A GOOD LAUGH NEVER GETS OLD | Veteran rodeo clown prizes Round-up traditions

From his grandfather to his children, family’s front-and-center for longtime rodeo clown and barrelman John Harrison.
Not just his own kin, either: the veteran arena entertainer wants everyone in the stands, young and old, to have a blast at Gladewater’s Round-Up Rodeo. It’s coming back June 4-7.
It’s great to have an activity that’s both unchanging and always entertaining, Harrison says, marking the 88th annual event in 2025.
“It’s generational,” he added, ready to welcome a new crowd of young fans. “One day they’re going to bring their kids to the rodeo. I think it’s important those traditions are built generation after generation,” and the Round-Up always delivers: “Consistency in the competition is key.”
Following in the bootprints of his grandfather, legendary bull rider Freckles Brown, Harrison got his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) card in 1999, starting off as a specialty act. He didn’t really think about clowning at first, but got into the act in 2002. He’s been entertaining ever since, coast to coast with multiple appearances in Gladewater.
Harrison’s wife, Carla, and kids – Addy, Caz and Charlee – are all in on the ‘Clown Family’ adventure.
Harrison usually makes his entrance once the bareback riding is completed, and he’ll typically be involved through the end of the show. Sometimes the act will change year-to-year, sometimes night-to-night, and he’ll regularly throw a curveball into the mix. It comes down to whatever schtick keeps the crowd enthralled.
Things have changed a lot in 23 years, Harrison added. In 2025, everything from Snapchat to TikTok might garner a mention in his patter.
“Something that’s fun now is having fun with youth, someone who’s 25 years-old who doesn’t recognize the same songs. They haven’t even heard of the shows we used to watch. They don’t know what it’s like to talk into a phone that was plugged into a wall,” Harrison said. “There’s a lot of comedy that just has evolved over time itself.”
Rodeo, though, persists as it always has, in the best way.
“Man versus beast is still there. I think that’s one of the cool things about rodeo. They’re not going to change that judging system. Those kind of traditions are what keeps it consistent.”
On the entertainment side, variety is still the spice of life. Organizers switch up entertainers regularly, and Harrison’s always glad to be invited back to East Texas.
“One of the things I love about this rodeo is it’s very traditional,” he said. “It’s about rodeo itself.”
The facility alone is unique, the encircling grandstands a welcome throwback to yesteryear.
“I never performed in the old arena, but they kept those traditions alive,” Harrison said, and the Round-Up Rodeo also maintains a solid reputation for professionalism, quality, and hospitality: “Their personnel there, everybody they hire, is top-notch. The committee are some of the best people in the world.
“It’s obviously a rodeo where they appreciate you being there.”
For example: Gladewater’s rodeo ensures every who lends a hand gets fed – every person, every night.
“Some rodeos don’t do that,” he said. “This is one of the rodeos that realize there’s a lot of personnel that don’t get to eat (ahead of the main event), a lot of labor guys that are busy before the rodeo. They have a whole set of food that comes in after the rodeo, and that means a lot to the people working. It’s one of the perks of going there.”
Of course, the 46-year-old has a co-star on the dirt of the rodeo arena: Snoopy, his “big puppy dog” of a spotlight steed. Always a sweet horse, he also can be a bit of a stinker.
“I got him as a yearling,” Harrison said. “He was actually really hard to break. We quit him a couple of times and considered selling him. My wife suggested that with his personality he should be a trick horse, not a quick horse.
“It took three years to train him, and every day was a different adventure. You never know. It’s fun to have him in the world.”
The make-up of Harrison’s signature rodeo clown face has changed very little across more than two decades, not since he switched from a big nose to just a touch of red ’round the nostrils.
“You take different people you look up to in the business and make something your own,” he noted, an homage in the eyes or in the freckles. His painted-on glasses have been there from the beginning: “I always joke they never fog up, so it works out great.”
The key thing is to stay out on the dirt, stay involved and stay funny until the very end, every night.
“Definitely the greatest challenge of it is the comedy side,” Harrison said. People are so ready to take offense nowadays, he adds, making improvising a bit of a minefield: “You have to try to come up with something quick, witty and clean all in a few seconds. That part of it is tough.”
He enjoys the improv aspect of the job, though, which makes every belly laugh all the more valuable, helping people escape their worries for a little while.
“The biggest reward is putting a smile on someone’s face. Everybody’s got challenges and things in their life that they don’t like. At the rodeo, they can come for a few hours and get away from it. That’s kind of my favorite part.”