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Gov.
Blagojevich announces Illinois State Fair Grandstand lineup
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Entertainers include country music stars Gretchen Wilson, Martina
McBride and Sugarland; rock newcomer Chris Daughtry; and 'High
School Musical' co-star Corbin Bleu
[April 30, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich
announced this week that Illinois native and country music superstar
Gretchen Wilson, four-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist
of the Year Martina McBride and rock newcomer Chris Daughtry will
perform during the 2007 Illinois State Fair. The star-studded
Grandstand lineup also features Grammy Award-winning band Sugarland
and a teen-pop show featuring Corbin Bleu, co-star of the hit Disney
Channel movie "High School Musical," and Drake Bell of Nickelodeon's
"Drake & Josh."
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"This lineup more than upholds
the fair's tradition of offering quality entertainment for families
at affordable prices," Blagojevich said. "This package should have
wide appeal and help bring thousands of visitors to the fair."
Wilson, who was born and raised in Pocahontas, a small town in rural
Bond County, will perform on opening day of the fair, Aug. 10. Her
meteoric rise to country music superstardom began in 2004 when the
first of her two chart-topping albums, "Here for the Party," was
released. The album sold 2 million copies in just nine weeks, the
fastest double-platinum certification ever for a debut country
artist, and produced her first No. 1 hit, "Redneck Woman," a song
that Billboard.com voted "Anthem of the Summer of 2004." Her third
album, "One of the Boys," will be in stores May 15. Blaine Larsen
will open the show.
The double bill of Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell will take the stage
Saturday, Aug. 11, to be followed Sunday, Aug. 12, by Daughtry, an
acclaimed rock band fronted by its lead singer and namesake, Chris
Daughtry. The group's self-titled debut album spent nine weeks atop
the Billboard music charts and produced hit singles including "It's
Not Over" and "Home."
Multi-platinum country recording artist Martina McBride will
entertain Friday, Aug. 17. McBride, who has 22 top-10 singles to her
credit and just released a new album, "Waking Up Laughing," will
perform with Carolyn Dawn Johnson.
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 Sugarland, Country Music Television's Duo of the Year, will
conclude this year's Grandstand concerts with a show Sunday, Aug.
19. Joe Nichols is the opening act. The fair also intends to
schedule a concert Saturday, Aug. 18, but has not come to terms with
a performer yet. An announcement is expected soon.
Besides musical entertainment, the Grandstand also will feature
horse racing and motor sports. Evening harness races have been
scheduled Tuesday, Aug. 14, through Thursday, Aug. 16. The auto
races will be Saturday, Aug. 18, and Sunday, Aug. 19. The Illinois
Symphony will perform on Monday, Aug. 13.
All concerts begin at 8 p.m. Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m.
Saturday through Ticketmaster. They can be purchased either on the
Internet at
Ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-827-8927 or at any Ticketmaster
outlet. Tickets order forms also can be downloaded from
www.illinoisstatefair.info. The Grandstand ticket office will
start accepting mail orders May 28 and will open June 2 at 9 a.m.
for walk-up sales.
All sales are final. The fair does not provide refunds or
exchanges on ticket purchases.
(Grandstand lineup below)
[Text from
Illinois State Fair
news release received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information]
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