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Carrroll County Chamber Banquet

Comedic hypnotist
to entertain Carroll County
Chamber crowd

Annual business awards
to be presented at dinner

CARROLLTON, Ky. (October 2013) – An entertainer for more than 30 years, Greg Steele now focuses on hypnosis to get a laugh out of his audience. Altering a person’s state of mind is what he seems to do best.
During his show, he usually invites several people on stage. “I put their conscience to sleep and wake up their self-conscience mind. This is where their creativity is,” said Steele, 60.
He conducts about three such shows a month and will be the featured entertainment for the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet on Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Gen. Butler State Resort Park Conference Center in Carrollton. The banquet will being at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour.

Steele
Steele

A silent auction will be part of the banquet. Proceeds “help raise money for four scholarships to be awarded to Carroll County seniors,” said Ashley Osborne, Administrative Assistant for the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.
Steele is certain to be a crowd pleaser, Osborne said. He sets the mood for the evening with music, then gives a very entertaining introduction to hypnosis so the audience will have some idea of what is about to happen. He asks for a group of 12 to 20 audience volunteers who are invited on stage to become the stars of the show for the evening. They will sit in a row of chairs facing the audience and succumb to a deep hypnosis.
At this point, Steele acts as “their guide. Their subconscious takes over.” He compared the experience to driving a car and how the driver automatically knows what to do, or being deeply involved in a movie and not noticing what goes on around you.
Hypnosis is actually a normal, natural state-of-mind, Steele said. “Everyone enters this trance-state approximately four times per hour every day.” A hypnotized person is not asleep or unconscious but rather in a highly focused form of concentration.
In this altered state of mind, anything can happen. “People do things they haven’t done before or things you wouldn’t expect them to do,” he said. Relying on their senses, emotions and experiences, “They respond to my suggestions.”
In addition to the banquet being a time to relax and network with the local business community, it is an opportunity to recognize businesses and individuals who have made an impact on the community. The chamber will present four awards in the categories of Beautification, Community Impact, Raymond Ray Community Service Award and Business Hall of Fame Award. Chamber members choose the winners by nominations, said Osborne.
There are currently about 140 chamber members, she said. The annual banquet is not just for chamber members; the public is welcome to attend.
“I think it is really cool to have a hypnotist perform,” said Osborne. “I’m going to be one of the people who will be participating on stage.”
There is a Chamber Banquet Committee that meets monthly, said Michelle Goff, a member of the committee. “A hypnotist was suggested last year, and we chose to have Carl Hurley instead. So when we were deciding for this year’s entertainment, I threw his name out again. And he won.”
Steele has been performing his comedy hypnosis show since 1999. He is certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists and attended the Omni Hypnosis Center in Florida. He is also a graduate of the University of Cincinnati.
Originally from Cincinnati, Steele currently lives in Cleveland. He has traveled coast to coast performing his comedic hypnotist act. “I’ve traveled all over the country, performing for colleges to corporations,” he said.
Before devising his comedic hypnotist routine, Steel performed as a comedy mind reader and magician. He also spent time performing in casinos in Nevada, honing his skills for what he does now.
“It’s fun to be in a position where I can see others having so much fun,” he said of his programs. “Someone in the audience always does something I’m not expecting.” This always adds to the fun, relaxed atmosphere.”

• Tickets for the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet are $30 each or $240 for a table of eight. Contact the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce for more information at (502) 732-7034.

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