by Rachel Hunter
The 2022 Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair will be held Tuesday, August 2 through Sunday, August 7, 2022 and plans are already being made to make this year’s county fair – the 163rd Year for the Gouverneur Agricultural and Mechanical Society and the 170th Year for the St. Lawrence County Agricultural Society – the best one yet. A family tradition since 1859, there promises to be something for everyone at the 2022 Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair.
Fair Manager Don Peck of Gouverneur told the Gouverneur Tribune Press that tickets are already being sold for the opening night concert on Tuesday, August 2, 8 p.m. Sawyer Brown, an American country music band, will be the opening night headliner. The band was founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by five members of country pop singer Don King's road band: Bobby Randall (guitar), Jim Scholten (bass guitar), Joe Smyth (drums), Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard (keyboards), and Mark Miller (lead vocals). After King retired in 1981, the five members decided to form a band, first choosing the name Savanna before switching to Sawyer Brown, taken from the name of a road near where they practiced.
Sawyer Brown first gained national attention in 1983 when they participated on Star Search, a former television talent show on which they won the grand prize of $100,000. They received many offers in Los Angeles, including a Monkees-like television show, but opted to return to Nashville. They quickly earned a recording contract with Capitol Records (in association with Curb Records). Their first album, also titled Sawyer Brown, was issued in 1985. It included their first Number One single on the Billboard country music charts, titled "Step That Step". The band continued to chart regularly throughout the 1980s, although many of their late-1980s singles failed to enter Top 40.
Originally, Sawyer Brown was known for a primarily country pop sound dominated by novelty tunes; by 1992, however, the band began to show a more serious side to its music, adding ballads to its repertoire. That year, the band also dropped its affiliation with Capitol, and Curb Records took over promotion and distribution of all subsequent albums and singles (except for 2003, when Sawyer Brown temporarily switched to Lyric Street Records). Bobby Randall also left the band in 1991, and was replaced by Duncan Cameron. Cameron subsequently departed in 2004, with Shayne Hill assuming the role of lead guitarist.
To date, Sawyer Brown has released twenty-three albums, of which three have been certified gold in the United States for sales of 500,000 copies. More than fifty of their singles have entered the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including three Number One singles. Sawyer Brown also received a Horizon Award from the Country Music Association in 1985, as well as a Vocal Group of the Year award in 1997 from the Academy of Country Music and 5 Vocal Band Of The Year Awards from the TNN/Music City News Country Awards.
There is much anticipation for the opening night concert, and seating will once again be position behind the grandstand stage due. Reserved seating costs $50 per ticket, festival seating $30 per ticket. Call 315-287-3010 and leave a message with your name, phone number, and the number of tickets requested and someone will return your call. Fair Manager Peck said that within a couple of weeks, tickets will be available through Etix. For more information, visit gouverneurfair.net.
On Wednesday, August 3, the crowds will once again enjoy the talents of local high school marching bands during the Carlton Peck Band Day with the high school bands parade at 1 p.m. and the Peck Awards to follow. The 2022 Fair will be the first year the local marching bands will make their return to compete at the Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fairgrounds since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The 2022 Band Day will be the first year without its namesake, Carlton Peck, who passed away in November 2021. His family plans to honor him before the Peck Awards ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. The ever-popular 2022 Firemen’s Parade will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening, free grandstand.
On Thursday, August 4, harness racing will be at noon, and fairgoers can enjoy the races from the comfort of grandstand seating. On Thursday evening, the talent show (free admission) will take place on the grandstand stage, starting at 6:30 p.m.
On Friday, August 5, starting at 6 p.m., crowds will enjoy the tractor pull in front of the grandstand stage. The charge will be $15 per person.
On Saturday, August 6, 8 p.m., the Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair will welcome Larger Than Life, the Ultimate Boyband Tribute Band, to the grandstand stage. Local band, The Revolution, will perform from 4 to 7 p.m. Free grandstand. Fair Manager Don Peck said the Saturday will also be Military Day, and there will be a special ride promotion for military kids.
On Sunday, August 7, the Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair will come to a close once again with the crowd-favorite, the Demolition Derby, which starts at 1 p.m. at the grandstand. There will be a $15 per ticket charge.
Coleman Brothers Shows Inc. will once again provide the amusements on the midway with carnival rides and games. Fair Manager Peck told the Gouverneur Tribune Press this week that the carnival rides will not be open until Wednesday, August 3, at 1 p.m. “There will be no rides available on Tuesday,” he said. “There will be food stand open and games open, but rides will not open until 1 p.m. on Wednesday.” There will be special ride promotions once again this year, which will be announced later once plans have been finalized. “There will be a special deal for a wristband on Saturday,” he said. “You can buy them at 3 o’clock and ride until closing. That’s something new, just on Saturday only.”
Free Ground Acts: The Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair will once again welcome back free ground acts – Eudora Farms Petting Zoo and Rosaire’s Racing Pigs. In addition, Fair Manager Peck said the following: “We’ve got a new ground act, it’s a dragon that will talk to you, walk around the midway and entertain kids. It’ll also be stationery underneath Coleman’s big tent for the whole week. It’ll be doing shows three or four times per day. It’ll be walking around the grounds… something different for kids to do.”
The 2022 Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair will also offer a local entertainment tent where local bands, musicians, vocalists, etc. can perform free of charge. To sign up for a timeslot of one hour or two, contact Fair Manager Peck at 315-287-3010. “We are not sure where the tent is going to be yet, but we will take care of that. That will be something new. I’ve had a few people ask if they could come and perform…”
The Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair also annually serves as a showcase for youth and agricultural achievements. Exhibits will once again be on display in the 4-H and FFA Buildings. Farmers across the North Country will bring their best livestock for exhibition in both junior and open classes. There will once again be much to see and do in the agricultural end of the Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fairgrounds during Fair Week. More information will be published as it is made available to the Gouverneur Tribune Press.