Look like an easy job? Guess again

One of the closest things to the old carnival barker at the Florida Strawberry Festival was the "guesser."

"Fool the Guesser" is a game where the customer pays $3 to a guesser, who sometimes can guess the patron's age, weight or birth month. Either way, John Tarnowski said, he won't lose because the prizes aren't extravagant and the customer has a good time.

"This game works best when there are a lot of people in the crowd," Tarnowski said. "Once you get the crowd stirred up, they start having fun and it just grows on itself. People start cheering each guess, whether you get it right or wrong. It's all good fun."

Tarnowski, 41, was one of four guessers working the festival. They traded off at three locations in 30-minute intervals, taking a 30-minute break after working the crowd for 90 straight minutes.

"This isn't easy. It's all smiling and dialing. Like a telemarketer," Tarnowski said. "You have to draw them into the game. The first one is the hardest. Then you make it as much fun as you can while you've got them. That way, other people walking by take an interest and want to get in on the good time."

When foot traffic is slow, that first customer can be hard to reel in, he said. That is where the guesser's wit comes into play.

As three senior citizens, a man and two women, walked past his booth, Tarnowski worked his magic.

"How about you, sir? Care to take a chance? You look like a man of courage. Why not win a prize for your lovely daughters." Tarnowski crooned the words through the microphone hung around his neck. "Make these girls proud of their daddy."

The women laughed; the man hesitated but moved on.

To another couple walking by, Tarnowski said: "Got to get her something, sir. Might as well get it here. Last chance for romance."

"Where does the money go if I lose?" the man asked.

"All the money goes to Charity," Tarnowski replied. "My ex-wife. Her name is Charity. I'm still sending her money."

Tarnowski said he enjoys the carnival life. He hails from Hamburg, N.Y., but spends his summers working at the Old Orchid Beach Resort in Maine.

"I'm trying to get off the road. But it's still fun for me. Maine is great in the summertime. The weather there is much like you have today. I love it," he said.

In one half-hour stint, Tarnowski guessed right three out of four times and got to keep the $3 fee without awarding a prize. He said if he can guess correctly 30 percent of the time, he is doing all right.