GET YOUR SHARE OF THE FAIR.

Byline: HOLLY HERRICK

Musicians, a hypnotist, contests, exhibits, elephants, horse shows, oodles of food and plenty of rides - the Coastal Carolina Fair has it all. The fair begins today at Exchange Park in Ladson and will run through Nov. 6. The fair calendar is posted here to let you know this year's fair line-up.

Preview spoke with several of this year's performers to find out what drew them to this particular fair. Here's what they said:

BAGEE THE CLOWN

Bagee, whose formal name is J.G. Kramer, is a native of Rainbow City, Ala., but he spent 17 years of his life living in Summerville. That's when he first became associated with the fair. "That fair (the Coastal Carolina Fair) has been a consistent one for me since 1989," says Kramer.

"Our home was devastated by Hugo. Things were really in a crunch, so I approached the program chairman for the fair and asked about the possibility of working it, since I was a local act. They hired us and as we approached the second year, they were getting so many calls from parents wanting to know if we would be back that they asked us to return. They liked what we did for the children. The calls keep coming, year after year," Kramer says.

Bagee the Clown has been granted a permanent invitation to participate when the Coastal Carolina Fair is in Ladson.

"I'm proud of that. It means we are doing something right." This distinction is particularly special since, according to Bagee, the fair likes to change performers every year, "because they don't want an act to get old."

Bagee is 54 years old and has been entertaining for 30 years. "Clowning" became a natural progression from other types of entertaining he used to do. His attraction to clowning is closely associated with his love of children. "I get back so much more than I'm able to give to one child on a 20 to 30 second basis."

Bagee is an Auguste type of clown (there are two other types of clowns, White Face and Character Clowns).

The primary purpose of an Auguste clown is to tell stories, talk, laugh and tell jokes. Typically, an Auguste clown has pronounced white eyebrows and chin, and uses white and other colors on the rest of his face.

At the fair, Bagee will be chatting it up with the children and telling jokes. His wife, Elizabeth, will offer face painting as he does balloon art. Bagee will perform daily at the Garden Gazebo. Participation in his performance is free.

While speaking about the Coastal Carolina Fair, Bagee gets emotional. He has a deep attachment to the people who run it and an appreciation for his annual inclusion. "I'm very grateful for the relationship I've shared with the people at the…