Clowns, and more, for hire

COEUR d’ALENE — T.C. Hatter wasn’t clowning around Thursday when he put on a red nose, polka-dot hat and painted his face.

This was a business decision. And a smart one, at that, to make a lasting impression and hopefully, get hired.

“I’m doing this to get work at fairs,” he said during a gathering of nearly 500 people with the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs in Coeur d’Alene.

Hatter, from Luxemburg, Wis., is a traveling performer who puts on silent clown shows at community events with a partner.

“We do a little of this, a little of that,” he said during the association’s visit to the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

They have a show for the stage and one for when they’re strolling the grounds. Some years, they’ve only been scheduled for a handful of shows. Others, more than 10.

“It’s like a live silent movie, like an old Buster Keaton movie with audience participation,” he said.

Hatter said he hasn’t yet performed at the North Idaho State Fair, but was hoping a few good laughs with association members would land an invitation.

“That would be wonderful. Love to do it,” he said.

The 97th convention of the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs began Wednesday and is being held through today.

The three-day gathering includes workshops, tours and keynote speakers, as members network, visit with old friends, learn from each other and hear about creative ways to do things better.

“Every fair could improve,” said Ron Jeffries, general manager of the Central States Fair and the Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City. S.D. 

He said from cutting edge to down-to-earth proposals, presentations are made on security, lighting, livestock and how to attract different generations to fairs. Artificial intelligence and marketing was also on the agenda.

“They can write press releases for the fair using artificial intelligence, which is crazy,” Jeffries said.

He was impressed with the tour of the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

"You can tell somebody’s put a lot of love and care into these facilities,” he said. “They’re doing a phenomenal job here. I would love to be here during the fair.”

Alexcia Jordan, general manager and CEO of the North Idaho State Fair, is also the current president of the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs.

She said the group has much in common, starting with aging structures and limited budgets. A goal is to maximize both.

“It's turning these blank canvases into something really special and how we utilize our facilities best. So oftentimes we don’t have the funding to make them fantastic or compete with others," she said.

Jordan and her team set up selfie booths  to show people a way to engage fair-goers, and it was working, as many were posing for pictures.

“They’re all having fun in there,” she said.

Kent and Shelly Messmer of Billings, Mont., got a chance to highlight  their operation, Illusions Plus.

It started off years ago as a traveling magic show, but when it became harder to keep up with so many new acts, they added inflatables, zip lining and rock walls, and eventually the magic show disappeared.

Making the 500-mile trip to Coeur d’Alene for the convention proved beneficial. Asked if they expected to book any shows, both smiled.

“We already have,” Kent Messmer said.

Linda Rider, North Idaho State Fair board member, said they’ll hear singing, jokes and see some juggling during the annual gathering as acts try to sell themselves.

“Those entertainers, you’ve got to hire them somewhere along the way,” she said.

   Kent and Shelly Messmer pose in one of the selfie booths set up for the annual convention of the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on Thursday.