Final Acts Announced for State Fair of West Virginia 

Lewisburg, W.Va. – State Fair Officials are excited to announce the addition of Yung Gravy with special guest DJ Tiiiiiiiiiip, Wilson Fairchild, and the Buckin’ B Bull Ride to the 2023 State Fair of West Virginia Concert Lineup.

Yung Gravy will take the stage Thursday, August 10, 2023, at 8 PM, while Wilson Fairchild will perform a free show on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at 7:30 PM. The Buckin’ B Bull Ride will take place on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at 7:00 PM. Tickets for Young Gravy and the Buckin’B Bull Ride will go on sale Friday, March 31, 2023, at 10 AM.

“We are thrilled with the additions of Yung Gravy, Wilson Fairchild, and the Buckin’ B Bull Ride to complete the 2023 Lineup,” State Fair CEO Kelly Collins stated. “Routing for the artist truly worked in our favor this year, and we cannot wait for the 98th Annual State Fair of WV!”

Tickets will only be available via ETIX at https://statefairofwv.com/entertainment/ or by calling 1-800-514-ETIX (3849) Monday through Friday 9 AM – 6 PM, or Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM. Tickets will not be sold at the State Fair Box Office until later this spring.

The 98th Annual State Fair of West Virginia is slated for August 10-19, 2023.

Yung Gravy

Go ahead and call him “The People’s Champ…”

The people quite literally demanded his rise by galvanizing his jump from underground stalwart into a mainstream force.

23-year-old MC, Minnesotan disruptor, and MILF connoisseur Yung Gravy quietly emerged as a gold-certified phenomenon by way of hilarious ad-libs and airtight rhymes. Within a year, his 2018 Snow Cougar EP yielded a pair of gold-selling bangers — “Mr. Clean” and “1 Thot 2 Thot Red Thot Blue Thot” — jumping from early SoundCloud success to the hottest playlists on Spotify such as New Music Friday and Pop Rising, to name a few. In its wake, he sold out three tours in North America, two tours in Europe, and his run of Australia and New Zealand. This hot streak continued as his world tour, Experience The Sensation, Part 2,” also sold out.

During 2019, his full-length debut Sensational [Republic Records], crashed the Top 5 of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and put up 450 million-plus streams across bangers a la “Alley Oop” [feat. Lil Baby” and “Gravy Train,” which gave a 808 facelift to Maxine Nightingale’s “Right Back Where We Belong.”

Gravy just does Gravy though…

“I really felt like there was something missing,” he explains. “I wasn’t hearing what I wanted to hear, so I stepped up to the plate and actually started doing it myself.”

Rewinding to the beginning, he hit his stride in 2016. Inspired by everyone from OutKast, Nate Dogg, Curren$y, and Action Bronson to Patrice Rushen and The Blackbyrds, Gravy took to SoundCloud to begin releasing music. The first song he uploaded, “Karen”, quickly garnished new fans and stirred a palpable buzz online. His first independent EP, Mr. Clean, went viral on the strength of “Continental Breakfast” on SoundCloud. Sandwiching a sample of The Chordettes’ “Mr. Sandman” between racy and raw rhymes, the title track “Mr. Clean” popped off and paved the way towards literal gold as well Thanksgiving’s Eve, Yung Gravity EP, and Baby Gravy EP. Soon, he reached #1 on Indify and had labels knocking at his door. Gravy kicked off 2018 with the sizzling single “1 Thot 2 Thot Red Thot Blue Thot.” Flipping the Dr. Seuss limerick upside down, the hook proves immediately infectious.

“I was at a house party in Georgia that got broken up by the cops,” he recalls. “We were accused of burglary, and I spent the night in jail. I got probation with community service. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, so all of the felonies were expunged, but I still got charged with ‘Criminal Trespassing’ and ‘Underage Drinking.’ The day I got off probation, I was super hyped and inspired. This is my freedom song.”

A free man, he shows no signs of stopping or slowing down. He teamed up with frequent collaborator bbno$ for a 2020 collaborative project introduced by the track “shinin on my ex,” which OnesToWatch predicted as “a surefire Tik Tok hit” and Lyrical Lemonade pegged as “another absolute slapper” and “a true classic.” Their chemistry really exploded on the single “iunno.” Over off-kilter horns and a subtle beat, they lock into a vibrant verbal volley before the hashtaggable hook.

It supports his main goal though — as always.

“At the end of the day, this is all meant to make people feel good,” he leaves off. “This is party music, and everyone’s invited.”

