on stage to receive awards, and Kurt prompted the audience to ask Karan the question he'd been meaning to ask for a long time:
``Karan, will you marry Curt?''
She said yes.
Karan, who's a cook when she isn't a clown, moved from Pittsburgh to Richmond, where Curt is a correctional officer at the Powhatan Reception and Classified Center.
When they're not working their real-life jobs, they clown around at business openings, birthday parties and state fairs. Some day they hope to turn their clowning into full-time work.
So, what do they have up their sleeves for next year's convention?
``Delivering a baby?'' Hugs asked.
Don't put it past them. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by VICKI CRONIS/The Virginian-Pilot
Members of Washington's Kapitol Klowns saw to it that Karan Robins
didn't rubber-chicken out of her nuptials Sunday. Later, she became
awfully wedded during a convention in Williamsburg.
Color photos by VICKI CRONIS\The Virginian-Pilot
OK, so Karan Robins didn't step out of Modern Bride. Bet her house
is featured in Clown and Country.
Curt and Karan Robins were serious enough about their clowning
around to include 300 fellow contentioneers at their ``wedding''
Sunday.
by CNB