MONROE - For Jane Swiggum, life is about doing what you love, making people smile, never slowing down - and never looking back.
"I live in the moment, so, the past is the past," she said with a laugh about not remembering exact dates for happenings throughout her life.
Her warm, welcoming smile is what so many in Green County recognize when they see her out and about or performing as her popular clown persona, Dotty the Clown.
She is a farm girl at heart but turned to clowning later in life and seemingly found her calling in performance.
Swiggum moved to Green County at age 3 with her family to a large dairy farm between Monroe and Juda. She attended Juda schools and says chores and 4-H were her life.
"I loved the farm life," she said. It was the 1950s and the family milked 105 cows - almost unheard of at that time without a pipeline. But John and Eileen LaBorde, both from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, were very crafty, and her father developed his own version of a pipeline using a can and a garden hose.
After her high school graduation, Swiggum was recruited by a farm credit union in Monroe, but the fit wasn't right. She applied for a job at radio station WEKZ as a receptionist and ad writer. She says she enjoyed her work there and has fond memories of hearing important news through a local outlet.
She also ran a daycare while her children were young, but never slowed down. It wasn't long before she became the leader of the Monroe 4-H Club, a post she held for 25 years.
Sewing is a big part of Swiggum's life. She began teaching sewing classes at Blackhawk Technical College before becoming the chairman of the Wisconsin Make-It-Yourself With Wool contest. She took the winners to the national contest in a different state each year.
She was also asked to teach Clothing Construction at the National 4-H Center to home economists all over the U.S. She was no more than a self-trained seamstress, but credits Mary Burri and Mary Alice Hart for teaching and supporting her through the years.
In 1989, National 4-H ran a program called Salute to Excellence in Washington D.C. and asked her to participate. When she went to see the displays, the state of Michigan featured clowning - it was something Swiggum had never even heard of, but captured her interest immediately.
That summer, she attended Clown Camp in La Crosse. And she never looked back.
"I came home overwhelmed," Swiggum said. "It was amazing."
She would return to the camp for the next three summers, originally with the intent to teach clowning to children.
But she admits she was hooked.
"It was so fun. I didn't feel out of place," Swiggum said. "We all had the same goals."
Swiggum worked for 35 years as a teaching assistant at Abraham Lincoln school in Monroe, retiring a few years ago. It was a job she loved. It also gave her a chance to practice her clowning craft.
"I was in my glory," she said, remembering how she would try out new clown acts on the children and the classes.
Swiggum also joined Cousin Otto's Clown Alley out of Delavan and was invited to her first clown convention. It was in Indiana that year, so she went along with the Midwest Clown Association, a group she also eventually joined.
She made her own costume, and felt like she had her character complete. She competed in white face makeup and placed third out of 50 - she was overjoyed.
In the clowning world, it's often said that it takes five years to truly realize you're a clown. Swiggum understands that statement, because to her, it's not just about a name or a costume.
"It's all from the heart of making people happy," she said.
Today, Swiggum has been attending those conventions for 25 years and has competed in all areas. In 2006, she was inducted into the Midwest Clown Hall of Fame, a tribute she cherishes.
"I never thought I'd do that when I first started," she said. "I was too inhibited."
Today, Swiggum loves to perform and still does all types of shows - and performs as several different clowns. She is also a balloon twister, a face painter and a clown magician. It's a variety of entertainment for all ages, and several programs and performances are available to choose from. She's also been performing for the library and the school since 1994.
She met her husband Dennis, a fellow dancer at Turner Hall, and married the Wiota cheesemaker in 1962. They have three children.
Dennis, who is always supportive of his wife's adventures, has even clowned alongside her over the years. One time he helped with the halftime show during the Packer vs. Bears game.
"You do anything for a Packer game," she said with a laugh.
Swiggum is a member of the World Clown Association that meets in different places each spring. A few years ago, after Swiggum retired, she wanted to do something special. That year, the meeting was held in Malaysia - she went with three other clowns and says it was the experience of a lifetime. She spent a full day visiting and entertaining at a children's hospital.
Every fourth year the World Clown Convention is held outside the U.S., and in 2017 it will be in Thailand - and Swiggum hopes to go.
Since her retirement, Swiggum says she's tried to slow things down, but it just doesn't happen. She spends any free time with her 94-year-old mother in Monroe.
