Already a feel good fair...
Du Quoin State Fair manager Shannon Woodworth calls it the "peoples' fair", and one of the first things he did was take the first three rows of orchestra seats that for years had been pulled for friends and family--and offered them to the general public!
Wow!
Southern Illinois fairgoers have responded. Dale Lipe of Anna, Ill. parked his lawn chair in front of the fair's grandstand ticket window at 1 p.m. on Tuesday as the first in line. The ticket window didn't open until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"I do this every year," said Lipe, who retired from Southern Illinois University at age 51. "I come to this fair, then I go to the Sikeston fair," he said.
He was in Du Quoin to buy tickets for Foreigner (Aug. 23), Kenny Rogers (Aug. 24), Travis Tritt (Aug. 25), Rodney Atkins (Aug. 29) and KC & the Sunshine Band (Aug. 30).
"So, you're buying for all of the shows," said a smiling young lady sitting nearby. "Almost," he said.
Then, there was Desiree Flint, whose arms were propped up by a pillow as she checked messages on her cell phone. "I came to buy Travis Tritt tickets for my boyfriend from Christopher for his birthday (so don't tell him!)
Down the line were two girls sitting side-by-side in lawn chairs from Mount Vernon--Mary Keyes and Karen Settle. They were buying tickets for the Rodney Atkins show. They had been in line since about 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Next to them was Valerie Simpson of Marion, who was in line for front row seats to Foreigner, an historic group she calls "the best." She was looking forward to the concert and to see Du Quoin High School choral students sing backup for the show.
It was the first day turnout that Woodworth was hoping for. And, it validates his belief that making this a "Family Love Af-fair" and paying attention to the local and area fairgoers is the key to the fair's future.
The entire fair staff was in the office early to help however they could on the opening day of ticket sales.
Foreigner has 10 multi-platinum albums to its credit as well as 75 million digital downloads, more than any other classic rock act in history. When the band performs its best-known song, "I Want To Know What Love Is," during its Saturday, Aug. 23, concert, a choir of Du Quoin High School students will sing backup.
Country music Hall of Famer Kenny Rogers will bring his long list of timeless classics and number one singles to Du Quoin Sunday, Aug. 24.
On Monday, Aug. 25, two-time Grammy Award and three-time CMA Award-winning artist Travis Tritt will perform. On Tuesday night, the Jon Henninger Band will take the grandstand stage. The contemporary gospel group's hit song "We Will Stand" was featured at the Daytona 500 and is the theme song for the Code Of Support Foundation, which assists American troops and military veterans.
The following night, pro wrestling Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler will be featured in the main attraction against Scott Steiner as USA Championship Wrestling comes to the Du Quoin State Fair.
.38 Special has been booked Thursday, Aug. 28. The southern rock band charted several singles in the 1980s, including "Hold On Loosely," "Rockin' Into The Night," "Caught Up In You" and "Fantasy Girl."
On Friday, Aug. 29, country music's Rodney Atkins is the featured entertainment. Atkins' song "If You're Going Through Hell" was not only a number one hit in 2006, but also the most played country song of the year. His other number one hits are "These Are My People," "Take A Back Road" and "It's America."
The grandstand performances conclude on Saturday, Aug. 30, with KC and the Sunshine Band.
All the grandstand shows are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. With the exception of the gospel show, which costs $10 a seat, and the wrestling match, which is priced at $20 for adults and $10 for children, tickets cost either $25 or $30.