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Clowning his way to Christ

By ERIN SULLIVAN
Published April 30, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Lance Aram Rothstein] Steven Lombardo juggles a basketball, a small ball and a breath mint as the Fritzy Brothers One Man Circus during Connerton's Family Fest on Saturday. For information about Lombardo's company, go to www.fritzybrothers.com

CONNERTON - He quit doing drugs long before he learned how to eat fire, which is interesting because you'd think a little bit of something numbing would be good when you're about to put a flaming barbecue skewer in your mouth and extinguish it with your tongue.

But Steven Lombardo - a.k.a. Fritzy Brothers One Man Circus - is drug-free and has been for decades, ever since that one night when his brother came to visit from Chicago.

"You need Jesus in your life, " his brother said.

Steven looked at him like he was crazy.

"What?"

Steven was in his 20s and working his act at a German restaurant in Tampa - an uber-cheery jester in lederhosen and a Bavarian hat, making poodles out of balloons, riding a unicycle, dragging customers from their seats to dance the polka. This is all normal for him - the born entertainer whose voice gets all cartoonish and loud even in nonperforming conversations. He said he learned how to be funny to keep the bullies in school laughing, so they'd stop beating him up. Before he found humor, he just knew how to run fast.

Steven married a girl he met at the restaurant. She was a customer. He sat on her lap and asked her to marry him. She said no, but gave him her number. Two years later, they wed. They tried to have a child for a long time, but had no luck. Steven experimented with drugs - nothing hardcore, but not legal either.

"I'd made a mess of my life up till that point, " said Steven, who performed at Family Fest at Connerton Saturday afternoon.

That night, more than 20 years ago, Steven prayed with his brother and he accepted Jesus Christ into his heart. He'd done that prayer before, expecting some miraculous change, but it never happened. For some reason, that night, it did. He felt a warm love spread from his feet to his whole body. He felt different - and does to this day.

He quit the drugs. He stopped drinking. Stopped cussing. He treated people better. He always meant it when he told his wife he loved her, but after that, those words had more meaning.

Three weeks after that night, his wife became pregnant with their first daughter. They had two more girls after that.

Steven saw his job - as a goofy, slapstick one-man circus not afraid of, at 45 years old, turning a squealing microphone into a fart joke or slapping himself on the head with a plastic bowling pin - as a way to bring joy to people's lives. He never saw the job as demeaning. Financially, being Fritz has been a comfortable life. His wife didn't work. He put their three daughters through private school. They have a nice home in Carrollwood.

He thought he was fulfilling his life's purpose.

But two weeks ago, while praying, he heard something new. Yes, he was put on this earth to bring joy - but he needs to tell people the truth behind that joy.

"He wants me to help bring people back who have fallen away from the Lord, " he said.

Now comes the dicey part. Somehow, while strolling festivals on a unicycle or with an extra, fake pair of legs, he's supposed to witness to people - people full on cotton candy and sausages, who came out for a laugh and who don't want to hear any preaching out of the mouth of the guy paid to make balloon animals. But Steven is going to try. He said he's going to wait for opportunities, for people who ask him how he can stand working for hours in the heat of the day, how he can put up with mocking teens, indifferent parents and singed nostril hairs from being a little too confident when eating fire.

He'll wait, he said, for people who ask him why he's so happy. And he'll tell them his story, about that night so many years ago when his world changed and maybe, he hopes, some of them will take this clown seriously.

Erin Sullivan can be reached at esullivan@sptimes.com or 813 909-4609.

Fast Facts:

Family Fest

On Saturday, a few hundred people came to Connerton's first community festival, which had games, crafts, music, food and entertainment. The town is in its first stages of existence. About 500 people live in 180 homes there now. Nearly 9, 000 homes could be built. Connerton staff hope the festival - which was open to the public - will become an annual event. For information, go to www.connerton.com or call (813) 995-2460.

Fritzy Brothers One Man Circus

Steven Lombardo, 45, believes that laughter really does heal souls and bodies. For more information about his company, go to www.fritzybrothers.com or call (813) 968-2858.

Family Fest at Connerton

On Saturday, a few hundred people came to Connerton's first community festival, which had games, crafts, music, food and entertainment. The town is in its first stages of existence. About 500 people live in 180 homes there now. Nearly 9, 000 homes could be built. Connerton staff hope the festival -- which was open to the public -- will become an annual event.

For more information, go to http://connerton.com or call (813) 995-2460.

[Last modified April 29, 2007, 22:16:56]