A rodeo without a clown is like a day without sunshine.

The rodeo clown is a main attraction for kids of all ages. For that reason, the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association puts on its collective thinking cap each year to make sure that their Professional Cowboy Association Championship Rodeo has one of the best professional rodeo clowns in the business.

“We know for sure that we have one of the best rodeo clowns coming,” said B.B. Palmer, publicity chair for the Pike County Cattlemen’s Memorial Day weekend rodeo. “There is one rodeo clown and barrel man that has stayed true to the sport of American rodeo and that’s David ‘Slim’ Weeks. He is one of today’s most exciting and entertaining rodeo stars.”

Originally from Bonifay, Fla., Weeks has seen much of the United States from behind the painted face of a rodeo clown.

“Slim likes to make people laugh and forget their problems if it’s only for a few minutes,” Palmer said. “He said that even though people talk different from region to region, the people who enjoy a good rodeo are the people that make America great. They have the hardest jobs, pay the largest taxes and appreciate the liberty of freedom.”

Outside the arena, Weeks gives the impression that he’s the boy next door.

“But when you see him at work, he’s unlike anybody you have ever known,” Palmer said. “He performs the funniest acts that have been done in an arena. Slim alone is worth the price of a ticket.”

But, for the price of a Pike County Cattlemen’s Association PCA Rodeo ticket, the famous rodeo clown “Slim” is just one of the many thrills of rodeo weekend in Pike County.

Gates will open at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 22 and 23 with the rodeo getting under way with the Grand Entry at 7:30. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the gate. Children 11 and under are admitted free.