Fair free entertainment acts announced

Independent staff and submitted information

The Music Pavilion is located on the north side of the Administration Building and will feature some of the top artists in Christian music.  

Opening night, Tuesday, August 31, will feature regional artist Randy Long.  Long’s upbeat style is a combination of country and southern gospel. The concert will begin at 7 p.m.

There will be no shortage of free entertainment at the 2021 Van Wert County Fair.  The Free Entertainment Committee has worked hard to bring a great variety to the fairgoer over the seven days of the fair. Watch local news sources for information on all four free entertainment venues. 

Wednesday, September 1, is “Senior Day” at the fair and anyone over 60 will be admitted to the fair free until 4 p.m. CHP Home Care and Hospice is sponsoring the day and CHP will present an informational and entertaining program, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Music Pavilion.  Free coffee and doughnuts will be served by CHP and the Van Wert County Council on Aging. Guest speakers will talk on a variety of topics, from health care, to safety, to exciting things coming to Van Wert.  CHP will also offer free blood pressure checks from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  At 1 that afternoon, Tom Kennerk from Monroeville, Indiana, will be performing. Kennerk was a member of the United States Navy Band and plays both tenor and soprano saxophone.

His concert will feature patriotic and gospel music as well as Big Band classics.  At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Music Pavilion will feature the Van Wert Community Concert Band. The people movers will also be in action to assist seniors around the fairgrounds. 

Thursday and Friday, September 2 and 3, will feature two of the top groups in Southern Gospel Music. On Thursday, Brian Free and Assurance will take the stage at 7 p.m. Free is undeniably the most recognizable tenor of his generation.  Since 1982, he has been at the forefront of Christian music, first joining the Gold City Quartet, then moving on to form his own group. Christian music has always been Free’s first love, and fans have responded to his music by honoring him and the group at the Dove Awards for Southern Gospel Performance of the Year, first with “Say Amen,“ in 2014, as well as “Long As I Got King Jesus” in 2006. Fans of Southern Gospel, Praise and Worship, and contemporary music will love the sound of BFA.  

On Friday, September 3, the music will begin at 6 p.m. with Trinity. Trinity has been singing and traveling around the country since the early 1980s. As part of the Willowood label, many doors have opened for the group to share God’s message in song.  At 7 that evening, a mix of Southern Gospel and Bluegrass music will be performed by Jeff and Sheri Easter. For the Easters, gospel music is genetically programmed into their DNA. As members of acclaimed musical families — Jeff Easter’s father is one of the Easter Brothers and Sheri Easter’s mother was a member of the Lewis Family — they grew up surrounded by the sound of people praising God through their musical gifts. In 1988, they decided to form their own group. Charlotte Richie rounded out this trio for many years until Morgan Easter took her spot at just 14 years old.  Jeff and Sheri have been nominated for numerous Dove awards and have received two Grammy nominations among a whole host of other awards. 

Labor Day weekend will be filled with a variety of entertainment for kids through adults in the Music Pavilion.  The fair will also offer two church services with St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church holding Mass at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, September 4, and Zion Christian Union Church holding services at 10 a.m. Sunday, September 5. Sunday will also feature the Fortress Band at 1 p.m., Calvary’s worship team at 3 that afternoon, with the Van Wert Fair Board presenting Rhett Walker at 8 p.m.  

The Rhett Walker concert will be held in the area to the north of the Music Pavilion and will feature outside seating or standing, and also chairs in the Music Pavilion. Walker is not the typical Christian artist and loves to share his story of God’s Grace using a mix of Southern Rock and Christian Rock. This should be a great concert (for more information, go to www.rhettwalker.com). 

The fair will wrap up on Labor Day, September 6, with a more activities for kids with “Children Choosing Christ “ and a combined concert with Trinity and The Morse Family beginning at 4 p.m. The Morse Family is a southern gospel group featuring a man and wife and seven of their nine children on stage, with grandpa on the piano.  

All of these activities are free to fairgoers and made possible by the Van Wert County Agricultural Society and many area sponsors!. For more information about the free entertainment offered this year, go to www.vanwertcountyfair.com.