ClayManiacs

Fair spends for big names
Admission will cost more, too, for Fantasia and other acts
By MATT EHLERS, Staff Writer

After last year's successful $200,000 investment in Clay Aiken, the N.C. State Fair is reaching deeper into the concert coffers in 2005, paying a record $582,000 for 10 nights of Dorton Arena entertainment.
Fairgoers who enjoy the Raleigh musical tradition will be reaching deeper, too; the three top acts are commanding a record $20 ticket price.

Each of those will earn in the six figures: "American Idol" winner Fantasia, a High Point native, will be paid $100,000; country superstars Montgomery Gentry also will make $100,000; and country-pop songstress LeAnn Rimes with opening act Phil Vassar -- booked as a package -- will receive the fair's highest payout, $105,000.

Country singer Josh Gracin, the singer who finished fourth on "American Idol" the year Aiken came in second, will receive the lowest fee of the fair, $15,000.

In 2004, Aiken received $100,000 apiece for two sold-out concerts, at that time a fair record. Concertgoers paid $15 to see Aiken last year.

Fair organizers believe it's time for the concert entertainment to be more in line with what is offered at other state fairs, said assistant fair manager Mike Pleasant, and that requires spending more money. In recent years, fairs across the country have upgraded their facilities and entertainment, booking bigger-name acts and charging more for tickets.

Ticket buyers receive a $2 discount on their $20 tickets to see Montgomery Gentry, LeAnn Rimes and Fantasia if they purchase them before the fair begins.

Because paying the acts is only part of the cost of putting on a concert -- there's lighting and sound and security, among other expenses -- there's a chance that the fair might not make money on a particular entertainer, even on a sold-out show. But organizers view the concerts as part of the overall fair experience, drawing people who might not otherwise come to the fair.

"We are not in the concert business. We're in the fair business," said fair promotions specialist Tiffany Budd.

The aim is to break even with the concerts over the course of the run, she said. Dorton Arena will be configured to seat 6,000 for each show.

Despite the high fees earned by the entertainers, both Pleasant and Budd pointed out that ticket prices are lower at the fair than they are at more traditional concert venues. The fair will pay Kenny Rogers $63,500 for his appearance, and fans will be charged $15 for tickets, plus fair admission. When Rogers appears on July 16 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary with the N.C. Symphony, tickets are $28.

Clay Aiken opening a summer camp for disabled kids
Jun 7, 2005, 0:58 GMT
 
NORTH CONCORD, NC, United States (UPI) -- "American Idol" star Clay Aiken is opening a summer camp for disabled kids in his home state of North Carolina.

His Bubel/Aiken Foundation is teaming with Cannon Memorial YMCA to open "Camp Gonzo" in North Concord, N.C., WCNC-TV, Charlotte, reported Monday.

Aiken, a former camp counselor, created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation out of his concern for disabled children who were often excluded from camp programs because of a lack of staff and/or equipment, the foundation said.

With the help of specially trained staff and equipment, the children at "Camp Gonzo" will be able to do virtually everything other children do at summer camp.

Clay Aiken

Another huge talent that came from the Idol stable, Clay has been a runaway success in the U.S. Losing out on the title of American Idol to Ruben Studdard in 2003, Clay was immediately signed up to RCA records. He's released a massively successful album, a Christmas CD, and has even had his first book stacked on the shelves. Not only that, this boy loves to hit the road, notching up four tours in 18 months. Aiken's awards and achievements make for a very long list. Among the highlights: he won an American Music Award and a Billboard Music Award; he graduated with a degree in special education; and he still managed to devote a lot of his time to The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which he created to foster inclusion of children with special needs. He is a bona fide success on the charts, on the road and in the hearts of millions of devoted fans.

Flatter me and I may not believe you, ignore me and I may not forgive you, encourage me and I will never forget you.