Faribault Co. Fair turning 150
Sarah Day — Staff WriterArticle Photos
BLUE EARTH - An up-and-coming country starlet will headline the grandstand shows during the 150th year of the Faribault County Fair.
To celebrate such a milestone, the fair board wanted to beef up its entertainment. Gwen Sebastian, a rising name in country music, will take the stage Friday of fair week in July.
"She's just a little dynamite," said the fair's marketing coordinator Yvonne Cory. "She's got a lot of zest and enthusiasm."
The fair board heard Sebastian perform at the Minnesota Federation of County Fairs annual meeting in January and they were hooked.
"The majority of the people at the convention heard her," Cory said. "That was the one. We had other ideas, but this one was shining bigger than the others."
Sebastian sings for all ages, Cory said, and has a lot of "country spunk."
"I think she's going to put on a great show," she said, adding that during January's convention, Sebastian's new single "Hard Rain" was No. 4 on an independent music chart.
Sebastian, a North Dakota native, has opened for country artists Taylor Swift, Sugarland and Phil Vassar. She is featured in the upcoming County Weekly Magazine in the "Who to Watch" in 2010 section.
The grandstand also will feature several other artists to contribute to the 150th anniversary.
"It's a big celebration," Cory said. "It's a big accomplishment, really."
The last time the fair hosted a bigger concert was in the 1980s, but prior to that it had many bigger-named artists perform. In 1976, Jeannie C. Riley - the first woman to become a Billboard Country and Pop No. 1 hit at the same time - performed at the fair. Her biggest hit came out in 1968 with "Harper Valley PTA."
Other artists included a personal appearance at 1962's rodeo by Jimmy Dean, performances by Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Sonny James, Tammy Wynette, Barbara Mandrell, The Judds, Box Car Willie, Ricky Skaggs and many others.
The sesquicentennial fair will run July 20-25.
