Word: ballooned
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...helium-filled, nonflammable balloons, often with matching ribbons, are most in demand for wedding anniversaries, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, St. Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, and the unscheduled declaration of affection that might otherwise be offered with chrysanthemums. Shelly Anderson, who with Sandye Dianto started the Balloon Express Co. in Los Angeles last May, specializes in hand-painted balloons depicting rainbows, birthday cakes and people's names-even "dirty pictures." One blue batch was decorated with "porno stuff' and delivered with a nude male clown to a woman's "stagette" party. Another Los Angeles...
Even in the more rational horse latitudes of Boston, balloonery is booming. Joanne Williams, a former producer of children's television shows, unleashed Balloons Over Boston 13 months ago, is already grossing $100,000 a year and expects to earn $250,000 next year. As the official balloon provider for Boston's 350th anniversary, she lofted her airborne wares over the aquarium, parks and city hall. Among her regular clients is Opera Director Sarah Caldwell, who, says Wiliams, "balloons people regularly." Wiliams' deliveries come with cards telling he recipient all about the care and feeding of balloons...
...oldest and perhaps the most successful balloon business is also Boston based. Headed by Joe Del Vecchio, whose grandfather began selling balloons when he came to the city from Italy at the turn of the century, Balloon Bouquets now has 14 affiliates throughout the U.S. and prides itself on Mom-and-Pop-style personal service. In September Del Vecchio will be offering Balloon Bouquet franchises nationwide...
...parade through the Garden District of New Orleans, to the beat of 63 Dixieland tunes belted out by the ten-piece Olympia Brass Band. Children gawked and grownups dropped their weekend chores to watch. One woman clown clad in green and white greeted a bemused bystander with a blue balloon and a smacking kiss on the cheek. Another clown in a striped T shirt and psychedelic wig paused from time to time to give lawnmowers, car windshields, even a motorcycle policeman's helmet a few flicks with his bright red feather duster. Along the way, the clowns stopped...
...organized one of the earliest clown ministries in Elkhart, Ind., among the young people of his parish. Calling themselves the Holy Fools, they began visiting hospitals, mental institutions and nursing homes, where they fanned out to chat with individual patients, occasionally performed short skits or magic tricks and made balloon sculptures. Often they just talked quietly with a patient, held or hugged him. As one clown explained: "Sometimes when we don't say so many words, the Word comes through more clearly." They had such success at reaching out to withdrawn, sick and lonely people that the idea quickly...