SEMO DISTRICT FAIR ENTERTAINMENT MIXES COUNTRY AND GOSPEL

Main-stage entertainment for the SEMO District Fair consists of a mix of country and gospel, and features some hot up-and-coming stars.

Headlining the entertainment is Ricky Skaggs and Shenandoah. Other entertainers include contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, Joe Diffie and Neal McCoy.

Mike Ford of Ford Entertainment and Productions, entertainment buyer for the fair, said bringing a good variety of artists to the fair is a main concern every year. "They've made some good decisions," Ford said. "There's something for everybody."

Pete Poe, president of the fair board, said ticket sales for the main-stage entertainment were going well, but plenty of good seats are still available.

The fair kicks off Sept. 8, and the first major show will be Sept. 11, when Diffie and McCoy take to the stage.

Diffie is a rising country star whose first successful single, "Home," was at the top of the country charts for two weeks. Diffie's follow-up singles, "If You Want Me To" and "If the Devil Dances in Empty Pockets" from his album, "A Thousand Winding Roads," are also chart hits. A new single is "New Way (To Light Up an Old Flame)."

McCoy's debut CD has garnered the hits, "If I Built You a Fire" and "This Time I Hurt Her More." Another single, "Down on the River," is a mix of blues and country.

Tickets for Diffie and McCoy are $10.50, $8.50 and $6.50.

On Sept. 12, contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman will take to the stage. Chapman is the winner of Gospel Music's artist of the year, male vocalist of the year, songwriter of the year, inspirational recorded song of the year for "His Strength is Perfect" and southern gospel song of the year for "I Can See the Hand."

Chapman, 27, is a native of Paducah, Ky.

Ford said Chapman's appearance will mark the first time a gospel artists has been featured on the main stage at the fair.

"This is a guy who is the number one contemporary Christian artist in the country as we speak," Ford said. "I'm hoping the youth groups and other church groups really enjoy his show."

Tickets for Chapman's show are $10.50, $8.50 and $6.50.

On Sept. 13, Ricky Skaggs will showcase hits from his new release, "My Father's Son." Skaggs is a past recipient of the Country Music Association's male vocalist of the year and entertainer of the year.

Skaggs, 37, is a native of Cordell, Ky. "My Father's Son" is Skaggs' tenth album, released July 15. Some of the singles from the album are "Life's Too Long (To Live Like This)," "Father Knows Best," "Give Us a Happy Home" and "From the Word Love."

Tickets for Skaggs' performance are $12.50, $10.50 and $8.50.

Shenandoah rounds out the fair's main-stage entertainment with a performance on Sept. 14. Shenandoah is one of country's hottest new bands. In 1990, they released their third album, "Extra Mile." The first single from that album, "Next To You, Next To Me," held the top slot on the charts for three weeks.

The second single, "Ghost in This House," earned the group a 1991 Grammy award nomination for best country performance. The band's current single, "Moon Over Georgia" is already a top-five chart hit.

Tickets for the band's performance are $12.50, $10.50 and $8.50.

Ford said when the fair board selects entertainment for the fair, it looks at such things as the affordability of artists, their performance style, and their overall popularity. He said board members try to bring new artists to the fair whenever possible and always strive for a good variety of entertainment.

"We try to get someone who is an established country artist; in this case, like Ricky Skaggs," said Ford. "But, if a new artist is showing signs of becoming a star, we might try to book them too," he said.

Last year that was the case with entertainers Kathy Mattea and the Kentucky Headhunters, Ford said.

Poe said the establishment of a toll-free number for ticket orders and the fact that they can now be charged by phone has helped sales. Last year 53 percent of all ticket sales were purchased by phone.