Sean C. Morgan
The Linn County Fair kicks off in earnest this week with singers Jo Dee Messina, Phil Vassar and Grand Funk Railroad to Albany along with a relatively obscure band with a loyal fanbase that led reserved seating sales two weeks ago.
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers will make one of only two scheduled stops in the Northwest in Albany at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Fair. They play Seattle the following night.
The Fair opens this year on Wednesday and closes Saturday, instead of Sunday, Fair Board Chairman Joe Calderon said. That decision is based on numbers and patterns that show people are more willing to attend during the week than on Sunday. Other fairs have been switching to a Wednesday-to-Saturday schedule, and Linn County is making the shift this year. Also, this year, equestrian competitions were held at the beginning of July, rather than immediately before the Fair.
“We’re ready,” Calderon said. “Overall, we seem to have momentum build the last several years. Right now, we have more campers than camp spots with the 4-H.”
Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., is Military Day, with free admission for all active military. Valid military ID is required. Carnival wristbands are available at Coastal Farm for $12. Messina performs at 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., is Senior Day. General admission is free until 3 p.m. with paid parking. Carnival wristbands are buy one get one free, and there will be senior bingo and senior ice cream social. Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers perform at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., is Family Day, with fair souvenir giveaways for the first 500 children. Cowboy Blender Bull Riding begins at 6:30 p.m. Vassar performs at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., is Samaritan Health Services Day, with a classic car show in the park at 10 a.m. Wild ’n’ Wooly action begins at 6 p.m. Grand Funk Railroad performs at 8:30 p.m.
Fortunately overall, the fair has grown without many growing pains, Calderon said. He credits the 4-H volunteers, the staff, the board and paid professionals like Dennis Freeman, who is concert production manager again this year. Freeman is a longtime veteran of the Oregon Jamboree and is in his third year as production manager at Linn County Fair.
“Dennis takes the worry out of it,” Calderon said. “Dennis has that professional experience. When the bands come in, it’s never a hassle because Dennis is there.”
He added that Jamboree Festival Director Erin Regrutto is a member of the Fair Board and handled booking and contracting with the entertainers this year.
Other attractions this year include a new food vendor, which will provide sandwiches and healthier food, Calderon said. Familyland returns again with Alaskan pig races and more.
“That is a huge part of the fair now,” Calderon said. Among the most popular attractions there are the birdhouses. Children can learn new skills building birdhouses with cedar lumber donated by Rod Lucas and then take them home.
In the entertainment lineup, Jo Dee Messina, who’s on opening night, is touring in support of the crowd-funded album “Me.” Among her hits are No. 2 “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” and No. 1 singles “I’m Alright,” “Bye, Bye,” “Stand Beside Me,” “That’s the Way” and “Bring on the Rain,” a duet with Tim McGraw.
Calderon met her at the KRKT-Jamboree Mystery Concert.
“She’s just a down-home girl,” he said. “She is just real, and a delight.”
The Peacemakers, who play Thursday, are an under-the-radar band with an intensely loyal following. Calderon said he learned of the Peacemakers a couple of years ago when a buddy took him to the Hawthorne Theater to see them.
He believed the venue had sold about 2,000 tickets, he said. “What I noticed, when he played, everybody moved, with their hands in the air. It was shoulder-to-shoulder packed, and everyone knew his music.”
They’re filling the same kind of slot Collective Soul filled last year, he said. Both were most prominent in the mid-1990s, and Collective Soul became the fastest sellout in fair history.
The Peacemakers evolved from the Refreshments, which toured with fellow Tempe, Ariz. band the Gin Blossoms in the mid-1990s, scoring a hit with “Banditos” from the album “Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big and Buzzy.”
After a second album on a national label and the band’s breakup, singer-guitarist-songwriter Roger Clyne and drummer P.H. Naffah formed the Peacemakers, independently releasing seven studio albums since then, most recently, “The Independent,” along with four compilations and two live albums, seasoning their Americana roots rock with country, punk, reggae and mariachi influences.
Vassar, playing Friday night, is responsible for penning hits for other country artists, including Messina’s “I’m Alright” and “Bye, Bye.” Other hits include Collin Raye’s “Little Red Rodeo, Tim McGraw’s “For a Little While,” Alan Jackson’s “Right on the Money,” Blackhawk’s “Postmarked Birmingham” and Neal McCoy’s “I Was.” All were No. 1 hits.
He personally recorded the No. 1 hits “Just Another Day in Paradise” and “In a Real Love” and six other Top-10 hits, including his debut single “Carlene,” which reached No. 5.
Grand Funk Railroad returns Saturday night after a successful previous appearance. The band, known for hits like “We’re an American Band” and “Some Kind of Wonderful,” is fronted by former .38 Special singer Max Carl known for the hit “Second Chance,” with guitarist Bruce Kulick, a 12-year veteran of KISS.
They join founding members Don Brewer, vocals, drums and writer of “We’re an American Band,” and Mel Schacher, bass. Tim Cashion rounds out the band lineup on keyboards, with previous stints with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band and Robert Palmer.
Grand Funk Railroad originated in Flint, Mich., in 1969 and marks its 45-year anniversary this year.
“They never cease to amaze me,” Calderon said. “When we had them here (five years ago), they asked me to bring them back.”
They love it here, he said. “There was no question they were coming back to Albany.”
“I think the lineup is great,” Regrutto said. “I thinks this is one of the most dynamic we’ve had at the fair for awhile.”
Fair parking is $4. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors 60 and older and free for children below the age of 12. Carnival all-day wristbands are $26. Individual carnival tickets are $3.50.
Visit linncountyfair.com for more information.