The first Friday of the Great Minnesota Get-Together brings Sunny Sweeney, Dale Watson, Mountain Heart, Greene and Hurst, and others back to the various stages at the Fair.
Minnesotacountry.com’s guide to the Minnesota State Fair will be brought to you every night before, and morning of, so you can plan your visits to the fair accordingly. If you have additional tips on keeping it country at the fair, e-mail them to info@minnesotacountry.com and we will be happy to pass them along to our fans.
On Friday, Aug. 23, Sunny Sweeney will bring her Texas twang to the North Country for sets on Bandshell Tonight. Sweeney’s second album, Concrete, has produced her most successful single “From a Table Away,” which debuted in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and has also given fans the hits “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving” and “Drink Myself Single.” She opened for Blake Shelton at the State Fair Grandstand in 2012.
Other Leinie Lodge Bandshell acts for Friday include Mountain Heart, which plays music with elements of rock, jam band, country, blues, jazz, folk and bluegrass. Members of Mountain Heart have either won or been nominated for Grammys, ACM, CMA, and multiple IBMA Awards. They have appeared on the revered stage of the Grand Ole Opry more than 125 times and have shared the stage with acts ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to John Fogerty. The group performs Friday, Aug. 23 at 10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m. Another gem on the Bandshell is Texas staple Dale Watson, who is a honky-tonk hero and country music maverick. A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, he stands alongside Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Strait as one of the finest country singers and songwriters from the Lone Star State. Like the early country legends of the 1950s and 1960s, Watson has a style and sound all his own. Catch Watson on stage Friday at 3:30 and 4:45 p.m.
Fair veterans Greene and Hurst hits this year’s celebration with shows at the Gardens Building on the corner of Dan Patch and Underwood 6-11 p.m. nightly Aug. 22-24 & Aug. 29-Sept. 2. Greene and Hurst is a new kind of country, a fun kind of country. The band mixes in today’s hits, some classics, a few classic rock songs and even originals. Wanting to do nothing but have a good time with the crowd, G&H makes sure to leave everything they have on stage to make sure the fans leave happy and wanting more.
There’s nothing better than a little good ol’ fashioned jug music. Good-time hillbilly band The Roe Family Singers won the 2012 title of “World’s Best” at the 30th Annual Battle of the Jug Bands and was awarded a prestigious McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians in 2011. Blending characteristic old-time sound with rock ‘n’ roll influence, the band features banjo, autoharp, guitar, washboard and more. The group will perform at Heritage Square Friday, with sets at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. The Harris Brothers follow with three sets during the afternoon.
Don’t forget to visit your favorite country radio station booths at the fair, and be sure to send us photos of yourself supporting country music at the Minnesota State Fair!
To see a full list of guides for every day of the fair, click HERE.
If you can’t make it to the fair check out all the other great shows in the area by clicking HERE.