Thursday, August 7, 2008 1:42 PM EDT
The Washington County Fair has something for everyone
 "Whaley's Frosty Flynn" is dressed as a sunflower during the costume contest at the Washington County Fair. Haley Thornton, 11, of Wakefield, (right) is the Jersey Cow's owner. Photo by Susannah H. Snowden |
It could be called “Ladies’ Week” at the Washington County Fair, with a pair of 20- something Nashville girls who call themselves Bomshel performing — not to mention The Ladies of the Rolling Pin. But more of them later.
The best in country music is a dependable staple at the fair, the largest agricultural fair in Rhode Island, which runs Wednesday, Aug. 13 through Sunday, Aug. 17 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Richmond, under the auspices of the venerable Pomona Grange. Along with the livestock, the tractor pulls, the bake sales and the midway, well-established and upand- coming country stars fill the main stage each evening of the fair.
“We really wanted to mix it up this year and get in some young groups, who will appeal to a younger audience,” says Heather Daglieri, who is co-chairing the entertainment division this year with Mike Gould. “That’s why we wanted to bring back John Cafferty, who’s a Rhode Island boy and is always very popular here — he was here in 2004, and also Josh Gracin, who a lot of people will remember from ‘American Idol.’”
Gracin, who has had a number of hit singles and established himself on the country music scene since appearing on “American Idol” in its second season, will be the headliner Saturday, with shows at 1 and 9 p.m. “I watched him on ‘American Idol,’” Daglieri says, “and it was amazing to me that he was still in the Marine Corps, and was able to do that. It was wonderful to see his country career pick up after the show, with hits like ‘We Weren’t Crazy,’ ‘Nothin’ to Lose’ and ‘Stay With Me.’”
John Cafferty, who plays Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m., was the frontman for the Beaver Brown Band, a rock group out of Narragansett that hit the charts in the 80s with “Tough All Over,” and was best known for the music on the soundtrack for the film “Eddie and the Cruisers.” Cafferty’s “Hearts on Fire” was featured in “Rocky IV,” and he did the sountrack for another Sylvester Stallone film, “Cobra.” “He’s always a big draw here,” says Daglieri.
Friday night’s headliner is Lee Brice, who “has a great sound, some great country rock,” says Daglieri. “We’re very lucky to have him coming,” she adds. “He’s had a couple of singles recently, and one of the songs that people will recognize is ‘Happy Endings.’ He’s got a nice look and he’ll really appeal to the younger auidences.”
And it will be ladies’ night on Thursday, with the dynamic duo Bomshel, and Sunday, with Jamie O’Neal, an Australian singer who’s made it big in the States with “There Is No Arizona” and “When I Think About Angels.”
Bomshel is “an up-and-coming duo out of Nashville,” says Daglieri. “They were recommended to us when we sat down last October to put together the musical acts, and we listened to them and we thought they had a great sound. They seemed to have a great energy, they do sort of a ‘new country’ kind of music, very fast, very lively, and a lot of fun. They’re young, and they’ll be going places, like a lot of the singers who come to the Washington County Fair.”
“And we’re just as excited about Jamie O’Neal,” Daglieri adds of Sunday’s featured performer. “She’s had an awesome career, and one of my favorite songs is ‘God Don’t Make No Mistakes.’”
An extra highlight of the fair this year, Daglieri says, is the first-ever appearance of Rhode Island’s Morris Dancing group, the Ladies of the Rolling Pin. “They’ve appeared at Waterfire up in Providence,” she says, “and are pretty well known around Rhode Island now. They’ll be hosting another Morris Dancing group, from England, and they contacted us to see if they could both perform at the fair, so they’ll be here for a couple of hours on Friday.”
Several local music groups will be playing on the portable stage during the fair, including Gail County, the Parallel String Band, and Goldrush, all doing country western music, and Before and After, playing golden oldies. “There’ll be something for everyone,” Daglieri says.
Special children’s activities include a science presentation called “Fire and Ice,” given by the Mad Scientist, and a circus arts workshop featuring juggling, clowning, acrobatics and other big-top skills. “That’s always really popular,” Daglieri says. There will also be meet-and-greet events with Ronald McDonald and, for the first time, with the URI mascot Rhody Ram.
The Washington County Fair attracts over 100,000 people over five days of festivities, so there really is “something for everyone,” Daglieri says. “You can go shopping, you can look at the arts and crafts, you can ride the midway, you can see the animals and the plants and the food, you can watch the truck pulls and the tractor pulls, and you get some great music. We’ve heard a lot this year about the ‘Stay-cations,’ people wanting to stay at home for their vacations, and this is just a great place to do that. It’s where I always spend my vacation!”
Daglieri grew up in West Greenwich and has always been involved with the fair, just like her parents and her brothers and sisters. Her father Clyde “Pete” Fish is chairman of the fair, and her whole family is still involved in every aspect of planning and working the event, along with hundreds of other volunteers with the Pomona Grange. “I grew up on the fairgrounds,” Daglieri says, “and there’s no better place to be.”