"I'm either sleeping or on the go," Swiggum says.
"I live in the moment, so, the past is the past," she said with a laugh about not remembering exact dates for happenings throughout her life.
Her warm, welcoming smile is what so many in Green County recognize when they see her out and about or performing as her popular clown persona, Dotty the Clown.
She is a farm girl at heart but turned to clowning later in life and seemingly found her calling in performance.
Swiggum moved to Green County at age 3 with her family to a large dairy farm between Monroe and Juda. She attended Juda schools and says chores and 4-H were her life.
"I loved the farm life," she said. It was the 1950s and the family milked 105 cows - almost unheard of at that time without a pipeline. But John and Eileen LaBorde, both from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, were very crafty, and her father developed his own version of a pipeline using a can and a garden hose.
After her high school graduation, Swiggum was recruited by a farm credit union in Monroe, but the fit wasn't right. She applied for a job at radio station WEKZ as a receptionist and ad writer. She says she enjoyed her work there and has fond memories of hearing important news through a local outlet.
She also ran a daycare while her children were young, but never slowed down. It wasn't long before she became the leader of the Monroe 4-H Club, a post she held for 25 years.
Sewing is a big part of Swiggum's life. She began teaching sewing classes at Blackhawk Technical College before becoming the chairman of the Wisconsin Make-It-Yourself With Wool contest. She took the winners to the national contest in a different state each year.
She was also asked to teach Clothing Construction at the National 4-H Center to home economists all over the U.S. She was no more than a self-trained seamstress, but credits Mary Burri and Mary Alice Hart for teaching and supporting her through the years.
In 1989, National 4-H ran a program called Salute to Excellence in Washington D.C. and asked her to participate. When she went to see the displays, the state of Michigan featured clowning - it was something Swiggum had never even heard of, but captured her interest immediately.
That summer, she attended Clown Camp in La Crosse. And she never looked back.
"I came home overwhelmed," Swiggum said. "It was amazing."
She would return to the camp for the next three summers, originally with the intent to teach clowning to children.
But she admits she was hooked.
"It was so fun. I didn't feel out of place," Swiggum said. "We all had the same goals."
Swiggum worked for 35 years as a teaching assistant at Abraham Lincoln school in Monroe, retiring a few years ago. It was a job she loved. It also gave her a chance to practice her clowning craft.
"I was in my glory," she said, remembering how she would try out new clown acts on the children and the classes.
Swiggum also joined Cousin Otto's Clown Alley out of Delavan and was invited to her first clown convention. It was in Indiana that year, so she went along with the Midwest Clown Association, a group she also eventually joined.
She made her own costume, and felt like she had her character complete. She competed in white face makeup and placed third out of 50 - she was overjoyed.
In the clowning world, it's often said that it takes five years to truly realize you're a clown. Swiggum understands that statement, because to her, it's not just about a name or a costume.
"It's all from the heart of making people happy," she said.
Today, Swiggum has been attending those conventions for 25 years and has competed in all areas. In 2006, she was inducted into the Midwest Clown Hall of Fame, a tribute she cherishes.
"I never thought I'd do that when I first started," she said. "I was too inhibited."
Today, Swiggum loves to perform and still does all types of shows - and performs as several different clowns. She is also a balloon twister, a face painter and a clown magician. It's a variety of entertainment for all ages, and several programs and performances are available to choose from. She's also been performing for the library and the school since 1994.
She met her husband Dennis, a fellow dancer at Turner Hall, and married the Wiota cheesemaker in 1962. They have three children.
Dennis, who is always supportive of his wife's adventures, has even clowned alongside her over the years. One time he helped with the halftime show during the Packer vs. Bears game.
"You do anything for a Packer game," she said with a laugh.
Swiggum is a member of the World Clown Association that meets in different places each spring. A few years ago, after Swiggum retired, she wanted to do something special. That year, the meeting was held in Malaysia - she went with three other clowns and says it was the experience of a lifetime. She spent a full day visiting and entertaining at a children's hospital.
Every fourth year the World Clown Convention is held outside the U.S., and in 2017 it will be in Thailand - and Swiggum hopes to go.
Since her retirement, Swiggum says she's tried to slow things down, but it just doesn't happen. She spends any free time with her 94-year-old mother in Monroe.
"I'm either sleeping or on the go," Swiggum says.