Top concerts headline Mercer County Fair lineup

CELINA - The Mercer County Fair is gearing up for another exciting fair week chock-full of thrilling entertainment, delectable food and great music - this year featuring its largest concert yet.

The fair will run Aug. 7-13 with a theme of "Best in the Midwest."

Fair officials hope to surpass last year's record-breaking attendance of 98,000 by adding much-needed off-site parking and making the fair more accessible to all attendees, marketing and public relations director Rachel Ungruhn said.

The fair's popular concert series will include three shows this year, with the Aug. 8 show slated as its biggest one yet due to increased ticket offerings.

"We increased our ticket sales on the track because we removed all of the seating on the track. It's just standing room only," Ungruhn said. "So we were able to sell more tickets in that area. So this will be the largest concert ever held at the fairgrounds."

Journey from the Heart, a Nashville-Based tribute band specializing in the music of bands Journey and Heart, will perform at 8 p.m. Aug. 7, the opening night of the fair, kicking off the weeklong festivities.

Big & Rich, the powerhouse Nashville duo behind party-starting mega-hits "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" and "Comin' to Your City," will bring their high-octane, humor-laced brand of country music to the Mercer County Fair as well.

Joined by their longtime musical associate Cowboy Troy, Big & Rich, who dominated country airwaves in the 2000s, are slated to take the grandstand stage at 8 p.m. Aug. 8. Also on the bill is special guest Saw Crush.

The shows were about "80%" sold as of Friday, Ungruhn said.

"So by the week of fair, I'm assuming it'll be a sellout," she added, saying that a sold out show would mark the sale of 4,750 concert tickets.

To accommodate the increased concert seating, the fair will offer off-site parking at the Celina Insurance Group parking lot at 1 Insurance Square, Celina. Attendees will be shuttled to the fairgrounds walk-in gate from the lot via a party bus or an ADA-compliant bus.

Other entertainment will include live music in the Beer Garden, the Wheels of Ag game show, two magic shows, a circus, an interactive Lego exhibit, a balloon artist and more.

The Wheels of Ag, back for its second year, is an interactive game show focusing on such ag topics as local agriculture, animals, plants, food groups, farm and barnyard, music and other sounds.

Magic enthusiasts will have options during fair week. The Doc Magic Show will be held all week on the north side of the fair office, along with former minister turned magician David Garrad, who will be at Cornerstone Chapel all week.

New this year, an immersive Lego exhibit will be set up in the Commercial Building. Lego lovers can attend any of the three daily building workshops or just stop by the exhibit any time and build a towering structure or a robotic marvel with the over 100,000 Lego pieces included in the exhibit.

Free shows at the Beer Garden include Haywired, Erastus, Natalie Uhlenhake, 127 North, Kyle Koesters, Shifferly Road, Isaac Buschur, Connor Albers and Green Sands.

Additional entertainment will be: amusement rides courtesy of Poor Jack Amusements, carnival games, animals galore, fine art, strolling entertainment, and 4-H projects and exhibitors.

The fair will once again reimburse the admission fee of patrons who come for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 11-13, a policy cherished by local food enthusiasts, who get to indulge in a different dish each day, and by vendors, who enjoy the boost in afternoon sales.

"If you pay $5 to get in the gate, you'll receive a ticket. If you're out before that two o'clock hour, you'll get a full refund for that," Ungruhn said. "We're hoping to get people in here and support the food vendors."

This year's fair will have some new food options too, including Crumbl Cookie, Glass City Barbecue, Kona Ice and Wendel's Barbecue.

Fairgoers can also dine on fair food staples from the Mercer County Cattlemen's Association, Fort Recovery and Parkway FFA food stand, Mercer County Pork Producers, Unity Grange, Hopewell Grange and more.

To make the fair more accessible for fairgoers of all abilities, fair officials partnered with Mercer County Board of Developmental Disabilities to offer a new sensory trailer, adult changing tables and wheelchair accessible picnic tables.

"One thing that we have really tried to improve upon from year (to) year is the accessibility into the fairgrounds," Ungruhn said. "We have realized that this is a need. We need wheelchair access. We need all the things for everyone to enjoy the fair and come and enjoy the day."

New this year, the fair will offer hourly electric scooter and wheelchair rentals, along with wagon and stroller rentals at the general admission gate near Market Hall.

The 173rd Mercer County Fair will be open 8 a.m-10 p.m. each day, Aug. 7-13 at the fairgrounds located at 1001 W. Market St., Celina.