Landing entertainment a huge puzzle for NWWA Fair

Timothy Newcomb
Tribune assistant editor

  LYNDEN -- Pulling together six days of grandstand entertainment for the August Northwest Washington Fair is like managing a “giant puzzle,” according to Jim Baron, fair manager.
  The process for filling the six-day mid-August lineup is an intricate one that starts the September before the fair and is not finalized until seven months later, way before the ferris wheel lights up the Lynden sky.

What the fair needs

  Every year, the six-day fair offers nightly headliner entertainment in the 3,700-seat grandstand.
  A set budget must be divided to ensure that each night helps fill the seats.
  Baron said it is no accident that there has been some “predictability” in the style of entertainment the fair books.
  With the demolition derby set for Monday -- and not likely going anywhere else anytime soon -- Baron said drawing a diverse crowd to the fair’s gates calls for a diverse entertainment lineup.
  With that in mind, Baron attempts to book a singer to attract an older audience (that would be Randy Travis in 2008), either an up-and-coming country artist (such as Little Big Town in 2008) or an established country artist, a classic rock band (Chicago in 2008 and REO Speedwagon in 2007) and a contemporary Christian act (Third Day in 2007 and MercyMe in 2006). The sixth night remains a wild card from year to year (2008 will have a monster truck show).
  “Part of my mandate as manager is to provide affordable family entertainment and diverse attractions to people of all ages,” Baron said. “I need to find variety in age groups and interest levels and try to fill those holes.”
  And the mix that Baron has developed has done really well here, he said.
  While the prices for entertainers vary greatly, the fair will spend between $30,000 and $75,000 on each act. But Baron must work the puzzle to keep the overall costs within the fair’s budget, all while filling each of the six nights. However, he said, the fair is willing to spend a disproportionate amount to get a big-name anchor.

Where to start
  The fair’s agent is the key to the process. The agent supplies Baron with a list of available entertainers and their asking prices. “We could blow three-fourths of our budget in one night,” Baron said about the delicate balance.
  Baron takes the pages-long list to a community-based advisory committee of fair board members, radio station heads and community members to help sort who would be a good fit for the family fair and a popular attraction come August.
  Some entertainers, such as Canadian Anne Murray who Baron has been trying to land for years, simply aren’t available because of vacations or other commitments.
  Baron said that he is amazed at how well industry insiders can predict the fall of current stars. In late 2006, the fair was contemplating booking then-“American Idol” star Taylor Hicks, but was cautioned against it. Hicks was gone from the scene well before the August 2007 fair.
  Instead, the fair sought another "American Idol" star, Chris Daughtry. But by the time the fair made an offer, his popularity had soared after the release of his first album and his asking price had doubled, Baron said.
  “What was unusual is that had we been 30 days earlier, we would have gotten him,” Baron said.
  A similar thing occurred when the fair tried to book Carrie Underwood.
  Baron said that he will also look to book acts that have an album coming out between the booking and the show, hoping their popularity spikes after the act is signed. And this did happen for the fair with Brad Paisley in 2001, Toby Keith in 1998 and even Rascall Flatts in 2005.
  Once the fair planners shorten the list, there is still plenty of work to be done.

Booking an act
  While booking an act can be as simple as making an offer and having it accepted the next day -- occasionally this has happened, Baron said -- it can also be a complex puzzle within a puzzle.
  For example, Baron said, the price of landing Chicago all by itself would have been too steep for the fair. But the fair’s agent put together a package deal with five other regional fairs of similar size and presented an offer of six shows in six nights to Chicago. While the price per show is less than what Chicago would normally demand, the realization of six bookings made Chicago go for the deal.
  “The Pacific Northwest is not the center of the entertainment industry, which is a challenge in getting entertainers from Nashville,” Baron said. “Our ability to route (team up with other venues) is a key to the process.”
  But Chicago’s intricate schedule locked the 1970s-vintage band into a Thursday show in Lynden, possibly eliminating other acts Baron was attempting to land.
  Fitting acts into the right day can be a unique challenge, Baron said.
  And as the days start to fill, the waning budget and availability start to weigh on Baron. “We could have one more slot to fill and be able to get an act on our list, but it would send us over budget,” he said. “Will it help sell tickets?”
  Also, when he is late in the booking season with only one day to fill, booking a “fly-in” act can increase the price. Those are the challenges Baron needs to decide.

The Christian acts
  Booking a popular contemporary Christian act presents some additional challenges.
  Baron said the list of affordable and available country musicians is pages long, but the list of Christian artists is relatively skimpy. Contracts will also often deny a booking of that act within 150 miles during that performance season, which can make securing one of the few Christian acts a challenge, especially with the popular Creation Festival each summer at the Gorge Amphitheater.
  Baron said that he received special permission from the Puyallup Fair (which also books a Christian act every year) to let Jars of Clay play in Lynden in 2005.

The contracts
  Baron has learned that once he gains a verbal commitment, an entertainer’s word is as good as gold.
  Some entertainers never even respond to offers because they are weighing out all their options before settling on their choices.
  “Sometimes entertainers will wait and see what other offers they get,” Baron said. “We can choose to wait too.”
  The agent -- with approval from Baron -- will negotiate price with the performing act and then haggle out the small details.
  The three most detailed parts of the contract are: sound needs, lighting needs and food requirements, Baron said.
  “For the most part, our contracts are flat rates, so it is up to them for travel,” he added.

Filling the needs
  Catering the exact specifications of each entertainer is a full-time task in and of itself during the fair. It is the norm for acts to have detailed -- down to the brand name -- demands of what meals, and sides, they will be served prior to the show.
  The fair’s agent sends a liaison to help deal with the acts and the fair hires Loren VanderYacht (son of former fair manager Ron VanderYacht) to be the “go to” guy, handling the food, transportation and anything else the acts may need.
  “The group might want pizza for the bus after the show,” Baron said. “We will do that for them and run out and get pizza.”
  E-mail Timothy Newcomb at tim@lyndentribune.com.