Freddie is clown prince of pickleball
Farnham receives community award for positive attitude on and off the court
Fred Farnham carries his pickleball paddle and ball in a case he received as a gift for his 90th birthday.
On the bag is a photo of Farnham dressed as a clown, in a three-piece costume he sewed himself.
In the pocket of his shorts, Farnham carries a felt marker and a small plastic bag filled with balloons.
“I always have to carry a few balloons,” he said with a smile, as he removed a small one from the bag.
In less than a minute, Farnham turns the pink balloon into a pink swan.
At community events, Farnham uses an air pump because he said, “I can’t blow up many balloons anymore.”
At 92 years old, that’s understandable, but the pump is the only compromise he makes.
He is, after all, a local celebrity. Walking through the Welland Community Wellness Centre (WCWC) Farnham waves to employees as he passes.
He greets each person sitting at a table in the communal space with a warmth often saved for close friends. A self-described “people person,” he welcomes every interaction.
How everyone knows Farnham comes from a long list of his activities.
Perhaps they know him from pickleball, which he plays three to four times a week — and where he was recently recognized by the Welland Sports Promotion Committee for outstanding achievement in pickleball.
Or maybe they know him as Freddie the Balloon Man. Or Freddie the Clown.
Or from the Welland Rotary Club, or through his volunteer work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Niagara (BBBSSN) or the Canadian Blood Services.
From a young age, Farnham has never been characterized as one thing.
A “go-with-the-flow” attitude led to a series of “yesses” that enabled him to not only survive, but to grow and thrive.
And that’s how he wants others to live their lives.
“If somebody offers you an opportunity, grab it and go with it. If you don’t like it, all right, so you tried it,” he says.
Fifty-two years ago, Farnham was asked to play a clown as part of an event to celebrate Canada’s Centennial. The idea sounded interesting, so he got a costume, put on some makeup, and that was it.
“I was hooked,” he said, nicknaming himself Freddie the Clown.
Freddie the Balloon Man came later. Having done a little magic as a child, Farnham decided to visit a new magic shop in Buffalo, where he learned the basics of balloon magic: puppy dogs, wiener dogs and giraffes.
Farnham calls “clowning and ballooning” his “claim to fame.”
“It’s brought me a lot of interesting friends, and opened other opportunities for me,” he said.
Farnham grew up in London, England, before moving to Canada in 1957. As a young boy, he was often ill, in and out of hospitals until the age of 11.
At 13, with bombs threatening London during the Second World War, Farnham and his classmates were forced to leave the city and their families behind.
He met a local magician and got a job as his assistant, where he would learn a creed that remains a part of his life today:
“Practise, practise, practise,” Farnham said. “Like everything else. You don’t get good at anything unless you practise.”
Farnham moved back to London, getting a job as a messenger boy in a Turkish bank, and a job translating Norwegian ship logs into English. He joined the navy in 1944 at the age of 17.
He worked at a sewing machine company — a skill he would later use to make his clown suits — and at the London Daily Express, first in payroll and then in publishing.
Saying “yes” opened doors for Farnham, but he gives all the credit to the people he met along the way.
“I’ve been very fortunate in people having seen potential in me, or having faith in me, that allowed me to expand and grow.”
When an opportunity presented itself to move to Canada, Farnham — along with his wife and young son — took advantage, moving to St. Catharines and eventually Welland.
Since retiring at the age of 70, Farnham has spent his time volunteering throughout the Niagara Region. Now with his fifth Little Brother, he wants to pass along the generosity he received, whether that’s through the Rotary Club’s leadership program or by building sets for Welland Centennial Secondary School’s theatre program, or walking as a clown in the Rose Festival Parade.
“A lot of good people I’ve met over the years helped me along the way. Mentored me, so this is my mentoring program,” he said.
“I’ve had far more people do kind things toward me than otherwise.”
Ten years ago, Farnham said “yes” to a new challenge. At the age of 82 — after years of playing table tennis — he found the sport of pickleball and a new community.
He plays at least three times a week and is the designated leader of the pickleball team.
“Great fun. A very social game,” Farnham said. “We generally play doubles, because it’s easier as you get older.”
It’s about enjoying each moment.
“My reaction time is a lot slower than it used to be, but that’s to be expected. But everybody really gets along really well together.
“We always laugh at other people when you miss the ball.”