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KENNEWICK -- This year's lineup of entertainers for the 2009 Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo is filled with idols young and old.
"I think there's a good variety," said Lori Lancaster, manager of the fair and rodeo. "There's a little bit of something for everyone, from classic country fans to new country fans. We have some classic rock, some classic pop and some '80s rock and roll."
The headliners include Clint Black, The Beach Boys, America, Night Ranger and Bucky Covington.
Tickets go on sale from 8 a.m. to noon April 25 at the fairgrounds in Kennewick. Fair admission is $10, but rises to $12 after Aug. 1. Reserved seating at concerts is limited to about 700 seats and costs $8 in advance in addition to the $10 admission.
"People usually camp out the night before to get the best seats," Lancaster said. "We get several dozen people that will spend the night. Usually the first person in line will show up 24 hours before, so they'll stay all night Friday."
Tickets will also be available the following Monday at bffairrodeo.com or by calling 586-9211, ext. 201.
* Kicking off fair week will be Clint Black on Aug. 25. The 47-year-old country music singer-songwriter has been busy running his record label, Equity Music Group, and appearing in reality TV shows, such as Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice.
Fans may recognize Black from the Academy Award-nominated film Maverick, or have seen his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has had more than 30 singles on the U.S. Billboard country charts.
Fans will hear tracks from his 2005 album Drinkin' Songs and Other Logic, as well as his latest single, Long Cool Woman, released in 2008.
* The crossover group The Beach Boys had their start in 1962 with their smash hit Surfin' Safari .
Still, the band's biggest-selling hit didn't arrive until 1988 with the release of Kokomo for the film Cocktail .
The group's last studio album, called Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 , was released in 1996. The surviving members came together in 2006 to honor the 40th anniversary of their album Pet Sounds . Since then, the group has been touring and will bring their charisma to the fair on Aug. 26.
-- Starting with three blokes from London, the folk rock group America has since expanded to five members, who will be taking the stage Aug. 27.
In 1972, America became an overnight sensation with the release of the hit single A Horse With No Name off their self-titled debut album.
The band has since been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and has worked with Ryan Adams, Ben Kweller and Adam Schlesinger from the indie-rock group Fountains of Wayne.
America's 16th studio album, Here & Now , was released in 2007, their first major-label full-length studio album since 1984.
* Fans of '80s hard rock band Night Ranger will get a chance to see the reunited group Aug. 28.
Their first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and continue to be popular overseas.
Best known for their power ballad Sister Christian in 1984, the band split just five years later, then reconciled in the mid-'90s. Keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald and guitarist Jeff Watson walked from the band, but the remaining five members continue to release albums, such as 2008's Hole in the Sun .
* Life after American Idol has been pretty sweet for 31-year-old country singer William Joel "Bucky" Covington III.
After placing eighth on the fifth season of Idol , he landed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records and released his self-titled debut album in April 2007. The album debuted in the No. 1 slot on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts.
Fans will get to hear his new track, I Want My Life Back , off his upcoming 2009 album, set to be released Sept. 8. He closes out fair week on Aug. 29.
For more information, go to www.bffairrodeo.com.
