On Thursday, May 17th the world lost a great entertainer. Ric Singleton was a good friend, a loveable goofball, a talented decorator, event planner, and so much more. In so many ways, Ric influenced and encouraged me to become an entertainer. I first encountered Ric in my late teens. He was performing at a festival in Simpsonville, SC, making balloon hats and telling jokes. I wasn’t even considering becoming an entertainer at that time, but I do remember thinking that this guy has a really cool job!
Years later our paths would cross again. I was a newlywed fresh out of college and had started doing entertainment “on the side.” I would do an occassional birthday party here and there and knew how to make a dozen or so balloon animals. But again, performing full time was not on my radar at that time. On New Year’s Eve, Ric was doing his magic act in downtown Greenville. After he finished and the crowd was slowly leaving I went and talked to Ric. We bonded over our shared love of bringing laughter and joy to people of all ages. And for the first time, I realized that it was possible to make a living AND do what you loved. The first time that I truly felt like a professional was when Ric actually hired me to perform at one of the numerous festivals that he helped plan.
Our paths continued to criss cross over the next several years. Often I would be doing balloons and face painting at a corporate event where he had set up balloon decor and games. We would occassionally share dreams and thoughts over lunch. Ric was always brutally honest with me. He would tell me when my ideas were good or just plain “boneheaded.” We would both be booked for the same festival and be pleasantly surprised at seeing each other again. And things came full circle when I was able to hire Ric to help me out at some sporting events and larger parties.
The last time I saw Ric perform was for a group of clowns. No really, literal clowns! We were hosting the Ringling Brothers clowns at a dinner in Greer, SC and both Ric and were asked to entertain the entertainers. I watched the audience that night. I saw their eyes light up and heard the laughter (and occassional groans) at Ric’s jokes. And then my eyes turned to Ric. He had the biggest smile on his face in that moment. And once again I thought this guy has a really cool job!
I count it a blessing that I am able to share this here in this blog. But even better, I was able to tell this personally to Ric just two years ago. Ric’s passing was sudden and unexpected. There are many other things that I wish I had taken the time to tell him, but he knew that I considered him a mentor.
So thank you Ric for encouraging me to step out and dream big. Thank you for showing me what being a real performer was all about. Thank you for your professionalism and courtesy that you always extended to other artists whether they were clowns, magicians, balloon artists, face painters, or watermelon queens. And above all, thank you for for being a friend. You will be missed. And now I am going to go put on my clown nose for a while.
