A scary clown epidemic that’s sweeping the country — even striking in Oak Harbor this week — is so creepy that the city’s most menacing clown is hesitant to go out in public for fear of causing panic, or worse.
“I won’t be running out for coffee in costume this year,” said Brian Boyle, who will once again be transforming into demented Mr. Giggles for the annual Frightville haunted house at the Roller Barn.
In Oak Harbor, the clown outbreak struck Wednesday night when a man in a clown mask tried to mug a bicyclist downtown.
Mr. Giggles is not a suspect.
Oak Harbor resident Michael Wotring said he was biking home from work on Pioneer Way just after 10 p.m. when he saw a man in a clown mask walking across the street. He figured it was someone being funny, but then the clown jumped in front of his bike, forcing him to stop.
The clown grabbed the handlebars and demanded that Wotring give him the bicycle and his cell phone. Instead, Wotring said he punched the clown in the face and threatened to beat him with the bike.
The clown, perhaps predictably, giggled and jogged away, getting into a truck and driving off, still laughing.
Wotring doesn’t think the clown was funny or particularly scary.
“I was pissed,” he said. “He tried to steal my bike.”
The clown seemed to be in his late teens or early 20s, he said. The mask depicted a menacing clown with sharp teeth, not a run-of-the-mill circus prankster.
The clown was sighted again later that evening. Oak Harbor Police Detective Sgt. Mike Bailey said an employee at a business in the northeast area of town was looking out a window, saw the clown and called 911. He disappeared before police arrived.
Bailey said the suspect’s costume doesn’t seem to consist of much more than a clown mask.
“There was no big shoes,” he said. “No flowers squirting water. Nothing like that.”
Police are investigating the case since it might be considered an attempted strong-arm robbery, which is a serious offense, Bailey said.
Bailey said he’s hoping that clown mania fades fast.
“Someone is going to get hurt,” he said.
The scary clown sightings reportedly began in South Carolina in August when children reported that clowns tried to lure them into the woods, and others said they heard clowns whispering near an apartment complex, according to news reports.
Videos of lurking clowns went viral on social media. Clowns started popping up in unusual places all over the country.
Menacing clowns caused trouble in Pierce County this week, causing a high school to go into lockdown and cancelling classes at another. The Stanwood School District issued a reassuring letter to parents about clowns, while Oak Harbor schools are monitoring the situation.
Boyle said he’s surprised by the phenomenon, but understands the power of the clown. He believes some people are frightened or creeped out by clowns because they are a symbol of good that’s twisted and corrupted.
“It’s the good and evil switch,” he said.
Boyle goes all-out on Mr. Giggles, using prosthetics to change the shape on his face into something menacing. Frightville always contains a dedicated clown room, but Mr. Giggles is a freelance clown, popping up anywhere in the haunted house and scaring the bejesus out of folks.
Frightville is one of the most popular haunted house attractions in the region. It’s a fundraiser for the Boys &Girls Club of Oak Harbor; it raised $20,000 last year, Boyle said.
Frightville begins Oct. 14 and 15 and runs every Friday and Saturday until Halloween.
It’s not for young children or the faint of heart, Boyle warned. “We have a lot of adults who don’t make it through.”
Coupeville residents will also get the chance to encounter scary clowns this month.
The Haunted Fort at Fort Casey runs Oct. 28-29 and features a clown room.
