MCGRAW, GOO GOO DOLLS TOP LINEUP AT MISSOURI STATE FAIR

The Missouri State Fair will host some of the top country and rock 'n' roll acts on tour this summer when the 99th edition kicks off Aug. 12.

Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, George Jones, Marty Stuart and Reba McEntire top the list of country entertainers. Younger rock 'n' roll fans can hear the Goo Goo Dolls and Sugar Ray, while more seasoned fans might choose Journey or a 50s and 60s package featuring Mitch Ryder, Gary Lewis & the Playboys and Brian ("Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini") Hyland.

"We're very excited about this year's acts," says Kimberly Allen, the fair's marketing director. "We think we got the best."

More than 340,000 people attend the fair each year, including 60,000 at the grandstand events. Besides music, the fair also offers auto racing and wrestling at the grandstand.

"The Missouri State Fair is a venue that tries to focus on family entertainment," Allen says. "... We're really showcasing the best of the best of Missouri."

The country group Alabama, long a favorite with fairgoers, will bring along David Ball for opening night Aug. 12. The next night it's rock 'n' roll with the chart-topping Goo Goo Dolls, Sugar Ray and Fastball.

Brooks & Dunn and special guest Trace Adkins perform Saturday, Aug. 14.

Reba McEntire and comedian Dick Hardwick come calling Aug. 15.

After a day off, the grandstand will be busy again Aug. 17, a day of hula hoop, limbo and Elvis look-alike contests at the fair. The '50s and '60s concert will present Mitch Ryder, known for the hits "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Devil with a Blue Dress On," along with Gary Lewis & the Playboys, who made their name on the hits "This Diamond Ring" and "Save Your Heart for Me."

The bikini song was Brian Hyland's only known hit.

Country legend George Jones and Marty Stuart perform Aug. 18, followed Aug. 19 by Sawyer Brown and special guest Lila McCann. That day, fairgoers can pay $20 for grandstand admission and a wristband good for 15 carnival rides.

Tim McGraw and Chely Wright perform Aug. 20.

Journey, known for the hits "Don't Stop Believing" and "Faithfully" will perform Aug. 21 in the final concert of the fair.

A number of musical contests will be held on the final Sunday of the fair, including the state fiddle championships. Cape Girardeau's Liesl Schoenberger is the reigning junior state champion fiddler.

Tickets go on sale Saturday. They can be ordered through Ticketmaster or via the fair's website, www.mostatefair.com

Tickets can be ordered through the mail by requesting a ticket order form, available by calling 1-(800) 522-FAIR. Ticket order forms can be faxed in at (660) 530-5649.

The fair's theme this year is "The Best Fun Around." Allen said Sedalia offers many other things to do for those attending the fair, including a visit to the Bothwell Lodge, nearby Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake and Kansas City.