Last month, the Town of Buchanan lost Leon McBryde, 80, better known to many as Buttons the Clown. A memorial was recently posted to social media by his son, Adam.
The memorial explains that McBryde was a man of many talents who enjoyed pursuing a variety of careers. He was a Green Beret in the Army, ran a Putt-Putt golf course, and then attended Ringling Brothers Clown College.
McBryde then had the time of his life clowning with the circus and was soon promoted to “advance clown,” tasked with representing the circus prior to its arrival at each stop. Upon leaving the circus, he free-lanced clown shows and produced shows for various clients including McDonald’s Corp.
“Growing up with a professional clown at the head of the table sure made life interesting,” his son, Adam McBryde, recalled. “Needless to say, we laughed a lot. I certainly have big shoes to fill, seriously, giant shoes.”
Adam shared that while his father worked for the McDonald’s Corp. in the early ’80s, Leon was invited to try one of their newest test products – a crispy, crunchy, bite-sized nugget of deep-fried chicken. Leon said then, “Nah, no one will ever eat that.”
“It’s a good thing he wasn’t in the food R&D department, and I still laugh about that every time I eat a McNugget – McDonald’s top selling product,” Adam added.
McBryde started a business manufacturing clown supplies – primarily clown noses but also makeup and clown shoes. The ProKnows division of his parent company, the Fantasy Factory, Ltd., remains a global leader in the production of clown noses today. Leon’s beloved clown character, “Buttons,” was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1990.
Leon had a famous quote as what could be the company’s mission statement: “When choosing your clown nose, don’t blow it, pick ours.”
He volunteered with the Buchanan Rescue Squad for many years and was blessed by helping those in need in his local community. Leon continued helping others by creating a program, “Let the Laughter Loose,” which organized volunteer entertainers around the country to provide free shows and healing comic relief to families affected by natural disasters.
“Many people have asked what it’s like growing up with a circus clown,” Adam said. “The truth is, I never saw him as a clown or famous entertainer. He was just a really great dad.”
McBryde directed a training program for clowns and other entertainers called “Advanced Studies in the Performance Art of Clowning,” which ran for several years and trained hundreds of performers. Programs at Advanced Studies included circus skills, face painting, balloon sculpting, and skit development, but mainly focused on transforming clown characters into refined performing art entertainers.
The “Let the Laughter Loose” program was developed after experiencing the devastating flood of Buchanan in 1985. McBryde learned that months after a disaster, people were still feeling tense, stressed, and had troubles moving forward with life. The program was designed to visit an area affected by disaster, usually 6 to 12 months after the event, in order to help people learn to laugh again and begin the healing process. It was first activated after Hurricane Hugo decimated parts of the East Coast of the United States in 1989.
The memorial went on to talk about McBryde’s last venture, which he greatly loved – a transformation into the Christmas legend of Santa Claus. He was honored to portray the jolly elf and perform for children of all ages as well as teach other Santas the art of performing.
Photos courtesy of Adam McBryde
For several years, Leon’s character of “Santa Noel” was privileged to be the official Santa of the exclusive Atlantis Resort on Grand Bahama Island, but his most joy came from appearing at small, private home visits and family gatherings. He captivated children ages 1 to 99 with stories, magic and wonder from the North Pole. “Santa Noel” was inducted into the Santa Claus Hall of Fame in 2017.
“Dad worked with the local Carilion hospice program and volunteered to visit patients and often visited the pediatric department during the Christmas season,” Adam went on to share about his father. “Everyone, including the doctors and nurses, enjoyed their time with Santa Noel and have memorable experiences that they continue to share.”
Leon loved people and loved performing – he kept everyone laughing to the very end. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Linda McBryde; sister, Mary Lynn Fraser (Keith); son and daughter-in-law, Adam and Tricia McBryde; daughter-in-law, Wendy McBryde; and grandchildren, Sean, Emily, Ty, Zip, Brandon, Leah and Lily.
The Celebration of Leon’s Life will take place July 20 at 2 p.m. at Fincastle Baptist Church, 7330 Roanoke Road, Fincastle. Leon’s dear friend, Chagy, will officiate.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
