April 5, 2018 at 5:41 p.m.
Agen headlining fair
FW native was ‘The Voice’ runner-up
Agen headlining fair
Jay County Fair Board didn’t have to go far to find its headlining act for 2018. She lives just about an hour’s drive north.
Addison Agen, the 16-year-old Fort Wayne native who finished as the runner-up on season 13 of “The Voice,” will be the featured performer for the 2018 Jay County Fair as she takes the grandstand stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 12.
“She has been quite popular in the Fort Wayne area and has gotten a lot of PR exposure through television and so forth,” said Rob Weaver, who serves as Jay County Fair Board vice president and is in charge of booking grandstand entertainment. “And the few concerts she’s had since she finished The Voice have been very well-attended. So we thought we’d give her the opportunity to entertain folks here in Jay County.”
She has performed recently at the Embassy Theatre and the Winter Jam Spectacular at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, both in Fort Wayne.
Agen, who played her first piano recital at age 2, auditioned with the Ray LaMontagne song “Jolene” and chose Miley Cyrus as her coach. She later lost a head-to-head battle on the show to Karli Webster, but was “stolen” by Adam Levine. She then advanced all the way to the four-way finale, finishing as the runner-up to Chloe Kohanski.
A student at Concordia Lutheran High School at the time of her audition, Agen now takes classes online as she continues to pursue a musical career.
An order form for tickets for her performance at the fair is available on the Jay County Fair Facebook page. Prices are $15 for grandstand general admission and $20 for track. VIP/meet and greet tickets, which include seats in the first two rows, are $75.
Being able to bring in an artist with a strong regional appeal while keeping ticket prices affordable were key factors in booking Agen, said Weaver.
“We always like to look for someone who we feel like is going to bring a very nice crowd,” he added. “We are in the people business, and the more people we attract to the fairgrounds the better the fair does, the better our vendors do.
“She’s a young artist wanting to grow and is looking forward to playing our fair.”
The bulk of the grandstand entertainment schedule will remain the same as it has been for the last couple of years. It will feature hog wrestling Monday, 3 Bar J Rodeo on Tuesday and demolition derby events Friday and Saturday.
One of the changes will come on Wednesday, which has typically featured a concert. There will still be singing, but fairgoers may also be treated to dancing, magic and other acts as part of the finals of Jay County Chamber of Commerce’s Stars in the Park talent competition.
The Stars in the Park quarterfinals will remain at Hudson Family Park on Thursday evenings in June, but this year the chamber decided to try a different venue when the $1,250 grand prize is on the line.
“We wanted to really have our performers be able to perform on a larger stage and provide great regional talent to the fair,” said chamber executive director Dean Sanders. “We thought it would be a great way to increase attendance to the fair too.”
The other change this year involves harness racing, which will open the fair on Saturday, July 7. (The races have typically been held on the closing day of the fair.)
The fair board is looking forward not only about the grandstand entertainment, but to visitors enjoying the renovated facility as well. The east section of the grandstand is being completely rebuilt while the middle and west sections will get new aluminum seating and flooring. There will also be new box seats.
“We’re excited with the new grandstand renovation. That’s going to be very nice,” said Weaver. “The box seats are all going to be brand new. … I think people are going to want to come to our events just to experience the new look of the grandstand and the improvements that have been made.”
Maple Leaf Amusements will be back for its third year providing rides and games at the fair. Rides will open on the Monday night of fair week and wrap up on Saturday evening.
“They’ve been working to improve the ride selection for our fair this year and have added at least two new rides,” Weaver said.
The Jay County 4-H livestock shows will run from Saturday, July 7, through Wednesday, July 11, with the supreme showmanship competitions July 12 and the livestock auction July 13.
Addison Agen, the 16-year-old Fort Wayne native who finished as the runner-up on season 13 of “The Voice,” will be the featured performer for the 2018 Jay County Fair as she takes the grandstand stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 12.
“She has been quite popular in the Fort Wayne area and has gotten a lot of PR exposure through television and so forth,” said Rob Weaver, who serves as Jay County Fair Board vice president and is in charge of booking grandstand entertainment. “And the few concerts she’s had since she finished The Voice have been very well-attended. So we thought we’d give her the opportunity to entertain folks here in Jay County.”
She has performed recently at the Embassy Theatre and the Winter Jam Spectacular at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, both in Fort Wayne.
Agen, who played her first piano recital at age 2, auditioned with the Ray LaMontagne song “Jolene” and chose Miley Cyrus as her coach. She later lost a head-to-head battle on the show to Karli Webster, but was “stolen” by Adam Levine. She then advanced all the way to the four-way finale, finishing as the runner-up to Chloe Kohanski.
A student at Concordia Lutheran High School at the time of her audition, Agen now takes classes online as she continues to pursue a musical career.
An order form for tickets for her performance at the fair is available on the Jay County Fair Facebook page. Prices are $15 for grandstand general admission and $20 for track. VIP/meet and greet tickets, which include seats in the first two rows, are $75.
Being able to bring in an artist with a strong regional appeal while keeping ticket prices affordable were key factors in booking Agen, said Weaver.
“We always like to look for someone who we feel like is going to bring a very nice crowd,” he added. “We are in the people business, and the more people we attract to the fairgrounds the better the fair does, the better our vendors do.
“She’s a young artist wanting to grow and is looking forward to playing our fair.”
The bulk of the grandstand entertainment schedule will remain the same as it has been for the last couple of years. It will feature hog wrestling Monday, 3 Bar J Rodeo on Tuesday and demolition derby events Friday and Saturday.
One of the changes will come on Wednesday, which has typically featured a concert. There will still be singing, but fairgoers may also be treated to dancing, magic and other acts as part of the finals of Jay County Chamber of Commerce’s Stars in the Park talent competition.
The Stars in the Park quarterfinals will remain at Hudson Family Park on Thursday evenings in June, but this year the chamber decided to try a different venue when the $1,250 grand prize is on the line.
“We wanted to really have our performers be able to perform on a larger stage and provide great regional talent to the fair,” said chamber executive director Dean Sanders. “We thought it would be a great way to increase attendance to the fair too.”
The other change this year involves harness racing, which will open the fair on Saturday, July 7. (The races have typically been held on the closing day of the fair.)
The fair board is looking forward not only about the grandstand entertainment, but to visitors enjoying the renovated facility as well. The east section of the grandstand is being completely rebuilt while the middle and west sections will get new aluminum seating and flooring. There will also be new box seats.
“We’re excited with the new grandstand renovation. That’s going to be very nice,” said Weaver. “The box seats are all going to be brand new. … I think people are going to want to come to our events just to experience the new look of the grandstand and the improvements that have been made.”
Maple Leaf Amusements will be back for its third year providing rides and games at the fair. Rides will open on the Monday night of fair week and wrap up on Saturday evening.
“They’ve been working to improve the ride selection for our fair this year and have added at least two new rides,” Weaver said.
The Jay County 4-H livestock shows will run from Saturday, July 7, through Wednesday, July 11, with the supreme showmanship competitions July 12 and the livestock auction July 13.
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