Show raises $40,000 for Miracle Field

A Kalispell show by one of Las Vegas' most popular acts raised $40,000 recently for a "Miracle Field" at Kidsports Complex.

Terry Fator, a comedian, singer, ventriloquist and impersonator, performed Tuesday at the Christian Center.

All proceeds from his show went toward the Miracle Field - a baseball field with a rubberized surface on an asphalt base, creating a smooth, safe place for people with physical and mental disabilities to play on.

About 1,200 people attended the show, according to Michael Hayes, a member of Rotary Club of Kalispell.

"It was a smashing success," he said. "Everybody raved and walked out of there mesmerized."

Fator won NBC's "America's Got Talent" million-dollar prize last summer. Last month, he signed a five-year, $100 million contract with The Mirage hotel in Las Vegas.

Tuesday's performance was his second trip to the Flathead in less than a year to raise money for Miracle Field.

Rotary Club of Kalispell has spearheaded Miracle Field's fundraising efforts and has raised most of the $300,000 needed to build the field.

"We're pretty much where we need to be," said Francois Zanni, the club's treasurer. "We're close to $250,000 for Miracle Field."

Most of that money will pay for the rubberized surface, which has been delivered. It cannot be installed, however, until the weather improves.

"We need to have some warm weather," Zanni said. "I think it has to stay above 60 degrees day and night."

It also can't be installed until the asphalt base, which hasn't yet been laid, has been allowed to settle and "off gas," Kidsports President Dan Johns said.

The field is slated for completion in July.

After Fator's show, Kidsports has enough money to cover the cost of the rubberized surface, "the most critical part of having the field," Johns said. However, Kidsports would still welcome donations to assist with finishing restrooms, grandstands and other finishing touches.

For more information, visit www.themiraclefield.com.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.