RENFREW — Before Larry Rich goes to work, he puts on some make-up, his plaid suit and a showy pair of leather shoes.

"Size 4½: four cowhides and a half box of tacks," Rich said in describing the oversized footware he has worn as a clown for 40 years.

But Rich has been clowning longer than that.

In 1956, he lied about his age to work at the Mills Brothers Circus in Ohio, where his initial job entailed brushing the 30 circus ponies.

He also was charged with shimmying up the tent poles to tie the sidewall to the big top.

"I was skinny," he said, explaining not everyone was suited for that job.

Rich no longer climbs tent poles, but other lofty pursuits at the circus continue to fill his days.

"Here we are, 50 years later — still doing what Ilove to do," he said of his role as Lollypop Larry the Clown.

Despite the garish stripes on his shirt and a clothespin to steady his dangling tie, Rich speaks seriously of his earliest memories of clowns: images in a Little Golden book and his uncle, who also worked in the trade.

Taller than a typical 10-year-old, Rich was inspired to pose as a teen and travel in summer months with the circus.

Rich still totes around an oversized plastic hitchhiker's thumb in a rat trap, a prop he used as a "stop gag" to amuse the audience during lapses in the Mills Brothers show.

Since that original two-year stint, Rich said he has worked with every major circus in the states, as well as the Blackpool Circus and others in England.

"I have performed in every state and 17 foreign countries," he said.

Although he lives in Renfrew with his wife, Ruth, Rich is on the road about 200 days a year.

The couple owns and operates All Affordable Attractions, an entertainment company in which Rich also provides services as an emcee, circus ring master or motivational speaker.

Much of his time during winter months is spent with the Jordan World Circus out of Las Vegas; in summers, with the Imperial Stunt Drivers automobile stunt show.

Ruth helps promote the shows by alerting the media and by distributing tickets and flyers.

"I'm kind of like the front person and the back person. I go out before and I finish up afterward," said Ruth, who worked in sales and marketing before teaming up with her husband 20 years ago.

With a lull in his travels this month, the 20-year county resident has been performing in local venues.

One such show was offered Wednesday to senior citizens at the North Central Senior Center in West Sunbury.

"I'm just thrilled to do it, because I are one," the 60-year-old quipped about his own age.

Performing an act that was part magic, part motivational speech and part stand-up comedy, Rich recounted stories about his yearly phone calls from comedian Phyllis Diller, who shared his Lima, Ohio, roots.

Rich also touched on other topics familiar to a senior crowd: Red Skelton, grandchildren, life in retrospect.

Magic tricks included commentary.

"This is a Tyson chicken:Mike Tyson," he said as a rubber bird emerged during one such trick.

"You can tell because his ears are missing."

"Most of my shows are customized to the crowd. If I have little kids I do a lot more audience participation stuff with them," he said of balloon sculpting and interactive magic tricks mostly absent from shows for seniors.

"The clown is the visual comedy and the physical comedy. But the verbiage is no different from any other comedian that you see," he said.

Center manager Marilyn Slagle said the comedic entertainment, although not typical for North Central, was suitable for a senior audience.

"We're always looking for upbeat things," she said, noting many center attendees suffer from arthritis and other ailments.

"I'd say it was a success. The comments afterward were positive."

Although Rich strives to target the needs of seniors, he said he also uses his comedy to stress the importance of literacy and other serious issues to children.

"There are entertainers, there are educators, there are motivators, and I'm all three," he said.

"People remember things if you put humor with it, which I've found over the years to work."