The Fair is coming to town

Polish up your boots and dust off those old Allman Brothers records - the SEMO District Fair will provide entertainment for the cowboy and the southern rocker in everyone this month.

Country music veteran Randy Travis will be headlining the entertainment events, while the Renegades of Southern Rock will satisfy the need for some wailing guitar to wash down the country twang.

This year's fair, the 150th, kicks off Sept. 10 and runs through Sept. 17. Organizers are expecting near the 97,665 people who packed the fairgrounds last year over eight days.

Aspiring amateurs will take the stage on Sept. 14 in the Heartland Idol contest, where they'll pretend to be pop stars for a night. Sorry, no Paula, Randy and Simon, but plenty of young vocal talent. No earplugs will be needed, since these contestants have had to show talent in smaller contests to get here.

Travis, a Grammy and Country Music Association award winner, leads off the concert lineup Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. at the fair main stage. A venerable old man by today's country standards, Travis has sold over 21 million albums in a career that began in the 1980s.

Travis will be followed by Tracy Byrd Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. Byrd is a country performer who burst on the scene with the 1995 hit "The Keeper of the Stars." His newest album is "The Truth About Men."

The fair's final night will be dedicated to Southern rock's founding fathers, when the Renegades take the stage at 8 p.m. Sept. 17.

The Renegades of Southern Rock is a blast from the past - a collection of musicians from famous Southern rock acts like The Marshall Tucker Band, The Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughan's band. The Renegades' set features songs from many of these famous acts.

And fair festivities this year will be sandwiched between an explosive new feature - fireworks shows on the fair's opening and closing Saturdays to commemorate 150 years.

Tickets are on sale now in the fair ticket office at Arena Park.

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FAIR SCHEDULE

Sept. 10: Super farm, super stock and pro stock tractor pulls

Sept. 11: Horse show

Sept. 12: Dual demolition derby

Sept. 13: Two-wheel and four-wheel drive trucks and modified tractors

Sept. 14: Heartland Idol

Sept. 15: Randy Travis

Sept. 16: Tracy Byrd

Sept. 17: Renegades of Southern Rock