Tickles the Clown has been performing all around Maine and the East Coast since 1985. In 1985 Merle Trott Jr. first performed as Tickles the Clown. In 2021 Dan Bernardini was selected as the next performer of Tickles the Clown.

Dan is Merle’s nephew and studied under him for many years starting at the age of 5. That’s when Dan decideed that he wanted to be professional clown. As a member of the Trott Family Clowns, Dab began his clowning journey at the age of 7 months old in the Clinton Lions parade with his grandfather, Merle Trott Sr.

Dan was encouraged to attend college in high school and began his career as a special education teacher. Clowning still had a place in his heart. It was in 2018 that he reignited that love for magic and clowning and began incorporating magic in his instruction for students in the classroom.

As a Special Educator, Dan (Tickles the Clown) understands the need to have an engaging and educational assembly show for students of all levels.