Concert postponed

Trace Adkins will not be returning to the Jay County Fair, but he will be returning to Jay County.
Jay County Fair Board decided Tuesday to postpone the Adkins concert scheduled for July 8 because of wet conditions at the grandstand and an uncertain forecast for next week. Hunter Smith Band, which was scheduled to open for Adkins, will still perform.
Adkins will instead be in concert at 8 p.m. Aug. 14 at the fairgrounds.
“It was a difficult decision, but conditions at the fairgrounds are not just right to have people on the infield there,” fair board president Rob Weaver said Tuesday afternoon, noting that this marks the first time in 30 years that the concert has been postponed because of weather. “We didn’t want to do it, but regretfully we decided to go ahead and move it.
“Everything else should be a go, unless we get hit by another barrage.”
Adkins, whose hits include “You’re Gonna Miss This” and “Ladies Love Country Boys,” was scheduled to return to the Jay County Fair after performing as its featured show in 2012.
But the infield of the fairgrounds is too wet to handle such a large production, Weaver said. He noted the size and weight of the stage necessary for the show as well as the three buses and at least one semi that would come with the Adkins tour.
Hunter Smith Band, led by former Indianapolis Colts punter Hunter Smith, will perform on a smaller stage set up close to the grandstand. General admission tickets for that concert will be free, with box seats available for $10.
Savannah Jack will play on the same stage at 7 p.m. July 9.
Tickets already purchased for the Adkins fair show will be honored when he performs Aug. 14. Hunter Smith Band will return to the fairgrounds as the opening act.
“Since it’s a Friday night, we hope it’s going to be a more desirable night,” said Weaver.
Those who will not be able to attend the rescheduled concert will be able to get a refund at the fair office.
The main concert at the fair is regularly the biggest draw of the week, helping local service groups with food sales at their stands at the fairgrounds. Weaver said those groups will be invited to reopen for the Aug. 14 concert.
“They shouldn’t be hurt too much,” said Weaver, adding that he hopes there will still be a significant crowd during the fair to see the “Super Bowl punter.” “They are a valuable part of our fair and we want to make sure that they’re treated fairly. They put money back into the community, so we don’t want to do anything to decrease that if we can help it.”
Jay County and the surrounding area have been drenched over the last month, with downtown Portland flooding twice in the last two weeks. Heavy rain and flooding of the Wabash River led to the cancellation of Fort Recovery’s Harvest Jubilee that was scheduled for June 18 through 21.
National Weather Service charts show rain totals of at least 8 inches throughout Jay County in June, with some areas surpassing the 14-inch mark. Fort Wayne set a record for June rainfall with 11.98 inches.
The forecast is mostly clear through Sunday, with only a slight chance of showers Friday.
”The fair will move ahead,” said Weaver. “Thankfully we’re going to have some dry-down days here that should allow us to get the rides up without any problem Sunday.”