Country acts to kick off fair

Gary Allan's 20-year career in country music has been chock-full of top 10 hits.

The California native promises to play all of them when he headlines an 8 p.m. show on Friday at the Mercer County Fair.

"A couple of years ago, I went to a Stevie Wonder concert in Nashville," Allan recalled. "I was so excited to see him and hear the hits. That is what I was expecting. He played for well over two hours and did not play one song that I knew. I walked out of the show and knew I had to change my show. The fans may love new songs, but they come to see and hear the hits. Since then, our shows have been hit-heavy. We may throw in a few new songs, but we play the hits."

Ray Scott, a singer-songwriter who's received much critical acclaim and produced a string of No. 1s in the United Kingdom, will bring his unique old-school country sound on stage to open the night in what he expects will be a fun-filled and high-energy show.

"I'm looking forward to this, man," Scott said. "Gary's always been one of my favorites, because I've always considered him to be one of the true, unique country voices of this generation. ... It'll be a lot of fun, especially for people who love real country music."
  To his credit, Allan has five certified gold and three platinum records, five No. 1 hits on country radio, 14 top 10 hits and has amassed more than 270 million total streams.

Allan's debut album, "Used Heart for Sale," hit stores in 1996. Since then, he has released eight studio albums, selling more than 7 million copies. His last album, "Set You Free," rose to the top of the Billboard 200 Pop Charts, his first album to do so. The record also was his fourth in a row to debut at the top of the Billboard Country Album chart and led to Allan scoring his fifth No. 1 song in "Every Storm (Runs out of Rain"), a track that Allan listed as a defining moment of his career.

"There are lots of moments that stand out to me in my career, but there are a few that are a bit more defining," Allan explained. "The first time I heard 'Her Man' on the radio and then watching it go on to climb the charts and be a hit was an exciting time. Getting to meet and play with my heroes, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, was a dream come true. I cherish those moments with them. More recently, writing and producing 'Every Storm (Runs out of Rain)' and watching it go on to be a No. 1 was a major accomplishment. I've been doing this for 20 years, so each career milestone is something I am proud of. Those are just a few that really stand out to me."

Some of Allan's other big hits include "Tough Little Boys," "The One," "Life Ain't Always Beautiful," "Watching Airplanes," "I Just got Back From Hell," "Nothing on but the Radio," "Smoke Rings in the Dark" and "Best I Ever Had," a cover of the popular Vertical Horizon song that climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Country chart.

A little more than a year has passed since Allan released "Hangover Tonight," a track with an R&B touch. He recently launched the "Hangover" sequel - titled "Do You Wish it was Me." The song was co-written by Allan, Jonathan Singleton and Andrew Dorff and co-produced by Allan and Greg Droman.

"We've been playing a few new songs for a while now," Allan said. "We are getting a great reaction from the fans and they are ready for the new album. They request the new songs online and can't wait to buy them. It is exciting."

Scott shares not only a Dec. 5 birthday with Allan but also the same traditional country influences.

The man with a big voice has made a big name for himself in the U.K. and has received critical acclaim for old-school sound in the states as well. His music is a direct reflection of his influences - Johnny Cash, John Williams, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson - and he's proud to keep that sound alive.

"In my case, and a lot of guys like me, we're kind of just troubadours who love what we do and we work hard to find an audience and we just keep feeding that," Scott said. "For those of us who work hard and are lucky enough, we get to do it for a living.

His biggest career moment was being invited to perform a Johnny Cash tribute set when the Musicians Hall of Fame inducted Cash's band at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, he said.

"That was definitely a career highlight for me," Scott said. "It just kind of solidified my reasoning for doing what I'm doing. I think people realized where I was coming from artistically. That was a huge honor being asked to do that, because there's not many people who really could do that in my opinion. ... His bass player told me he didn't even know who I was at the time, but after we were done, he said 'man, I don't think anybody could have done this better.' "

The singer-songwriter credited the song "Plowboy" for landing him his first record deal in the early 2000s. The song was never released as a single but still has a cult fan base nationwide.

"There are certain places in the U.S. where that song became kind of a calling card or sort of an anthem," Scott said. "I know up north, up in the Northeast and up in Michigan and places like that, I get requests for it.

"That one definitely strikes a chord. It's just about being a dreamer and not giving up and making somebody eat a little crow."

Warner Bros. released Scott's debut album "My Kind of Music" in 2005 to much critical acclaim. The title track cracked into the Country Music Top 40.

Scott's style of music hasn't gained him a lot of play on U.S. country radio. However, Scott has made quite the name for himself overseas after having churned out a few independent records.

His 2011 album "Rayality" featured two No. 1 songs in the U.K. in "She's Still Screaming my Name" and "Those Jeans," which was also a huge hit on Sirius XM The Highway and helped him return to notoriety in the United States.

"It's been an interesting career for me," Scott said. "After a few years on the success of 'My Kind of Music,' I kind of hit a wall, because I was independent. I was having a hard time getting out there and working a lot.

"('Those Jeans') was really kind of a funny song, kind of a goofy song, and it really kind of put me back on the map," he noted. "Ever since then, it's really helped lead to a lot more work. It sort of helped start a new chapter for me."

Scott, the lone independent artist in the GAC Hall of Fame, added another top hit in the U.K. with his 2014 release of "Drinkin' Beer," a song that also ranked No. 18 on Rolling Stone Country's yearly chart.

On March 23, 2015, Scott released "Ain't Always Thirsty," which received much acclaim by Rolling Stone Country, Taste of Country and Sirius XM. The 1970s-style ballad was written by Scott five years ago after his divorce.

