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 from this pandemic.

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 episode.

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 spots in an otherwise dark 2020.