Rumors that Calico the Clown is being sold are simply not true.

What is true is more is in store for the iconic figure visible on Route 35 near Kings Highway in Middletown for more than half a century.

That’s a report from Joseph Azzolina, executive vice-president of Food Circus Super Markets, Inc., and son of the late state Senator and former Navy Captain who first had the concept and courage to erect the Clown in front of the first Foodtown Supermarket.

It is not surprising that an Azzolina would have the idea for something unique and prized by the public. It was the beginning of change on the face of the historic township, with new construction and an influx of residents drawn to the benefits of living in Monmouth County.

It was the current vice president’s grandfather, John, who opened a small shop in Highlands and toted fresh meats and vegetables on the train from New York to sell to local families in Highlands. And it was Captain Azzolina who came back from the Navy to convert that small shop on Miller Street to the first supermarket in the Bayshore.

The Food Basket on Bay Avenue was the first store in the area that introduced freezer compartments, a butcher and shelves of other necessities all in one store to provide to a growing population.

When that Food Basket expanded and became the Foodtown complex with headquarters in Middletown, it seemed only natural that Azzolina would include something iconic and memorable to spread the message.

With the Middletown store, which was converted into the company’s major liquor store several years ago, closing its doors this week to move larger quarters further north on Route 35, and with the property undergoing legal battles with the township, questions arose as what would happen to the clown.

“We’re working to get the clown on the national landmark register,” Azzolina said this week in highlighting some of the history of the massive steel interior structure on a concrete base foundation.

Azzolina’s efforts are being met with pleasure and gratitude from those interested in preserving the history of Middletown from all eras. “Calico has stood as a sentry over Middletown for nearly 70 years and is a well-loved icon that adds to the town’s character. Securing its place for future generations is the right thing to do,” said Tom Valenti, president of the Middletown Historical Society.

While work is underway to secure the national registry designation, there may also be other opportunities to secure the clown’s future through architectural or monument preservation opportunities as well.

Both the Historical Society and Azzolina welcome any information or assistance in preserving the clown before it is lost forever. Should it be placed on the national registry, if it were to be moved, there would have to be a specific location for it to be moved, re-installed and ensured its historic preservation is maintained.

Currently, the structure holds a certification of eligibility from the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, indicating that it meets Criterion C for inclusion in both New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places.

The sign and Clown were first built in front of 835 Highway 35, in the mid 20^th century, a time when the character of development along the state highway was becoming increasingly commercial, with a burst of commercial and retail development happening after the Foodtown store was built, the post office added on the same property and Calico, the Food Circus Clown prominent by 1956.

Historic descriptions cite the sign as an example of mid-20th-century roadside commercial architecture, the paneled “Calico, Food Circus Clown” smiling beneath a banner announcing the business.

The Logo Clown was designed in 1955 by Leslie Worth Thomas of Road-Ad Service in Asbury Park, the original company now known as SignAd. The company has been a leader in the sign industry throughout the state, including icons at Palace Amusements in Asbury Park, marquees for the Walter Reade theater chain, banking institutions and numerous other businesses. It was purchased by the Azzolina Land Corporation firm of the Azzolina family in September 1955 and installed in December of the same year.

The top section of the structure is 14 by 23 feet in size and originally read FOOD CIRCUS with an animated chasing bulb arrow at the bottom of the display running in towards the new grocery store. The Clown itself stands 22 feet high by 10 feet wide and at one time rotated. Both are made from galvanized sheet steel, stainless steel and porcelain enamel and finished with galvanized steel sheets.

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The annual Four Chaplains Service sponsored by the VFW Post 2179 will take place Sunday, February 2 at 2 P.M. at the post home at 1 Veterans Lane and Route 36, Port Monmouth. USAT Dorchester

All are invited to attend the historic event and stay for refreshments following the Service.

The Four Chaplains Service is an annual event that commemorates the selfless acts of valor of the four Chaplains who perished on the USAT Dorchester on February 3, 1943.

The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation was formed to further the cause of “unity without uniformity” that was exhibited by the chaplains of four different religions and encourages goodwill and cooperation among all people.

The chaplains, George Lansing Fox, a Methodist minister from Pennsylvania, Alexander Good, a rabbi from New York, Father John Washington, a Catholic priest from New Jersey and the Reverend Clark V. Poling a Reformed Church of American minister from Ohio were serving aboard the transport ship that left New York January 23,1943 enroute to Greenland, with 900 soldiers aboard, one of three ships escorted by the Coast Guard.

In the early morning of February 3, the ship, off Newfoundland in the North Atlantic, was torpedoed by a German submarine, U-223.

Power was eliminated on the ship and the terrified soldiers, many not wearing their life vests and asleep in their bunks in the bowels of the ship, had to find their way to the deck to escape. The four chaplains assisted the men in boarding reaching the deck and getting into lifeboats, then gave their own life jackets to those without them. The four chaplains then joined arms, said prayers and sang hymns as they went down with the ship. Of the 900 aboard, only 230 were rescued, many dying from the freezing water and temperatures before assistance could arrive.

Each of the chaplains was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Chaplain’s Medal of Honor. While nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor, they were ineligible since their action did not occur while they were engaged in combat with the enemy. Congress created a special medal design for them holding the same weight and importance as the Medal of Honor and designed for the four chaplains alone.

Each of the chaplains was relatively new to the service, and all were first Lieutenants in the Army. Rabbi Goode, Reverend Poling and Father Washington had all served as boy scout leaders before their military service. The four chaplains first met while undergoing training and preparing for their assignments in the European theater at the Army Chaplains School at Harvard university.

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