Illinois Lottery to Sponsor Free Bret Michaels Concert at the Fair
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Bret Michaels concert at the Du Quoin State Fair will be a free show courtesy of the Illinois Lottery. One of the many things the Illinois Lottery is doing this summer to prove that "Anything's Possible" in Illinois.
The news immediately excited one prospective concertgoer.
"This news makes me feel like I've actually won the lottery," said Michele Newton of Phoenix, Ariz.
Newton is a Southern Illinois native, who, after learning about the Aug. 27 concert last week, immediately purchased a plane ticket to fly home for it.
But that was before she learned that the concert would be free. She had already been calling the Du Quoin State Fair ticket office trying to purchase tickets.
"When they told me that this was a free concert, I thought I was going to pass out," Newton said. "I was going to purchase several tickets, including tickets for my daughters."
What makes Newton so excited about the concert is a connection she feels she has to Michaels, who suffered a head injury in June 2009 that threatened his life.
Newton's teenage son had suffered a head injury seven years before Michaels'. Even though both were rushed to the same hospital in Phoenix, Newton's son didn't survive.
"The hospital began doing some things differently when evaluating head injuries after my son's death," Newton said. "I believe those things may have played a part in helping save Michaels' life. So you can understand why my daughters and I would have such a strong desire to see him in concert."
Newton actually only lives about 10 miles from Michaels, but with her daughters over 1,800 miles away, there has been no chance of getting together for a show, until now.
"As a family, we are going to hit the jackpot on August 27," Newton said. "You won't be able to wipe the smiles off our faces."
The Michaels concert is the second concert at the fair this year that will not require a ticket or admission cost. The Lee Greenwood concert on Sunday, August 26, is also free thanks to Continental Tire of Mt. Vernon.