Arkansas country music singer Matt Stell rounds out the entertainment lineup at the Linn County Fair, headlining on Friday, July 16, and joining a roster that starts with Blue Öyster Cult on Thursday, July 15, at the Linn County Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road E, Albany.
Headliners take the main stage at 8:30 p.m. each night. Opening acts begin at 7.
Matt Stell is the Friday night musical headliner and Tyler Farr caps off the concerts on Saturday evening.
The Linn County 4-H and FFA fair got underway Monday and the Linn County Fair kicks off Thursday and runs through Saturday.
Due to an outpouring of early reserved seating ticket sales, the Linn County Fair is adding nearly 800 general admission seats to the concert venue for nightly concerts beginning Thursday.
The additional chairs mean there will be almost 1,300 reserved and general admission seats.
Blanket seating will not be allowed.
“The Marion County Fair had an outstanding turnout and vendors report sales were brisk,” said Randy Porter, Linn County Fair & Expo Center director. “We think this is a prudent move to help reduce potential crowding. We want everyone to have room to relax and enjoy the concerts.”
Porter said 447 reserved seats are already sold out for the Blue Oyster Cult concert at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
“We have been looking forward to hosting the county fair for some time,” Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist said. “We hope that this additional seating is a step toward ensuring folks have the great time they are used to at the fair.”
The 6-foot-7-inch Stell – an outstanding basketball player at Drury College in Springfield, Missouri – released “Prayed for You” in 2019, topping Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart and registering more than 270 million streams online, earning Stell his first RIAA Platinum certification. Another hit, the somewhat biographical “Everywhere but On,” landed in the Country Top 20. Portland’s Jessie Leigh, who returns later to the mid-valley for a July 31 performance at the Oregon Jamboree, opens.
Active since 1967, Thursday headliner Blue Öyster Cult enjoyed its greatest success during the 1970s and ’80s with such smashes as “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper,” “(This Ain’t) the Summer of Love,” “Burnin’ for You,” “Joan Crawford,” “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” and “Godzilla.” A new album – the band’s first in nearly two decades – “The Symbol Remains,” was released in 2020. Fate 55, a Corvallis-based mid-valley favorite, launches the evening.
Country singer-songwriter Tyler Farr hits the stage Saturday night. The Garden City, Missouri, native’s hits include “Redneck Crazy,” “Whiskey in My Water” and “A Guy Walks Into a Bar.” Tangent’s Adam Larson & Co., another Oregon Jamboree perennial, serves as opening act.
General concert seating is free with paid admission. Reserved seats (including admission) are available for $22 at bit.ly/3e1YF8Q.
General fair admission is $7 for adults, free for children 12 and under.
According to Porter, traffic flow around the location will be shifted during the fair to relieve congestion from concertgoers, who are advised to arrive early.
Livestock trailers will be allowed to enter from the south, but all other traffic will be directed to enter from Knox Butte Road. Temporary ramps will be constructed at the fairgrounds’ south end and on the north curb of Price Road and Dogwood Avenue that abuts Timber Linn Park, where overflow vehicles will park. No traffic will be allowed on Timber Street SE.
Other activities and attractions include a Family Land featuring Washboard Willy, K-9 Kings, Kid Fit, Puzzlemania, Cirque Adventure and more, open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and a senior ice-cream social at 2 p.m. Thursday. The 4-H and FFA fair runs from July 12-17, with the annual livestock auction at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Calapooia Arena.
A buyer’s lunch will be served starting at 11:30 a.m. The in-person event features optional online bidding.
Buyer registration is open at www.lcyla.com.
For more information, visit linncountyfair.com.