Northern Beaches, OBX – As he has done every July 4th for the past seventeen years, Mr. Beebles, the Seagull Clown, will be bringing his family-friendly brand of joy to children and adults alike on the northern beaches of the Outer Banks. Beginning on the first day of July and ending on the 5th, Mr. Beebles will be travelling up and down the beach from Southern Shores to South Nags Head, delighting seagulls and the people who love them.
“I love to bring people joy,” said Mr. Beebles, “Because joy makes people happy.” And what joy he does bring. As he walks up and down the beach each day wearing his colorful clown costume, he tosses kernels of popcorn into the air for the multitude of seagulls that circle in the sky above him.
“Mommy, Mommy, the birdies!” shouts one young boy as he runs about under the hundreds of excited seagulls wheeling above, raucously vocalizing their desire for popcorn and good old American fun on the beach. His mother glances up nervously, covering their sandwiches with a beach towel.
A couple of local surfers leave the beach with sour faces when they see Mr. Beebles approaching with his avian nimbus, but who needs spoilsports when they can share in the pure happiness of children’s laughter?
This year, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Frito-Lay, Mr. Beebles will be trading in his popcorn for a variety of delicious Frito-Lay products, including Frito-Lay brand Fritos Original Corn Chips in Original flavor, tangy Bar-B-Q, and Chili-Cheese for a south-of-the-border sensation.
As the airborne cuties process the corn chips, there is of course some unavoidable fallout, especially with the Chili-Cheese flavor, but Mr. Beebles isn’t discouraged by the white splotches which eventually cover his gaily-colored costume: “The gulls share with me, and I share with the people of the great state of North Carolina and the County of Dare.”
He adds, “Into each life some rain must fall, and the more it happens, the faster you get used to it.” Mr. Beebles’s appearance this year is also sponsored by the North Carolina General Assembly.