Editing Emmett Kelly (section)

==Honors==
On August 9, 1956 the Kelly family visited his adopted hometown of Houston, Missouri when the town renamed the open area where he gave his first performance at the "Old Settlers Reunion" in 1920 as "Emmett Kelly Park" in his honor.<ref>"Emmett Kelly Accepts Key to City", ''Houston [Missouri] Republican'', Aug. 16, 1956, p. 1.</ref> Nineteen years later Kelly returned to Houston for a final time when Governor [[Christopher Bond]] recognized Houston's former resident by declaring October 9, 1975 as "Emmett Kelly Day" in Missouri.<ref>"Bond Declares Kelly Day in Missouri", ''Houston Herald'', Houston, MO., Oct. 19, 1975, p. 1</ref> Since then the annual "Emmett Kelly Clown Festival" has attracted clowns from across the region, including Kelly's grandson, Joey Kelly, who returned to perform as a special guest in 2007.<ref>"Emmett Kelly Clown Festival", ''The Kansas City Star,'' April 15, 2001, p. 139.</ref> Although the festival ended its original 21-year run in May 2008, it returned in April 2022 when Kelly's daughter, Stasia, was presented with a key to the city.

Kelly was inducted into the [[Circus Ring of Fame]] in [[Sarasota, Florida]] in 1988<ref>"Circus", ''Port Charlotte Sun'', Port Charlotte, Florida, Jan. 3, 2018, p. V4</ref> and [[International Circus Hall of Fame]] in [[Peru, Indiana]] in 1994.<ref>"King, Kelly Honored in Peru", ''The Kokomo Tribune'', Kokomo, Indiana, Oct. 20, 1994, p. 7</ref> On May 1, 1996, a bust of Kelly was dedicated in the "Hall of Famous Missourians" at the state capitol in [[Jefferson City, Missouri]].<ref>"Limelight Shines on Griffin Again", ''The Kansas City Star'', May 2, 1996, p. 30</ref>