By Marty Proctor, South Lake Tablet
Banks Helfrich, a recent contender for the Florida House of Representative, is a very interesting person and The South Lake Tablet asked the Clermont resident to give us a glimpse into his life. It’s quite a story.
Born in Tarpon Springs and grew up in New Port Richey, I was 6th in a family of eight. We were neither Catholic nor Mormon. My mother always said, “We were passionate Protestants.”
I attended Auburn University during the Bo Jackson years. We both ran track; however, I never had a chance to talk to him; he was always so far ahead of me.
I moved to Georgia State University for graduate school in Sports Nutrition. Less than seven months before graduation, I ran away with the circus. Yes, you’re reading this correctly. I attended Ringling Brother’s Barnum Bailey Clown College, worked with Dick Van Dyke on a CBS Special, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fun Arts.
I spent two years on the road with the Greatest Show on Earth, more like rails since I lived in a four-by-six-foot room on a train car traveling the US, Canada and Japan. On a side note, I was the driver of the clown car, so I was familiar with squeezing into tight spaces.
After circus life, I dabbled in standup comedy. When a Universal Studios performance scout saw me killing on stage, well, more like dying, he asked me to audition for a mime look-alike street star character. I spent the next 11 years at Universal Studios performing as Harpo Marx.
David Letterman came into my life next after I sent a VHS of Healthy Herb and later JiggleMan, two alter ego characters I produce for children. Eight appearances later, Dave had enough of JiggleMan and I was off to filmmaking.
A total of ten independent feature films, three streaming on Amazon, and over 40 short films was my filmmaking career. Presently, I host Life Screenings International Short Film Festival and One-Minute Film Festival in association with the Winter Park Library.
I raised two boys, now 26 and 24 years old, who are exploring life on their own.
In 2018, I became Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District, Seat 1. In 2019, I became Chairperson.
I built my home on a seven-acre plot of former citrus groves. During 2020, I created a food forest, food-bearing orchard, vineyard, vegetable garden, rainbow eucalyptus forest and pineapple/blueberry patch. Presently, I host AirBB guests in my abode.
Banks opens his seven-acre farm to the public for a “Here On The Farm” complimentary tour. All you need to bring is a bucket/bag, a hat and your curiosity. He says, “I give the community complimentary farm tours to instill, educate and encourage “own-grown” foods. There is nothing like the freshness of your own crop”.
He says he remembers when red and blue were integral colors of the American flag, before they became political and ideological dividing lines before each claimed to be the only “home team,” and before they prevented us from civilly engaging with each other.
Banks ran for office as an independent and though he didn’t win the election, he won the friendships of many. He always has a smile on his face and the gift of giving of himself in every situation. Win or Lose, he ran his campaign with charm and dignity.
