Hot musical acts scheduled for the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo in August drew an earlier-than-usual crowd to the fair office Friday morning.
People began arriving at the office at 9:20 a.m. Friday in anticipation of advanced fair ticket sales, which run from
8 a.m. to noon today. By 6 p.m. Friday, 14 people had set out camping chairs and sleeping bags for a chilly night in line.
Camping out the night before advanced tickets go on sale has long been a tradition for hard-core fair fanatics. But arriving almost a full day before tickets go on sale? That's a new one, said fair Marketing Director Lori Lancaster.
"I've been here five years and that's unusual," Lancaster said Friday night as she and others organized the fair office for this morning's sales.
Lancaster said she believes the interest is the result of an all-new musical lineup; none of the five scheduled acts have performed at this fair before.
People seem to be especially attracted to Aug. 20 show by country star Gary Allen, whose song Watching Airplanes has been nominated for single record of the year for the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Among those waiting to buy tickets for Allen's show were best friends Diana Williams and Michelle Moffett, both of Kennewick. The duo spoke of how "hot" Gary Allen was Friday night as they enjoyed their spots in line.
This year, those standing in line will stay warm, thanks to portable heaters the fair association rented in anticipation of overnight temperatures in the low 30s.
The ultimate goal, of course, is getting front-row reserved seats at the fair's music shows. There are 700 reserved tickets available for each of the five shows and Lancaster expects at least one to sell out today.
Any remaining reserved tickets will go on sale again during regular office hours Monday. Those who don't get reserved tickets still can enjoy the music shows through general admission.
The fair office is at 1500 S. Oak St., hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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