WILLIE NELSON: BIG DRAW FOR SEMO FAIR

For five years, the SEMO District Fair board has been working to attract one of the country's biggest musical entertainers to Cape Girardeau to perform on the fair's main stage at Arena Park. Their efforts have finally paid off with the announcement that Willie Nelson will headline this year's fair entertainment.

Nelson is no stranger to the thousands of folks who are likely to pack the grandstand for his performance Sept. 17. It is quite a coup for the fair board to get Nelson to Cape Girardeau. Not only is he a big recording star, he also is widely seen by audiences of popular television shows, and he has had prominent roles in several major Hollywood productions.

As an entertainer, Nelson has been busy around the world, but he has been a frequent performer in our area as well. For example, he performed at the DuQuoin State Fair and the VP Fair in St. Louis in 1991. And he was at the big Mid-South Fair in Memphis in 1996.

But many folks in these parts will best remember Willie Nelson for his Farm Aid concerts, which he co-founded in 1985. Nelson served as president of the Farm Aid organization, which had its 10th anniversary concert in 1995 in Louisville.

And Nelson's financial problems have kept him in the news for years. His battle with the IRS, which claimed the entertainer owed millions of dollars in unpaid taxes, and his high-profile bankruptcy were fodder for serious journalists and show-biz columnists for years. To some, Nelson became sort of a folk hero, battling against big, bad government. Just another citizen being squashed by the feds.

His Farm Aid concerts also caused some rancor. He performed at one such concert where Southeast Missouri farmer Wayne Cryts was also on stage. Cryts, you will recall, attempted to lead something of a revolt by farmers against the federal government, and he turned the resulting publicity into a run for Congress -- unsuccessfully. There were questions at the time about whether the Farm Aid concert did anything to benefit the lot of farmers in general or just the coffers of the Cryts campaign coffers.

A big star? You bet. In spite of all his tax problems, money woes and sometimes misguided political involvement, Willie Nelson continues to be one of the most popular performers on the scene today. His singing voice is instantly recognized every time it is heard on the radio or the tape deck of thousands of automobiles, including a hefty number of pickups.

Willie Nelson will be a big draw for the fair, and he is likely to bring a good many visitors to our city. For its persistence, the fair board deserves a pat on the back.