Katherine “Kitty” Clark is the August 2026 Vintage Twirler of the Month. If you are a paid member of the Baton Twirling Preservation Society, you will receive your FREE sticker of Katherine by mid-August. This is the third sticker we’ve distributed since our launch and it’s a little over four inches tall.

Turns Out, the Story of Baton Twirling Isn’t Really About Baton Twirling

At 16, Baton Twirler Katherine “Kitty” Clark Left Indiana to Join the Circus (This post includes information about her father, Edward Clark, who was her coach and held baton patents.)

She inspired the Baton Twirling Circus Archives page on the website.

I enjoyed reconstructing Katherine’s life from scattered evidence. I spent a lot of time researching her and that detective work was very rewarding. Her accomplishments were significant during her era but were largely forgotten over time. In fact, the only people who wrote about her were circus historians.

Documenting her story as part of the history of baton twirling was important, especially given her father’s influence and contributions. Learning about him, pulling his patents and scoring a baton just like the one Katherine carried into the big top was meaningful. I’m not sure I’ll ever enjoy writing another baton twirler’s story as much as I enjoyed writing Kitty Clark’s.

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. —Thomas Campbell, 1825