Country Stars

HARTINGTON — The CedarStock Music Fest has returned for its third year at the Cedar County Fairgrounds with another weekend of headlining entertainment.

The three-day concert series will be held during the 130th edition of the fair, with the 2023 event scheduled for July 19-23 in Hartington.

Greg Heine, who is in his 11th year as fair board president, noted the concerts typically are the fair's hottest tickets.

'I just advise everyone to get tickets as soon as you can, so that if we do have a sellout situation, we don't have to turn people away,' Heine said. 'We had to last year. We don't want to have to do it this year.'

The fair’s evening entertainment lineup this year is set to include performances from country music singers Carly Pearce, Gabby Barrett and Cooper Alan on the grandstand main stage.

'We have some really great bands coming this year,' Heine said. 'We're really excited to have them and looking forward to some really good shows.'

Pearce, a 33-year-old Kentucky native who is scheduled to perform at 8:30 p.m. July 21, is a Grammy Award-winning artist who has had several of her songs hit No. 1 on country radio, including 'What He Didn't Do.'

Her three-time platinum-certified song, 'I Hope You're Happy Now,' with Lee Brice won both the 2020 Country Music Association Award for Musical Event of the Year and 2021 Academy of Country Music Award for Music Event of theYear, plus the ACM Single of the Year.

Pearce picked up her second consecutive ACM Award for Music Event of the Year in 2022 with a duet with Ashley McBryde titled, 'Never Wanted To Be That Girl,' her third No. 1 hit and the third duet between two solo women to top Billboard's Country Airplay chart.

The song also took home the 2022 CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, with Pearce making history as part of the first female pairing to win in that category.

Pearce also has been honored as one of Country Music Television's 2022 Artists of the Year, the 2022 ACM Female Artist of the Year and the 2021 CMA FemaleVocalist of the Year.

'She's going to be an outstanding performer,' Heine said. Barrett, a 23-year-old Pennsylvania native who is set to perform at 8:30 p.m. July 22, is known for her platinum single 'Pick Me Up' off the deluxe version of her top-streaming platinum album, 'Goldmine.'

Other well-known songs of Barrett's are the seven-time platinum breakout hit, 'I Hope,' and three-time platinum, three-week No. 1, 'The Good Ones.'

Ruling the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for a record-breaking 27 weeks, 'I Hope' was the first debut single by a solo female artist to thecountry radio charts since 2017.

That song also made Barrett the youngest artist with a No. 1 debut on country radio in more than two decades.

Among the many major accolades she has been honored with are the Billboard Women in Music's 2022 Rising Star Award and iHeartRadio's Best New Country Artist title in 2021. She also was recognized as one of the 2021 CMT Artists of the Year.

'She's an outstanding performer,' Heine said, noting he is 'very excited to have her' put on a concert at the fair.

Alan, a 27-year-old North Carolina native who is scheduled to perform at 8:30 p.m. July 23, is an up-and-coming performer who has built a large fan base through social media.

His hit singles include 'New Normal,' 'Tough Ones,' 'Colt 45 (Country Remix),' 'Can't Dance' and many more. His songs have reached No. 1 on the iTunes Charts multiple times.

In 2021, Alan started his own record label – Cooped Up Records – and began to translate his social media audience into high-energy live shows, selling out venues across the United States.

Because of his online and live touring success, the TikTok sensation was named a “Next Big Thing” artist by MusicRow Magazine in 2021.

“He’s a unique talent,” Heine said. “He’s got a lot of just different music out there that you won’t hear on the radio as much.”

In addition to the concerts, the 2023 Cedar County Fair PRCA Rodeo will entertain an evening audience. The 24th annual event is set for 7:30 p.m. July 20 at the rodeo arena.

The rodeo, which is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, celebrates and promotes “the greatest sport on dirt,” according to the fair’s website.

Bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, WPRA breakaway roping, tie-down roping, WPRA barrel racing and bull riding will be featured during the rodeo.

Heine noted the rodeo is almost always a sellout every year.

“We always bring in a good thousand people,” he said. “I always advise people if they’re coming to the rodeo, to come and get your seat early if you want a seat.”

The rodeo arena at the fairgrounds is a new, expanded facility that is approximately 30,000 square feet, about 6,000 square feet larger than the old one.

The project includes updated bucking chutes for the bulls and broncs to be released from with their riders within the arena. There are now six chutes instead of four.

The arena also will see new steel-pipe fencing, wooden posts and overhead lights, as well as a new announcer’s stand, thanks to the project.

“It took a lot of time and investment to get that put together,” Heine said.

He noted the fair is planning to bring back a flyover that will occur during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before each evening entertainment event July 20-22.

“We used to do a flyover a number of years ago and we’re going to bring that back this year instead of fireworks,” Heine said.

He also wanted to let fair attendees know that there will be several commercial and food vendors to check out.

“We’re going to have a full grounds this year,” Heine said. “We’re excited to see how this year will go.”