The Washington County Fair opens Wednesday, Aug. 13, and runs through Sun., Aug. 17. Events begin at 9 a.m. and run through closing, which is usually around 11 p.m. Tickets are $9 per day; a strip of 5 tickets is available for $36. For more info and a schedule of events, go to www.washingtoncountyfair- ri.com.
The best in country music is a dependable staple at the fair, the largest agricultural fair in Rhode Island, which runs Wednesday, Aug. 13 through Sunday, Aug. 17 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Richmond, under the auspices of the venerable Pomona Grange. Along with the livestock, the tractor pulls, the bake sales and the midway, well-established and upand- coming country stars fill the main stage each evening of the fair.
“We really wanted to mix it up this year and get in some young groups, who will appeal to a younger audience,” says Heather Daglieri, who is co-chairing the entertainment division this year with Mike Gould. “That’s why we wanted to bring back John Cafferty, who’s a Rhode Island boy and is always very popular here — he was here in 2004, and also Josh Gracin, who a lot of people will remember from ‘American Idol.’”
Gracin, who has had a number of hit singles and established himself on the country music scene since appearing on “American Idol” in its second season, will be the headliner Saturday, with shows at 1 and 9 p.m. “I watched him on ‘American Idol,’” Daglieri says, “and it was amazing to me that he was still in the Marine Corps, and was able to do that. It was wonderful to see his country career pick up after the show, with hits like ‘We Weren’t Crazy,’ ‘Nothin’ to Lose’ and ‘Stay With Me.’”
John Cafferty, who plays Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m., was the frontman for the Beaver Brown Band, a rock group out of Narragansett that hit the charts in the 80s with “Tough All Over,” and was best known for the music on the soundtrack for the film “Eddie and the Cruisers.” Cafferty’s “Hearts on Fire” was featured in “Rocky IV,” and he did the sountrack for another Sylvester Stallone film, “Cobra.” “He’s always a big draw here,” says Daglieri.
Friday night’s headliner is Lee Brice, who “has a great sound, some great country rock,” says Daglieri. “We’re very lucky to have him coming,” she adds. “He’s had a couple of singles recently, and one of the songs that people will recognize is ‘Happy Endings.’ He’s got a nice look and he’ll really appeal to the younger auidences.”
And it will be ladies’ night on Thursday, with the dynamic duo Bomshel, and Sunday, with Jamie O’Neal, an Australian singer who’s made it big in the States with “There Is No Arizona” and “When I Think About Angels.”
Bomshel is “an up-and-coming duo out of Nashville,” says Daglieri. “They were recommended to us when we sat down last October to put together the musical acts, and we listened to them and we thought they had a great sound. They seemed to have a great energy, they do sort of a ‘new country’ kind of music, very fast, very lively, and a lot of fun. They’re young, and they’ll be going places, like a lot of the singers who come to the Washington County Fair.”
“And we’re just as excited about Jamie O’Neal,” Daglieri adds of Sunday’s featured performer. “She’s had an awesome career, and one of my favorite songs is ‘God Don’t Make No Mistakes.’”
An extra highlight of the fair this year, Daglieri says, is the first-ever appearance of Rhode Island’s Morris Dancing group, the Ladies of the Rolling Pin. “They’ve appeared at Waterfire up in Providence,” she says, “and are pretty well known around Rhode Island now. They’ll be hosting another Morris Dancing group, from England, and they contacted us to see if they could both perform at the fair, so they’ll be here for a couple of hours on Friday.”
Several local music groups will be playing on the portable stage during the fair, including Gail County, the Parallel String Band, and Goldrush, all doing country western music, and Before and After, playing golden oldies. “There’ll be something for everyone,” Daglieri says.
Special children’s activities include a science presentation called “Fire and Ice,” given by the Mad Scientist, and a circus arts workshop featuring juggling, clowning, acrobatics and other big-top skills. “That’s always really popular,” Daglieri says. There will also be meet-and-greet events with Ronald McDonald and, for the first time, with the URI mascot Rhody Ram.
The Washington County Fair attracts over 100,000 people over five days of festivities, so there really is “something for everyone,” Daglieri says. “You can go shopping, you can look at the arts and crafts, you can ride the midway, you can see the animals and the plants and the food, you can watch the truck pulls and the tractor pulls, and you get some great music. We’ve heard a lot this year about the ‘Stay-cations,’ people wanting to stay at home for their vacations, and this is just a great place to do that. It’s where I always spend my vacation!”
Daglieri grew up in West Greenwich and has always been involved with the fair, just like her parents and her brothers and sisters. Her father Clyde “Pete” Fish is chairman of the fair, and her whole family is still involved in every aspect of planning and working the event, along with hundreds of other volunteers with the Pomona Grange. “I grew up on the fairgrounds,” Daglieri says, “and there’s no better place to be.”
The Washington County Fair opens Wednesday, Aug. 13, and runs through Sun., Aug. 17. Events begin at 9 a.m. and run through closing, which is usually around 11 p.m. Tickets are $9 per day; a strip of 5 tickets is available for $36. For more info and a schedule of events, go to www.washingtoncountyfair- ri.com.
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