CLEARFIELD – The directors of the Clearfield Fair & Park Board announced the Grandstand Stage and Expo II Plaza entertainment, as well as some changes for the 154th Clearfield County Fair at a press conference on Wednesday night.
The fair will open with Preview Day on Sunday, July 27 and run through Saturday, Aug. 2. The Grandstand will feature the Oak Ridge Boys and Lee Greenwood on Tuesday, July 29; Full Pull Productions on Wednesday, July 30; Florida Georgia Line on Thursday, July 31; and Halestorm on Friday, Aug. 1. No act has been scheduled to close out the Grandstand entertainment on Saturday, Aug. 2.
Florida Georgia Line burst onto the country music scene with the release of their 2012 multi-platinum single, “Cruise,” which topped music charts and sold more than 6 million units. The song was the duo’s debut single from their freshman album, “Here’s to the Good Times,” which stayed at No. 1 for eight weeks last summer.
The electrifying and hard-driving rock sounds of Florida Georgia Line come from singers/songwriters Tyler Hubbard of Monroe, Ga. and Brian Kelley of Ormond Beach, Fla. In addition to “Cruise,” the duo has hit songs, “Get Your Shine On” and “Stay,” and is currently on tour with country star Jason Aldean. Tickets will be $50 for standing room only on the track and $46 for Grandstand seating.
The four-part harmonies and upbeat songs of the Oak Ridge Boys are some of the most distinctive and recognizable sounds in the music industry. The quartet has spawned dozens of country hits and a No. 1 Pop smash, earned Grammy, Dove, CMA and ACM awards and garnered a host of other industry and fan accolades. Every time they step before an audience, the Oak Ridge Boys bring three decades of charted singles and 50 years of tradition.
Special guest Lee Greenwood will open for the Oak Ridge Boys and is best known for the cultural landscape he painted in “God Bless the USA.” “God Bless the USA” has been voted the most recognizable patriotic song in America, taking the top honor over “God Bless America” and the National Anthem, but it is only one of the many hits that have propelled Greenwood’s successful career.
Greenwood is an icon in country music and has more than 30 albums. He has seven No. 1 songs and 25 charted singles. His lengthy string of hits includes classics, such as “Ring on Her Finger,” “Time on Her Hands,” “It Turns Me Inside Out,” “Somebody’s Gonna Love You,” “I Don’t Mind the Thorns (If You’re the Rose)” and “Dixie Road.”
Tickets will be $22 for track seating and $18 for the Grandstand and bleacher seating. Track seating will only be available for the Oak Ridge Boys and Lee Greenwood on Tuesday, July 29. Track tickets will be for standing room only for all other Grandstand shows, noted Fair Marketing/Promotions Director Brenda Morgan.
Halestorm is an American hard rock band from Red Lion with two Top 10 singles, “I Get Off” and “It’s Not You.” The band has toured steadily for two years with acts, such as Shinedown, Stone Sour, Disturbed, Megadeth, Papa Roach and Godsmack. The Pennsylvania rock quartet has returned with, “The Strange Case of . . .,” that features “Love Bites (So Do I), which won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. Tickets will be $30 for standing room only and $24 for Grandstand seating.
Full Pull Productions will bring in big rigs, super stock tractors, diesel trucks, etc. to determine the supreme puller in five, different classes. Fair directors chose to move Harness Racing to Sunday, July 27 and the Truck & Tractor Pull to Wednesday, July 30 to accommodate the tour schedule of Florida Georgia Line, according to Fair Manager Greg Hallstrom.
So far as Grandstand entertainment for Saturday, Aug. 2, Hallstrom said the fair directors are “starting from scratch.” He said they were originally considering a 90’s group, which didn’t pan out for them. When asked, Hallstrom said fair directors weren’t leaning toward any particular genre and hoped to announce the final act within a month or so.
Fair directors, Hallstrom said, haven’t determined an on-sale date for tickets for the Grandstand entertainment but would like to by late March to mid-April. He said the fair office will offer a gate admission/concert ticket special for three weeks from the on-sale date. Anyone who purchases concert tickets during that timeframe will get free gate admission. The fair office, Hallstrom said, will also offer advance gate only passes for $5 through Sunday, July 27, or while supplies last.
Fair admission, Morgan said, will be $8 for anyone ages 4 years and older. It includes an all-day ride pass, harness racing, entertainment on the David H. Litz Grove Stage and in the Expo II Plaza, livestock and commercial and non-commercial exhibits. Reithoffer Amusements, Morgan said, will return to the Midway with ride favorites, the Dutch Wheel, Tornado and Artic Blast.
According to Morgan, entertainment in the Expo II Plaza will include Buffo the Clown, Old McNally’s Pig Derby, the Circle C Petting Zoo, Kachunga and the Alligator Show and the Kid’s Bucks game show. Kids Day, she said, will be on Tuesday, July 29 and will feature a free show, as well as other contests and activities.
Senior Citizens Day will be held on Tuesday, July 29 and Thursday, July 31 and Military Day on Friday, Aug. 1. Eligible individuals will be admitted free on these days from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. with proof of age and military service, said Morgan. Hallstrom noted that on Preview Day, attendees will pay $1 gate admission for those who are ages 4 years and older.
Fair directors, Hallstrom said, will donate a portion of these admissions to a local 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which will be selected through an application process. “We spend anywhere from $7,000 – $10,000 and we bring nothing in on Sunday,” he explained. “We want to add this $1 charge, cover our costs and then donate the rest to a local charity.”
Morgan pointed out that harness racing will begin at 12 p.m. Sunday, July 27 – Wednesday, July 30. This scheduling change, she said, will increase the costs associated with Preview Day at the fair, which offers more now than in past years. “All the vendors and buildings are open, and the carnival is up and running,” said Morgan. “There is just so much going on now, and our expenses have risen.”
According to Hallstrom, approximately 15,000 – 20,000 people typically pass through the fair on Preview Day. However, the fair directors, Hallstrom said, planned to make some sort of arrangements for anyone bringing in exhibits. Exhibitors, he said, wouldn’t be charged the $1 admission.
When asked about the percentage being donated from the Preview Day admission, Hallstrom explained they aren’t sure what that figure will be at this point. President David Franson II said he believed it would be a “worthwhile figure” that would be beneficial to any local non-profit organization.
The $1 Preview Day admission, Franson said, will get attendees into the fairgrounds. Attendees who would like to ride must purchase a separate pass for $9 directly from Reithoffer Amusements in the Midway. All rides, Franson said, should be in operation for Preview Day.
For more information, please visit www.clearfieldcountyfair.com.
