Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker lead state fair lineup

The 98th annual Delaware State Fair will be stacked with familiar faces this summer with three of its biggest acts making return trips to Harrington.

Country trio Rascal Flatts ($54-$89), former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker ($44-$84) and tattooed country rocker Brantley Gilbert ($44-$84) will lead the charge at the Grandstand this year.

Also on this year's lineup: country singer and Big Barrel Country Music Festival alum Joe Pardi ($31-$66), comedian Gabriel Iglesias ($32-$42) and Christian rock/folktronica act Crowder ($25-$50).

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A batch of acts will perform on the same night – July 22 – as a "Rock of the '70s" revue, part of the Craft Brew Festival ($35-$45), which will feature 60 beers from Delaware and regional breweries.

Foghat ("Slow Ride"), Atlanta Rhythm Section ("So Into You"), Pure Prairie League ("Amie"), the Pat Travers Band ("Snortin' Whiskey") and Rare Earth ("I Just Want to Celebrate") will each play three to five songs during the 2½ hour show, focusing on their hits, fair organizers say.

All three of this year's biggest acts have played the state fair stage before: Rascal Flatts in 2005, Rucker in 2009 and Gilbert in 2014. And both Rascal Flatts (Harrington Raceway and Casino) and Rucker (the Freeman Stage at Bayside near Selbyville) returned to play Delaware in 2013.

Gilbert is the hottest act on this year's bill with his new album, "The Devil Don't Sleep," sitting at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, which also features Pardi's "California Sunrise" at the No. 10 spot.

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After Big Barrel and Delaware Junction Country Music Festival arrived in Delaware in 2015, the state fair had planned for a lighter-than-normal country lineup for 2016. But when both major festivals closed after one year, fair officials were left scrambling to pump more of fan-favorite country into the mix.

This year, they were prepared. Four of the seven entertainment acts are country.

"This year, we knew going in that we wanted to go back to our model of four nights of country since it's the genre of choice for folks coming out to the fair," says Danny Aguilar, Delaware State Fair assistant general manager.

Just like last year when the fair hosted a musical act on the night before its official opening for the first time – country star Jake Owen drew about 5,000 fans while the rest of the fairgrounds were dark – the fair will host Pardi for a special fair kickoff show on Wednesday, July 19.

There will be no gate admission charge for Pardi because the fair’s carnival rides, livestock animals and circus performers will not be up and running.

"The stage and food vendors are in place, and since it worked out well, we're doing it again," Aguilar says. "And the livestock exhibitors really liked it because they can actually attend a concert."

There was only one miscue. Because there was only a show running that night, some fans thought they could drive in and park right on the fairgrounds by the track instead of the normal Delaware State Fair parking areas.

"We'll be ready this year with security and such," Aguilar adds.

Recently, the fair introduced a standing-room-only pit in front of the Grandstand stage, and last year it added a loft called the Roost with preferred seating, private bathrooms and VIP parking passes. Both will be back this year, although the Roost will have only one viewing platform instead of two.

A more spacious track seating layout with extra legroom also will return after the Grandstand shrank from a 9,800-person capacity to 7,647 in 2016.

Other than a few of the fair's major recent bookings – acts like Luke Bryan and Toby Keith, who can draw large-scale crowds – some seats had largely remained empty for other shows, leading to the change.

"It's getting harder and harder to find artists who can sell 10,000 seats at the fair and still fit within our budget," Aguilar says. "We want to focus on keeping our tickets at a reasonable price and target more artists."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU GO

WHAT: 98th annual Delaware State Fair 

WHEN: July 20-29

WHERE: Delaware State Fairgrounds, 18500 U.S. 13, Harrington

TICKETS: On sale Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. 

INFORMATION AND TICKET SALES: delawarestatefair.com or (800) 514-3849

DELAWARE STATE FAIR SCHEDULE

July 19: Jon Pardi with Chris Lane, 7:30 p.m. $31-$66.

July 20: Painted Pony Rodeo, 7 p.m. $10.

July 21: Monster Truck Meltdown, 7:30 p.m. $18-$20.

July 22: Rock of the '70s & Craft Brew Festival, 6:30 p.m. $35-$45. (fireworks)

July 23: Darius Rucker, 7:30 p.m. $44-$84

July 24: Gabriel Iglesias, 8 p.m. $32-$42

July 25: Rascal Flatts, 7:30 p.m. $54-$89

July 26: Crowder with Big Daddy Weave, 7:30 p.m. $25-$50

July 27: Harness Racing, 7 p.m. Free.

July 28: Demolition Derby, 7 p.m. $17-$19.

July 29: Brantley Gilbert with Luke Combs, 7:30 p.m. $44-$84. (fireworks)