Where Are The Mister Roger's Impersonators

 


There must be good money in being an impersonator.

Google helped me locate over 500 impersonators of President Abraham Lincoln. There is even an Association of Abe Lincoln Impersonators with nearly 100 members. Two reside in Missouri – one in St. Louis and one in Jefferson City.

Mark Twain impersonators are numerous in Missouri, especially in the Hannibal and St. Louis areas. One impersonator commands $1,500 per appearance and does corporate events. The undisputed champ of Mark Twain impersonators had to be Hal Holbrook, who died a few years ago at age 95. He played Twain for 60 years, longer than Samuel Langhorne Clemens did!

You can find professional Elvis impersonators in Columbia, Rolla, St. Clair, Springfield, and Branson. For some reason, The King has a legion of impersonators. An Association of Elvis Tribute Artists began in 2005, and according to Good Morning America, there are nearly 35,000 Elvis Tribute Artists nationwide.

What about impersonators of Santa Claus? Please, do not even get me started! The real Santa lives at the North Pole, but there are thousands of impersonators all over this nation.

But do you know who is missing from the list? Impersonators of nice-guy Mister Fred Rogers.

I could find 12 impersonators of country music singer Kenny Rogers on GigSalad but not a single one for Fred Rogers.

You cannot buy tickets for a Mister Rogers tribute show in Branson, and you will not find a living tribute to him at the state fair this next summer.

Where have all the impersonators of Mister Rogers gone?

I guess it is because you can train to sing like Kenny Rogers, but no one can do the "nice" of Mister Rogers unless they are nice!

You train for nice with your life, not just because you want to make a few extra dollars on the weekend.

I got to interview Maxwell King, author of "The Good Neighbor," a biography on Mister Fred Rogers.

King agrees. "Fred Rogers was the same in person as during a media interview, a college speech, or on the set of his television show," said King. "It never was an act; it was just him. I think that makes him a little intimidating."

In King's opinion, Fred Rogers was likable for several reasons.

"Fred could always find the good in bad situations," said King. "And people fall in love with people who find the good."

Rogers's also made people feel good about themselves, gave people his full attention, was well-researched on many topics, was creative, modest, patient, and full of empathy for others.

But most of all, he was a good and kind neighbor. "There are three ways to ultimate success: The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.," said Rogers.

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Does this article make you interested in taking the Engaged Neighbor pledge? Five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge online at http://engagedneighbor.com.

Contact the blog author, David L. Burton at dburton541@yahoo.com.


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