Entertainment lined up for 2010 Mighty Ho. Co. Fair - Cresco, IA - Cresco Times-Plain Dealer

Last year, 90-degree temperatures and heavy humidity didn’t keep people from visiting the Mighty Howard County Fair, and while there will likely be frigid temperatures and snow on the ground for a while yet this winter season, this year’s fair—set for Wednesday, June 23 through Sunday, June 27—is already looking to live up to its big name.
    According to Tom Barnes, Executive Secretary of the Howard County Agricultural Society, the fair will boast many of the previous year’s popular attractions, but with some new surprises. Read on as he takes us through the planned events for the fair, making us wish for warmer weather…

Grandstand entertainment
    Wednesday, June 23: The evening entertainment will include a rodeo complete with bull riding, barrel racing and mutton bustin’—an event that is open to all youth ages 6 and under. “Usually we have about 30 kids for this,” said Barnes. “We’ve had [this event] for the last four or five years, and it’s been a very good rodeo. People really seem to enjoy it, and it’s very well-attended, which is why we keep bringing it back.”
    Following the rodeo event will be fireworks.
    Thursday, June 24: There will be B-Mod/SportMod, stock car and hobby stock races. “The feature attraction is, of course, the Hawkeye Dirt Tour—it features IMCA modifieds and that’s why we’re on Thursday, so we can be part of the tour,” said Barnes. “There’s going to be a lot of participation in that tour. It’s going to be a big night.”
    Friday, June 25: “Friday is one of the two fun nights—it’s our classic rock ‘n’ roll night. The first group is called ‘Dead or Alive,’ and it’s the number one Bon Jovi tribute band,” said Barnes, adding that typically there is a conference in December where Iowa fair boards meet to book entertainment. “We’ve used this agency—AME Entertainment out of Kansas City—in previous years.”
    Barnes says Friday is going to be a fun night. “The other band is ‘Silver Bullet,’ which is a tribute to Bob Segur. [Fairgoers] will get their fill of classic rock ‘n’ roll that night.”
    Saturday, June 26: It’s country music night! Barnes says they will have Justin Moore, whose song “Small Town USA” was the only song by a new country artist to top the Billboard chart in 2009. “We got him through a different agency [Variety Attractions of Zanesville, Ohio], but they’ve been good to us on our Country Music shows. We’ve worked with [the agency] for many years on Country entertainers. Moore was just named Billboard Magazine’s 2009 New Country Artist of the Year,” said Barnes.
    Sunday, June 27: It’s been over 20 years since the fairgrounds have featured an Enduro Series racing event. “An Enduro is a specialty car, almost like a Figure 8 car. Everybody starts to race at once—250 laps for two hours—and they don’t stop the race unless the track is blocked or somebody’s life is in peril,” said Barnes, adding that the young man who runs the circuit used to race in Cresco. “We’re really excited about teaming up with him. It should be a good thing—we should have quite a few cars.”
    Barnes says the “Pay-One-Price Grandstand Button” will be back again this year, helping community members cut down on their entertainment costs. The cost of the buttons will be $15 per button before the fair and $18 at the fair. Children who are in preschool or under are free. Button holders are eligible for nightly drawings of cash prizes and merchandise certificates. “We were the first fair in Iowa [to have the Grandstand Button],” said Barnes. “1985 was our first year, now fairs are using this concept all over. You can also get single-night admissions, too, but we don’t know exactly what prices will be yet.”  

via www.crescotimes.com