Bardo the Clown Dies

     HUTCHINSON, Kan. - Bardo the Clown, a longtime fixture at the Kansas State Fair, has died. State Fair General Manager Denney Stoecklein says Bardo, also known as J.B. Holdren, was found dead in his trailer on the fairgrounds Tuesday evening. He was 93 years old. The Hutchinson News reports (http://bit.ly/UpTcZd ) that Holdren was a sign painter, clown and artist at the fair for 67 years. For years, Holdren drove his camper to Arizona after the fair and did sign work at the Pima County Fairgrounds. But he had lived and worked year-round at the Kansas fair for the last decade. Stoecklin said fair officials would try to preserve the Holdren's signs and will plan other ways to commemorate his life. Funeral plans are pending.