Fair Game with Robert Smith

Debbie Powers and her husband, Corky are the owners of Powers Great American Midways, a carnival company based out of New York that runs the east coast of the United States. While they managed to sneak in a few events in 2020 like most ride operators faced what seemed to be endless cancellations. As we move further into 2021 Debbie is continually optimistic that fairs will be able to reopen later...

Super excited to have Dan West on the show today. Dan was formerly the manager of the Manatee County Fair in Florida before leaving that position to take the job as executive director of the Florida Federation of Fairs. Florida is the first state in the country to begin having fairs in 2021. It’s no exaggeration to say almost every other fair in the nation is watching Florida closely. Dan and I ta...

Miranda Muir is one of the most creative and innovative young fair managers in our industry. She’s currently the manager of the Elkhart County 4H Fair in Indiana. Miranda and I have been friends for many years and I was excited for her and her husband, Steve when they recently welcomed their newest addition to their family. We talk fair life, pandemic life and parenthood.

Todd Robison is the fair manager for the Clark County Fair in Logandale, NV. The fair has been hit hard by the Covid19 pandemic having been forced to cancel their 2020 and 2021 fair. Can the fair survive? Find out on today’s episode.

Today’s episode welcomes One Man Band, Eric Haines. Eric has a long history in entertainment having been a one man band, stilt walker and comedian. He even once opened for Weird Al Yankovic. On today’s show we check in with him on how he’s navigated the pandemic, the RV Super Show in Tampa and what his plans are for 2021.

Steve Siever is the Director of Sales for IAFE and oversees the organizations annual trade show. On the episode we talk about how he came to be with IAFE, his goals for the trade show and what the future of trade show may look like post-pandemic.

On today’s episode I sit down with Lee Andrews. We talk about the challenges of this pandemic and the excitement of a new baby on the way. Plus! Did you know Lee appeared in a music video with the Zac Brown Band? All that and more. Thanks for watching.

Kent Yelverton has been fair manager of the North Carolina State Fair for the last 3 years. On this episode we talk about the decision to cancel, the heartache of furloughing 60% of his staff and his planning process for planning in 2021.

Danny Alfonso is the fair manager for the Manatee County Fair in Palmetto, Florida. His is one of the few fairs in the nation that has managed to dodge the pandemic thus far, denying the odds and hosting a fair in both 2020 and 2021. We sit down and discuss the mitigation strategies they used plus the emotional toll it takes seeing friends have to cancel the fairs they work so hard to produce.

Kenny Ahern is one of the most talented performers you could ever meet. But what happened when the Covid19 pandemic cancelled the majority of his 2020 tour?

On occasion the Fair Game Podcast is going to bring in guests who aren’t fair related but have inspiring stories. Today we bring you the first of those guests. In 1999 Jim Morris was a high school baseball coach in Big Lake, Texas. A deal made with his team would lead to the most improbable route to Major League Baseball. His story was adapted in the Walt Disney film, “The Rookie.” He joins me tod...

Cliff Munson has been the CEO of the Siskiyou Golden Fair for a decade. He took time out from shoveling 2 feet of snow to join me on the show and talk about his fair’s response to the 2020 pandemic, plan for moving forward in 2021 and the importance of the Siskiyou fairgrounds in his community.

Roberto the Magnificent is one of the most energetic and crowd-pleasing performers in the country. Performing everything from NBA half-time shows to corporate events as well as state & county fairs, Roberto’s high energy show has to be seen to be believed. We talked about Covid as well as the challenges of having a family while being a touring entertainer.

Jennifer Dunn is the Vice President of The Linn County Fair and the chair of the YPI Steering Committee. Her fair board and staff is made up 100% of volunteers. Together with her team attendance has risen from 6,000 to 45,000 guests for their late July fair. On the episode we talk about how they’ve navigated Covid. Plus! What catches her eye at the IAFE trade show?

Today’s guest are an experienced husband and wife duo. Josh & Lea Knotts perform an illusion and escape show that will have you on the edge of your seat. However, performing 300 shows annually came to a screeching halt in 2020. They sat down with me to share their story.

Todd Boltin has been booking entertainment into events for over three decades. He’s been nominated 13 times for the Academy of Country Music’s Talent Buyer of the Year award and he took home the honor in 2010. In 2016 after more than 30 years with Variety Attractions he purchased the company from founder George Moffett. Today on the show he shares his insights into how our industry recovers f...

The Coconino County Fair in Flagstaff, AZ is operated by the county parks & recreation department. Today’s guest is the man who puts that fair together every year, Ricky Conway. Ricky catches us up on their decision to cancel and how their virtual fair worked in 2020.

Today we sit down to chat with the COO of the Sonoma County Fair, Kaitlyn Findley-Thorn. We talk the pandemic, Kaitlyn’s law degree (bet you didn’t see that coming), and the future of the fair industry. The Sonoma County Fair runs every summer in Santa Rosa, CA just north of the Bay Area.

Today’s guest is a veteran in the fair industry. In 2020 his fair modified their event in a manner which cancelled the traditional fair but still operated their rodeo and livestock shows. Dustin Coufal is the Vice President of the fair division at the Heart O’ Texas Fair in Waco, TX.

Today I’m joined by Karen Nicklas, the general manager for The Great Frederick Fair in Frederick, Maryland. Karen was named the GM of the fair at the end of 2019. Her first year was full of hope and excitement until March of 2020 rolled around. She shares the heartbreak of cancelling and fights back tears at the thought of what might have been.

Jennifer Giesike wears many hats. She iis the general manager for the Washington Town & Country Fair in Washington, Missouri as well as their Chamber of Commerce CEO. She was recently announced as the 2nd vice chair of the IAFE board where she will serve on the executive board in planning IAFE events through 2023. She also cuts grass like nobody’s business. Find out more on that on today’s epi...

Alexcia Jordan is the General Manager of the North Idaho State Fair in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She has a pedigree in this industry having been raised through 4H and FFA, not to mention her mother was the fair manager for the Bonner County Fair for 16 years. We talk about the pandemic, the value our fairs bring to the community and her hopes for a successful 2021 fair.

Andrea Thayer is the entertainment director for the Washington State Fair - one of America’s largest state fairs. We sit down and talk about the heartbreak of losing the fair plus the challenges of managing entertainment in 2021.

On the podcast today we welcome Chris Shivers. Chris is the executive director fo the Texas Association of Fairs & Events. The organization is responsible for promoting & advocating for agriculture education through the state and county fairs throughout Texas. We had a good conversation about the impact of Covid across Texas, the frustration of seeing so many events cancel and the bright s...

Mark Sparks is the Vice President of Triangle Talent. Mark and I looked back on the creation of Conjurer Fortune Machine in Triangle Talent’s trade show booth in 2011. Mark shares his thoughts on entertainment booking moving forward in the pandemic, plus, how are entertainers responding to cancellations? All that and more.