University Daily Kansan, September 30. 1980
Pockets special treat on bill of fare
Mary Klayder makes the transition to Pockets in her apartment before going to the Country Inn.
Pockets entertains a child by drawing her favorite animal
Pockets rests for a few minutes while waiting for more customers to arrive.
Photos and story by KARI ELLIOTT
In restaurants one often sees waitresses, cooks, steaming plates of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, dirty dishes and a clown.
Pockets, also known as Mary Klayder, Lawrence graduate student, does not perform on a stage but goes from table to table doing magic tricks, drawing animals and talking to the customers.
A clown? Well, yes, at least at the Country Inn, 1350 N. Third St., where Pockets the Clown entertain customers each Sunday.
Pockets entertains both children and adults, but children 4 to 8 years old are the best age because they are willing to make believe, Klaider said.
Tony Cozzi, Country Inn's manager, said customers' reactions to Pockets had been positive.
peter
“I'm very happy having Pockets at the restaurant. She is well-liked; everybody appreciates her,” he said.
Pockets' magic consists of simple, sleight-of-hand illusions. The emphasis in the magic is on involving the spectators, Klavier said.
One key to clowning is establishing a relationship. Once a connection has been made, the child is less intimidated, she said.
But with this openness, the child may blurt out personal family situations to Pockets.
"When I was working in Kansas City, one kid said, 'My sister had to get married.' Another time a boy said, 'My dad beat me before we came here,' " she said.
Before working in Kansas City, Klayder was a clown at several pizza restaurants in Denver. She learned magic tricks from her husband, Jim, whom she calls one of the top sleight-of-hand magicians in the United States.
He was a full-time magician in Kansas City from 1975 until this past summer. Now he is assistant manager at the Country Inn.
Klayder has been clowning for seven years, but it has been only a part-time job. During her five years of performing in Kansas City, she was a full-time English teacher at Barstow School and later at Park Hill North Junior High School.
"I don't treat clowning lightly. I want the relationship to be a good and positive experience," she said.
In both clowning and teaching, Klayder said she wanted to establish a relationship in which the child was not frightened.
During her performing and teaching, Klayder emphasizes the importance of allowing the child to make the decision. She said parents often expected snap decisions from their children.
"I ask the kid how old he is, and almost immediately one parent will answer," Klayder said. "This is my pet peeve—parents who talk for their kids and don't let them think and communicate."
In addition to her clowning, Klayder is a graduate assistant in the School of Education, and she supervises language arts student teachers.
She is completing her master's degree in English education and later may go back to the classroom or into teacher education.
"As for clowning, I guess I'll do that forever," she said. "I can't imagine not being Pockets. It just doesn't go away when the makeup comes off."
1