PORT HURON, Mich. (WXYZ) — All across Port Huron this summer, people are honking and waving at a clown who is picking up trash — Trash the Clown to be specific.
"It’s weird. I try to hear them all but sometimes, I don’t hear them all because my music is blasting," Trash said to 7 News Detroit.
Hear more from Trash the Clown in the video below:
As our team met up with her, Ashley Clinkscales drove by with her daughter Amelia and waved to Trash offering her water.
We asked them to pull over to share what they think of Trash.
"Everybody loves Trash. I have not heard anybody complain about Trash," Clinkscales said.
She said when she first saw Trash, she thought, "Um, what is going on? That’s cool, though. I think it’s very cool that’s she’s not just walking around like a normal person. It brings attention and awareness to what she’s doing."
Her daughter Amelia shared, "She just helps out with almost everything."
"It’s an art piece," Trash said talking about herself.
She said that "Trash the Clown" is a character that she's had the idea of for years.
"People complain, and that’s really what started it," said said. "I saw complaints, and I’m like ‘just go pick it up.'"
Trash started doing just that in March and made a Facebook page. In a few short months, it has thousands of followers with people raving about her positive impact.
"It’s been scary, but not in a bad way — in a humbling way," Trash said as a person drove by honking at her.
With all the attention she's throwing Trash Bash, a community cleanup event on July 20.
She's also started to create community art installations with some of the trash she's picked up.
Sure, her shtick can be confusing at first. When we asked where she was from she told us, "I was in a egg, then I hatched. I’m used to just living in a dumpster with raccoons and opossums and stuff."
However, her message is crystal clear: take care of our planet, be kind and pick up your trash.
"I’m just a simple clown. I want to love people. I want to show that I love the city, doing what I can," Trash said. "And it’s not much. It’s just picking up some trash when I see it."