Wilson Fairchild

The Reid cousins, who seem more like brothers, have sung together professionally for over 15 years. They are energetic, enthusiastic, and above all, very, very talented. Along with their outstanding harmony, which is an inherent trademark from their fathers, Harold and Don Reid, members of the Statler Brothers, Wil and Langdon are prolific songwriters who have had over 30 songs published and recorded.

They can also play many different instruments, which makes an impressive portfolio and contributes to their unique style. But when Wil and Langdon plug up and strap on their electric guitars and turn on their natural entertaining abilities, you can expect to be fulfilled with a musical delight.

The duo played a lot of music for a number of years under the name Grandstaff. Grandstaff CDs include Circles and Grandstaff: Live & Well. In 2010, the country music duo changed their name to Wilson Fairchild. Wilson is Wil’s middle name and Fairchild is Langdon’s middle name. The new fresh name has more of a duo sounding ring to it and fits their fresh new music as well.

You may remember a number-one rated television show for seven years on TNN, “The Statler Brothers Show.” On their debut appearance, they got to sing the first song they had written together called “What We Love To Do” which the Statler Brothers recorded. Since then, they have been hooking up with some other big name writers and joining forces behind the almighty pen. In 2007, the Statlers were being inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Wil and Langdon were asked to be a part of the ceremony by singing a song to them. They felt it was time to write their own “Statler” song in tribute to all their successes throughout their career. The two sat down and wrote “The Statler Brothers Song.”

Their latest success in the songwriting arena is a song called “Make God First.” They wrote it with friend and Grammy-award winning songwriter Gordon Kennedy, and Ricky Skaggs recorded it for his Mosaic CD.

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The 10-day State Fair of West Virginia is celebrating 98 years on August 10-19, 2023. The State Fair of West Virginia, with a $13.8 million-dollar economic impact on the state of West Virginia, is a 501 © 3 non-profit corporation committed to the traditions of agriculture, family entertainment, and education. For more information, please visit www.statefairofwv.com, or follow fair events on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Join the conversation by using #sfwv!

State Fair Announces Second Annual Art Contest

The State Fair of West Virginia is excited to announce its Second Annual State Fair Art Contest. The winning entry will be featured as the 2023 State Fair Print of the Year, and will receive a cash prize, as well as a percentage of sales.

“We’ve been able to feature some amazing local artists over the last few years with the official fair portrait,” State Fair CEO Kelly Collins stated. “We are excited to continue to promote our local artists and can’t wait to see what folks come up with!”

The official State Fair print should portray a positive image of the State Fair of West Virginia or reflect activities in anticipation or preparation of the annual event. Guidelines include: 

– Image should be 11″x14″, or 11″x17″ vertical or horizontal will be acceptable.

– Medium may include oil, acrylic, watercolor, or pastels. Must be able to copy for print production purposes. 

– Both professional and amateur artists are permitted to enter.

To enter: Please submit a copy and/or picture of your work to Kellyt@statefairofwv.com by April 7, 2023.

For more information, please contact the State Fair Office at 304-645-1090, or email kellyt@statefairofwv.com.

Lainey Wilson To Perform At The State Fair Of West Virginia

Fair Officials are excited to announce that the 2022 ACM New Female of the Year winner, Lainey Wilson, will appear at the State Fair of West Virginia on Monday, August 14, 2023. Tickets for the show will go on sale Friday, February 17, 2023 at 10 AM.

“We’re thrilled to add Lainey Wilson to our roster of performers this year,” State Fair CEO Kelly Collins said. “Our 2023 lineup is one for the books, and we are not done yet!”

Tickets will only be available via ETIX at https://statefairofwv.com/entertainment/ or by calling 1-800-514-ETIX (3849) Monday through Friday 9 AM – 6 PM, or Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM. Tickets will not be sold at the State Fair Box Office until later this spring.

