By Sarah Riley
News-Chronicle
SEYMOUR - Snow flurries in the air didn't stop Outagamie County Fair officials from helping Northeast Wisconsin residents dream of summer with the announcement of the fair's entertainment lineup Monday afternoon.
"This is the best county fair in Wisconsin," Outagamie County Executive Toby Paltzer said.
The 118th fair, which is held in Seymour each year, will feature two bands that have maintained their popularity since the late 1970s - Journey (July 13) and Alabama (July 11).
Journey enjoyed huge success in the 1980s with their hits "Don't Stop Believin'," "Wheel in the Sky," "Faithfully" and "Open Arms." With new lead singer Steve Augeri, the band recorded a song for the "Armageddon" soundtrack in 1998.
Alabama has recorded more than 40 hit country songs over its career, and has been recognized as a defining band in American music history. The band is best known for its songs "Mountain Music," "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" and "I'm in a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)."
On July 12, two-time platinum singer Neal McCoy and Trace Atkins will bring their double-bill show to the fair.
On July 10 there will be a free customer appreciation show with 1960s rock 'n' roll stars Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Tommy Roe, Mitch Ryder, Brian Hyland and Billy J. Kramer.
All grandstand music shows start at 8 p.m.
The grandstand will also host two typical county fair events to bookend this year's fair - a rodeo on the July 9 opening day and two demolition derbies on July 14. The rodeo begins at 7 p.m. and the derbies start at 1 and 7 p.m.
Tickets for the music shows are $20 and $25 for reserved seating, with the exception of reserved seats for Journey, which are all $25, and the July 10 free customer appreciation show. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday at the following locations:
— Brown County Arena box office, 1901 S. Oneida St., Ashwaubenon — through TicketStar at 494-3401 or www.ticketstar.com — Outagamie Fair office, 637 N. Main St., Seymour, or at 833-2941 — Cub Foods in Appleton — Curry's Foods in Marinette
The grandstand capacity is 9,000 for the rock performances and 6,756 for other shows.
The fair runs from July 9-14 and admission is $4 for adults and free for children under 12. Parking is free on the grounds. Admission is free all day July 9.
There will be approximately 7,500 exhibits this year at the Junior Fair, which is organized by the University of Wisconsin Extension. The carnival is run by Tip Top Shows from Waupaca.
This year's sponsors are Miller Brewing and Menominee Casino.
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