Mombo fans morn loss of friend they grew up with

A sad day for fans of “Mombo the Clown.” Generations of northeast Iowa kids watched Mombo the Clown on the Dr. Max cartoon show from 1961 to ’81. Fred Petrick, the man who portrayed the sad clown, died Tuesday in Cedar Rapids at age 94 after a recent stroke. The kiddie show was seen on Channel 2 out of Cedar Rapids. Mombo played the trumpet to herald the arrival of kids’ birthdays and also played the violin.