By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
A classic country star, a '90s country favorite and two popular Texas artists will perform during the annual Tri-State Fair & Rodeo in September.
Fair officials gave me the exclusive scoop on who'll headline the annual fair, which runs Sept. 15 to 23 on the Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. Third Ave.
The Bud Light Stage will feature the following:
- Texas singer-songwriter Max Stalling will perform Saturday, Sept. 16. A former snack-food scientist, Stalling became a full-time musician almost 20 years ago and has built a reputation as one of the state's best songwriters. I interviewed him last year.
- Texas country singer Kimberly Dunn will return for a fifth consecutive year with performance on Thursday, Sept. 21. A true Texas fireball, Dunn is expanding to a national scope with the releases of her latest albums. I interviewed her just a couple of weeks ago.
- Classic country singer Moe Bandy will perform Friday, Sept. 22. Bandy broke into the music business in the 1960s but found his greatest success in the '70s, with such hits as "I Just Started Hating Cheatin' Songs Today," "Bandy the Rodeo Clown," "Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life," "Cowboys Ain't Supposed to Cry" and more.
- And Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American country singer Rick Trevino will perform Saturday, Sept. 23. After breaking out with "Just Enough Rope" in 1993, Trevino charted 14 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, the No. 1 single "Running Out of Reasons to Run."
Shows will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. nightly and are free with fair admission.
“Our 2017 fair lineup has something for everyone, from the hottest Texas country to old-school country music”, said Arcadio Rivera, Tri-State Fair & Rodeo entertainment committee member, in a news release. “All of this talent will certainly have our fairgoers scooting their boots.”
Entries are still sought for the 93rd annual Tri-State Fair parade, set for 10 a.m. Sept. 16 in downtown Amarillo.
Fair Time — Fun Time is the theme for the parade. Entries are due at noon Aug. 25; an application form can be found here.
The parade will follow a slightly new route this year, beginning as usual at 11th Avenue and Polk Street, then proceeding north to Fourth Avenue, west to Harrison and south to Eighth Avenue.
“The new route will keep the parade off Third (Avenue) and away from the Cvic Center," parade chairman Walt Kelley said in a news release. "Both of these areas have seen an increase in traffic, making it difficult to conduct the parade safely."
Prizes are $400 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place.
Fair hours will be 4 p.m. to midnight Sept. 15, and 8 a.m. to midnight Sept. 16 to 23. Carnival hours are 4 p.m. to midnight weekdays and 1 p.m. to midnight weekends.
Admission is $10 for ages 13 to 54, $5 for ages 6 to 12 and ages 55 and older, and free for children 5 and younger. Admission is free until 1 p.m. Sept. 18 to 22.
Ride wristbands are $30 daily. Mega-Passes, offering daily admission to the fair and all rides except for the Power Ride, are $65 from Sept. 1 to 14 and $70 from Sept. 15 to 22. They will be available at the Tri-State Fair office and Toot'n Totum stores.
Call 806-376-7767.
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
