by Caitlin Kenney

A Clown
Mandy Dalton

Mandy Dalton hard at work.

There's a whole group of people being affected by the swine flu that you probably haven't heard about — clowns. Entertainer Mandy Dalton says several clients have warned her that they might cancel her gigs because they're scared the kids could get sick.

Being a clown isn't cheap. Dalton's handmade shoes cost about $200 to $300 a pair and her costumes run her close to $200, after the discount she gets from a designer friend. Add in stilts, liability insurance (yes, clowns have to carry that) juggling equipment, and unicycles and you have some some serious expenses. "Clowns are the blue collar workers of the entertainment industry," she says.

We'll aim to have more from her on the podcast next week.