"We knew we were going to be up against some challenges in terms of radio play but also noticed there's a lot of people out there who love that thing. Ever since we've put it out, I can't tell you how many people I've had on social media just kind of really show a lot of support for it. I've had so many people covering it and kind of actually thanking me for bringing back a style that a lot of them miss."

For more information on the show and how to purchase tickets, visit mercercountyohiofair.com.

Schedules set for Mercer County Fair:
Senior Fair schedule

Friday
8 a.m. - fair opens
2-6 p.m. - Red Cross bloodmobile
3 p.m. - opening ceremony; art demonstration by Ralph Stuckman and Rich Burd
4 p.m. - rides and games open
5 p.m. - Cakes, pies and produce auction
7 p.m. - Erastus tailgate party; town team horseshoe tournament
8 p.m. - concert with country music performer Gary Allan with special guest Ray Scott
9:30 p.m. - Erastus concert

Saturday
9 a.m. - country horseshoe tournament
10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. - baby contests
1 p.m. - Michindon truck and tractor pulls
2 p.m. - pie contest, Kaitlyn Schmit
5 p.m. - Mercer County Fair princess, prince, wee miss, little miss, wee mister contests
6 p.m. - tough truck
6:30 p.m. - pee wee showmanship
7 p.m. - Sherry Chandler, artist demonstration
7:30 p.m. - tug-a-truck
8 p.m. - The Thien Snipps, Empty Tank
Sunday
9 a.m. - invitational horseshoe pitch, open horse pleasure show
9:30 a.m. - patriotic rosary
10 a.m. - open poultry
10:30 a.m. - nondenominational church service
12:30 p.m. - harness racing
1 p.m. - Wright With Christ Bible Study
1:30 p.m. - invitational horseshoe pitching round robin tournament, peewee showmanship
2 p.m. - Kaitlyn Schmit, New Start worship
2:30 p.m. - open breeding sheep show
3 p.m. - Abounding Grace worship
4 p.m. - Jane Stachler religious experience
5 p.m. - RISE worship, wing-eating contest
6 p.m - Christian revival service
7:30 p.m. - open dairy, Haywired
8 p.m. - livestock scramble

Monday
10:30 a.m. - nursing home lunch/activities
1 p.m. - Minute to Win It games
2 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. - Matt McAtee and the Eventuals
5 p.m. - clay demonstration by Anna Talei Fisher
6 p.m. - harness racing
7 p.m. - scams seen in Mercer County (sheriff Jeff Grey), Mercer County Youth Has Talent
8 p.m. - The Unknowns
Tuesday
11 a.m. - senior citizens lunch/activities.
11 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. - Matt McAtee and the Eventuals
12:30 p.m. - Senior Citizens king and queen contest
1 p.m. - Hoola-Hoop contest
3:30 p.m. - senior citizens bingo
5:30 p.m. - diaper derby
6 p.m. - veterans ceremony, beekeeper demonstration, open swine show followed by men/women/peewee showmanship
7 p.m. - broken horn rodeo, doubles horseshoe tournament
8 p.m. - Supervillin

Aug. 17
10 a.m. - kiddie tractor pull
11 a.m. - Hoof It! scavenger hunt
11:30 a.m. - Mr. Potato Head contest
12:30 p.m. - treasure hunt
1:30 p.m. - cookie contest
3 p.m. - Bella's Italian Grill cooking demonstration
4 p.m. - kiddie power wheel pulls
5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m. - Matt McAtee and the Eventuals
6 p.m. - open steer/heifer/feeder calves show, mule races and cowboy running races
7 p.m. - oil pastel demonstration by Anna Talei Fisher
7:30 p.m. - loader showdown
8 p.m. - Saw Creek
9 p.m. - auction of Bear Hollow Wood Carvers' masterpieces
Aug. 18
10 a.m. - CCC GPS "What you Need to Know to get you Where you Want to Go"
2 p.m., 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. - Matt McAtee and the Eventuals
3 p.m. - bubble gum blowing contest
6 p.m. - martial arts demonstration by Celina Martial Arts Studio
7 p.m. - high school band show
8 p.m. - DJ Fuzz

Junior Fair Schedule

Friday
9 a.m. - dairy cattle show
10 a.m. - booth judging
4 p.m. - rabbit market pens and showmanship
5:30 p.m. - special interest awards
6 p.m. - crowning of swine industry queen
6:30 p.m. - junior fair king and queen contest
7:30 p.m. - specie royalty crowning (during king and queen contest)

Saturday
8 a.m. - poultry show and showmanship
9 a.m. - swine hurdle showmanship
noon - horse pleasure, versatility and English show
5 p.m. - market lamb and sheep breeding show
7 p.m. - dairy showmanship

Sunday
noon - sheep showmanship
1 p.m. - demonstration contest, rabbit fun show
5 p.m. - Boer breeding, market goat and showmanship
6:30 p.m. - Cloverbud, foods and special interest modeling review
7:30 p.m. - clothing modeling review

Monday
9 a.m. - horse contesting show, swine show
4:30 p.m. - dairy goat and other non-market breeds show and showmanship
6 p.m. - beef show
7:30 p.m. - open dairy
8 p.m. - Christian revival service

Tuesday
10 a.m. - beef showmanship
11 a.m. - alpaca show
1 p.m. - beef judging contest
5 p.m. - rabbit show-fancy and commercial

Aug. 17
8 a.m. - dog show
9 a.m. - horse show
12:30 p.m. - showman of showmen contest

Aug. 18
11 a.m. - horse award banquet
1 p.m. - junior fair livestock auction