Lainey Wilson

ACM New Female of the Year 2022 winner, Lainey Wilson has earned the enthusiasm of the industry, having been named to nearly every “Artist to Watch” list, winning MusicRow Magazine’s Discovery Artist of the Year award and being crowned Billboard’s “Top New Country Artist of 2021,” the Louisiana native is one of Nashville’s hottest and most buzzed-about new artists. Landing her first No. 1 with her PLATINUM Certified ACM Song of the Year “Things A Man Oughta Know,” nearly 10 years to the day after leaving her small farming community in a camper trailer to chase her dreams, she has won over legions of fans with her signature Bell Bottom Country sound and aesthetic, which blends traditional Country with a modern yet retro flare. A prolific and sought-after songwriter (having co-writer credits on songs by artists including Luke Combs, Flatland Calvary and more), Lainey is a fresh, fierce voice in Nashville, delivering one of the “Top Country Albums of 2021” (Rolling Stone, Taste of Country, and American Songwriter) with her label debut, Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. With a rockstar stage presence, her artistry has taken her across the globe, performing for sold-out crowds throughout the US, UK, and Germany with notable names like Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Hardy, Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde, Randy Houser and more. Her current single (Top 40 and climbing), “Heart Like a Truck” is the follow up to her recent return to the top of the Country radio charts with the two-week No. 1 hit, “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell. She will release her hotly-anticipated album, Bell Bottom Country on October 28, just before making her acting debut on the hit series Yellowstone on November 13. For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit www.laineywilson.com or follow on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.

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The 10-day State Fair of West Virginia is celebrating 98 years on August 10-19, 2023. The State Fair of West Virginia, with a $13.8 million-dollar economic impact on the state of West Virginia, is a 501 © 3 non-profit corporation committed to the traditions of agriculture, family entertainment, and education. For more information, please visit www.statefairofwv.com, or follow fair events on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Join the conversation by using #sfwv!

2022 State Fair of WV By the Numbers

LEWISBURG, WV (08/24/2022) (readMedia)– Summer’s largest end of summer party has come to an end as the State Fair of West Virginia wrapped up on Saturday, August 20, with over 170,000 people attending.

“Despite a few days of heavy rain, we ended up having one of the best fairs we’ve ever had,” State Fair CEO Kelly Collins stated. “The number of people that came through the gates aside, the true success can be seen in the community and economic impact of this event.”

Some of the most notable numbers include:

• Over 1,600 pounds of food raised during First Energy’s Magic Monday, which was split between five different food pantries.

• The State Fair also hosted its inaugural Big Wheel Bash as a fundraiser for the endowment and scholarship funds and raised over $20,000. Each year, $20,000 is given to scholarships for students from West Virginia to attend accredited schools or trade programs.

Exhibitor Participation

• 7,500 home, arts and garden exhibits were displayed in the WV Building, from over 700 exhibitors.

• Over 350 open livestock exhibitors participated.

• Over 370 junior 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors showed animals, while over 4,500 4-H and FFA exhibits (non-livestock) were on display in the Underwood Youth Center.

Giving Back

• $36,000 paid to civic organizations and/or school programs for services during fair. Some programs and services include:

o Greenbrier East Music Boosters – parking cars

o Eastern GreenbrierMiddle School – trash pickup

o James Monroe FFA – Rabbit Barn Attendants

o Shriners – Concert beer sales

Employment

• The State Fair hired over 210 part-time employees for the 10-day event. This number does not include part-time help for the food vendors, the carnival, and other concessionaires.

• Payroll for the 10 days will top $250,000.

Fairgoer Spending

• Fairgoer spending on food grossed over $3.5 million, which is an average of over $20 per person.

• Reithoffer Shows, the Fair’s carnival provider, set an all-time Fair record for carnival ride gross sales at the State Fair of WV with a final figure of just under $1.2 million.

Attendance

• The Grandstand attracted over 29,000 fairgoers to eight different shows throughout the week

• Overall Fair attendance totaled over 170,000.

User Engagement

• 13M Social Media impressions

• 732,566 User engagements

• Global audience

Other facts and figures

• The State Fair of West Virginia is a 501c3 Non-Profit

• SFWV pays over $75,000 in property taxes each year

• SFWV collects over $120,000 in sales tax each year (figure does not include tax on food or carnival sales which is collected by individual vendors or businesses).

“Outside of the number of fairgoers coming through the gates, it is important for us to look at the entire picture to judge the true success of the fair,” Collins stated. “State Fairs were started to tell the story of agriculture, but to also spur commerce in the local community – two missions we still hold true.”

The 98th Annual State Fair is set for August 10-19, 2023.

The 10-day State Fair of West Virginia is celebrating 97 years of “Mountain Grown Fun” on August 11-22, 2022. The State Fair of West Virginia, with a $13.8 million-dollar economic impact on the state of West Virginia, is a 501 © 3 non-profit corporation committed to the traditions of agriculture, family entertainment, and education. For more information, please visit www.statefairofwv.com, or follow fair events on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Join the conversation by using #sfwv!