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Celebrities, performers and mystery guests — hypnotist Tammy Harris Barton’s show at the Park County Fair will feature these characters and more.
However, these stars are different, …
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Celebrities, performers and mystery guests — hypnotist Tammy Harris Barton’s show at the Park County Fair will feature these characters and more.
However, these stars are different, and they’re being played by the audience’s own friends or family.
“You never know who might be in the show,” Barton said. “You might have a guest entertainer, we might have runway models or we might have a dance competition.”
Barton herself comes from a family full of hypnotists. Her mother, Linda Harris, her father, Jerry Harris, and sister, Jennifer Balch, all practice hypnosis as well.
In fact, Barton’s mother helped Barton secure an associate’s degree from college before she graduated high school by using hypnosis to help develop better study habits and self-confidence.
“My father asked me if I would like to work doing hypnosis,” Barton said. “I said yes and I have been doing it now for over 28 years.”
Often, Barton can be found working many different fairs, festivals and theme parks throughout the summer and fall. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has kept her from working for about a year and a half.
“I am very excited,” Barton said. “This will be my first fair this season. I love what I do.”
The show itself is volunteer-based, meaning that the participants will be pulled straight from the audience. The chosen volunteers will then sit in chairs on stage with each other and be put into a hypnotic state. Once the participants enter the state, Barton will give them light-hearted and comedic suggestions and scenarios to play out on stage.
“The cool thing about hypnosis is that everyone can be hypnotized if they allow themselves to go under,” Barton said. “I like it when people come up to me after the show and say, ‘I never believed in hypnosis until I saw this in person.’”
Barton will be performing two shows a day on the Pepsi Free Stage beneath the pavilion from Wednesday through Saturday. New volunteers are chosen for every show.
“I love making people smile and laugh,” Barton said. “I love that I get the opportunity to help people understand what hypnosis is in a fun way.”
