PLEASANT GAP — Older adults have built resilience and strength over their lives through successes, failures, joys and difficulties. Their stories and contributions help to support and inspire others.
Meet Julia Dilliard, a resident on the campus of The Oaks at Pleasant Gap. She has spent decades clowning around and bringing joy to those she meets.
Born and raised in Bellefonte, she worked at her family restaurant for many years, but, she had a passion for something else — brining happiness in the form of her alter ego, “Muffin.”
She said on a trip to New York City many years before, she acquired the Muffin persona, along with all of her acts, from a retiring clown. In the following years, she traveled the country, performing as Muffin and attended several clown conferences to not only purchase new clown accessories, but also to learn new clowning skills.
She stressed the importance of presenting new material and noted she never stopped learning more about the craft.
“It took me over two and half hours to put on my makeup. The face of a clown is very important. It took a lot of time and work, but was worth it,” Julia shared. “I remember driving to performances and how other drivers would look at me. We all had a good laugh and thankfully no accidents occurred.”
Muffin was a staple at family and friends’ birthday parties, church functions and the Grange Fair parade.
But of all of the appearances Muffin made, she said she took the most pride in volunteering at Mount Nittany Hospital, something she did for several years.
“You could see the excitement in the patients’ faces when they saw a clown,” she said.
Only a few years ago did Dilliard, now 80, sell the persona Muffin. The costumes, shoes, hats and acts that took up an entire room in her house are now gone.
Muffin, Dilliard chuckled, was “halfbaked,” but fulfilled her desire to bring happiness.
“It made me so happy,” she said. “I love to see happiness.”
