Politics was a circus at Monday night's State College Borough Council meeting.

The clowns Ã~ Popcorn, Toot and Buttons Ã~ made an appearance at the meeting, at which State College Mayor Bill Welch declared the last Saturday in February "Good Humor Day" in State College.

The clowns were all members of Happy Valley Alley, the Happy Valley chapter of the World Clown Organization.

Welch donned a red clown nose while reading the proclamation, which stated that laughter benefits the mind, body and spirit and that one of the goals of the clowns of Happy Valley Alley was to activate humor in every heart.

The first Good Humor Day will be Feb. 25.

"The depth of winter is a good time to be promoting good humor, cheerfulness and laughter and all those good things," Welch said.

Good Humor Day is designed to promote laughter, which has many health benefits, said Anita "Toot" Thies, president of Happy Valley Alley.

Theis said the members of Happy Valley Alley approached the borough about creating Good Humor Day.

"Good humor has serious implications," Thies said. "Laughter can help the heart valves, medical research has shown."

Thies also cited laughter's ability to bring a community together.

"A lack of good humor can lead to divisiveness and even violence," she said. "Good humor is never offensive; it brings people together. When people laugh together, they are drawn closer to one another."

Thies said Good Humor Day would involve a free event at 11 a.m. Feb. 25 at the Schlow Centre Region Library, 211 S. Allen St.

She said the event would feature a performance by the clowns of Happy Valley Alley.

Ellen Nagy, marketing manager at University Health Services, said laughter is very beneficial to physical and mental health.

"Many studies have shown that it is a positive force," Nagy said. "It can reduce stress ... laughter is good for your circulation. It counteracts the negative effects of stress. Laughter relaxes you and some studies have cited that it can boost the immune system. For sure it's a positive force."

Dr. John Piatt, a physician at Geisinger Medical Group, also said laughter is good for physical health.

"One's state of mind and positiveness can affect how quickly they heal or recover from illness," Piatt said. "People who are depressed do less well when healing. A more positive state of mind and a healthier outlook can help people to do better, and humor can relieve daily stress."

Although clowns may traditionally be associated with younger children, some Penn State students said they supported the creation of Good Humor Day.

"Absolutely, I'm not really a clown person, but for those who are interested, whatever you can do to reach out to other people is good," Thomas Schweinberg (senior-journalism) said.

Megan Sinclair (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) echoed Schweinberg's opinion.

"Clowns really scared me when I was a child, but I think that Good Humor Day is a great idea," Sinclair said.

Borough Council member Elizabeth Goreham said she loves the idea of having a Good Humor Day in State College.

"It's a great idea," Goreham said. "Laughing gets us out of our rut in thinking, helps you think bigger and broader about everything. I love it."

Jean "Blossom" Jones, a member of Happy Valley Alley, said she was also excited about Good Humor Day.

"It's a proven fact that people who laugh more are happier," Jones said. "We are very excited about Good Humor Day."