The Warren County Fair continues today through Saturday with a number of activities still on tap.
Thursday is senior’s day at the fair with seniors getting in for half price from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be senior bingo in the Lions Club from noon to 4 p.m. Another new attraction this year will be Elvis Impersonator Terry Phillips, who will perform as part of the senior day activities Thursday, Wideman said.
Thursday evening will be the Out of Field Tractor Pull and “Hart”land garden pullers on the main stage. The night will close out with DJ Big B’s in the JD Memorial Pavilion. At 6:30 p.m. is the annual livestock auction which last year generated over $400,000.
Friday features a host of livestock-related contests in the early afternoon with the jackpot rabbit show at noon, followed by 4-H livestock judging at 3 p.m. and the 4-H dog show at 4 p.m. The early evening features a rooster crowing contest at 5:30 and the Clover Kid parade in the livestock barn. Friday night features Xcaliber Pulling truck and tractor pull at the main stage starting at 7 p.m. and the evening closes out with a musical performance by Bad Decisions in the JD Memorial Pavilion and the Outlaw 5J rodeo in the arena.
Saturday of course is the big day with events running from 7 a.m. to close out with the fireworks show at 9:30 p.m.
Throughout the day there are a variety of activities available including the fair’s baby show and a cornhole tournament, both slated at 10 a.m.
Kids games, including such fun activities as frog races, turtle races, a pie eating contest and a doughnut on a stick eating contest begin at noon, with a pedal tractor pull event for ages three through eight beginning at 2 p.m.
The night features the main musical performances with Lily Grace featured on the main stage at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Honky Tonk Explosion main event featuring Andy Griggs, Wade Hayes and Darryl Worley at 7 p.m.
Worley is known for his blue-collar number one hits “I Miss My Friend,” “Awful, Beautiful Life” and “Have You Forgotten?” He is also known for such songs as “It’s Good To Be Me,” “Lay It On Me” and “Lonely Alone.”
Born and raised in southern Tennessee by a Methodist minister and a church-choir mom he describes as a “prayer warrior,” Worley started his musical career at the FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals, under the tutelage of producer/publisher Rick Hall (Mac Davis, Jerry Reed), where he remained for a solid five years. He played clubs almost nightly, honing his stage craft at the same time he was woodshedding his songwriting skills, and as Worley gained confidence, he found his way to Nashville. There, he secured a recording deal in 1999 on the basis of some demo recordings that showcased his authoritative vocals and his understanding of the hard-working country audience.
Hayes, a cancer survivor, shares his story with songs such as “Dirt Road” and “If the Sun Comes Up.”
Hayes was in his early 20s when he began churning out such hits as “Old Enough to Know Better,” “I’m Still Dancing with You,” “On a Good Night” and “What I Meant to Say.”
A second generation country singer from Bethel Acres, Okla., Hayes grew up watching his dad perform. The young guitarist’s dream was to be the next Don Rich, Buck Owens’ revered guitar player and one of country music’s most legendary sidemen.
“I was a big fan of Don Rich and I thought that’s what I wanted to do,” he recalls. “That’s what I moved to Nashville for.”
Griggs is known for such hits as “You Won’t Ever Be Lonely,” “She’s More” and “Grow Young With You,” and was raised on an eclectic mix of musical genres.
Griggs often says his influences in music are like a pot of gumbo. Growing up in Monroe, La., he was raised on Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggert, Waylon Jennings, Bill Monroe, hardcore blues, and hardcore rock’n roll, sprinkled with a touch of jazz.
He moved to Nashville in 1995 after a childhood life of major mountains and valleys. Music was such a huge inspiration in his young life that it helped him grieve. His father, the praise and worship leader at their church, died from a brain tumor when Andy was 11 years old. His brother Mason, his only sibling, took the baton of music and ran with it. Throughout their teenage years, Mason was Griggs’ hero. Mason died at the early age of 21 from heart complications that he had had since birth. Griggs then grabbed the family’s music baton and ran with it.
Admission fees Thursday are $20 for adults and $5 for children over four. Those children four and under are free. Friday and Saturday the prices are $30 for adults, $20 for children with those four and under free.
