ESCANABA — Entertainment acts for the Upper Peninsula State Fair were announced during a luncheon today at the Island Resort & Casino. The lineup includes four musical performances in the grandstands. Tickets for reserved seating at the concerts went on sale today.
"We have a variety of talent," said Jimmy Jay of Jayson Promotions. "We have classic, great country with the Oak Ridge Boys and new country with Goriana and for the kids we have some of the top young rock groups in the country. I think it's going to be a great fair."
Gloriana, Tuesday Aug. 17 - The new country group Gloriana will the take the stage Tuesday night on Aug. 17. The group got its start in the winter of 2007 when Tom and Mike Gossin moved to Nashville after playing clubs in North Carolina. They discovered Rachel Reinert through her MySpace page. Cheyenne Kimball later saw the three perform and soon joined the group. The songs on their debut album included songs like "The Way It Goes" and "How Far Do You Wanna Go".
Orianthi, Wednesday Aug 18 - At 24 years old, Orianthi has already experienced what most aspiring musicans only dream of. She's opened for Seve Vai, backed Carrie Underwood, traded solos with Carlos Santana and shared the stage with Michael Jackson. Her first album is called Believe. It includes songs like "Suffocated" and "Think Like A Man". Opening for Orianthi is 20-year-old Georgia singer Jessie James.
Oak Ridge Boys, Thursday Aug. 19 - With their distinctive harmonies, the Oak Ridge Boys are returning to the U.P. Their latest album The Boys Are Back include "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker, "Beautiful Bluebird" by Neil Diamond and "Hold You In My Arms" by Ray Lamontagne.
Everclear, Friday, Aug 20 - Everclear rounds out the grandstand performances. The rock band's number 1 hit was "Santa Monica". Other songs include "Father of Mine", "Rock Star" and Learning How To Smile". Their new album is called In A Different Light.
Vickie Micheau, Delta Chamber executive director, said they tried to pick acts that would bring people to the fair.
"We wanted to make sure we had acts there were very popular so we were watching those that were up and coming," she said.
Admission to the concerts are free with a fair pass. Reserved seating is available for an extra $10 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets are available at the Island Resort & Casino.
The International Demolition Derby returns Saturday at the grandstand along with an Upper Peninsula International Raceway Exhibition Race.
A new addition to the Skerbeck Brothers Shows is a ride called the Vertigo. Joe Skerbeck said there are only four of the rides in the country that elevate and swing out.
"It's very exciting. It has a $50,000 LED light package . It's going to be a beautiful ride to look at at night," Skerbeck said.
This year, Skerbeck Brothers are offering a $50 Mega Pass for unlimited rides throughout the fair. Passes will be limited to 400 people.
The cost of the fair will be $8 for adults 13 and older, $5 for youth and free for children 5 and younger. Weekly passes are $25 for adults and $15 for youth.
