The 148th Grange Fair will feature 8 grandstand acts. Here’s who will perform, and when

The 148th annual Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, filled with long-standing family traditions, agriculture, good food and plenty of entertainment, is nearly upon us.

The fair runs Aug. 19-27, with grandstand entertainment acts planned for nearly every night starting at 8 p.m.

The original band members of Diamond Rio will take the stage Aug. 19. The ‘90s American country group is known for hits “Meet in the Middle,” “How Your Love Makes Me Feel,” “One More Day,” “Beautiful Mess” and “In a Week or Two.” The band has 22 Top Ten singles.

Jacob Tolliver, a country rock “self-taught piano prodigy,” will perform Aug. 20. For the past few years, he’s been playing with and portraying Jerry Lee Lewis in the Million Dollar Quartet, according to his website. He first received national attention on season 14 of “American Idol.” His website states he has performed to sold-out shows across the country with others including Jackson Browne and the Beach Boys.

Next up is Mark Willis, set for Aug. 22. Wills, an American country music artist, has released seven albums since 1996, including his best-selling album “Wish You Were Here.” He’s known for hits such as “19 Somethin’,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Back at One” and “Don’t Laugh at Me.”

I Am They, a pop worship band, will close out the evening of Aug. 23. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2015 and in 2020 they released their third album, “Faithful God.” The group is known for songs such as “Scars,” “Faithful God” and “My Feet Are on the Rock.”

Fairgoers will have the chance to see Bruce in the USA, a Bruce Springsteen tribute show, on Aug. 24. The show’s website states it’s a “high-energy musical experience” with a note-perfect and visually accurate recreation of a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band show. The tribute show began on the Las Vegas Strip in 2004 and has been playing to sold-out crowds across the country ever since, fair organizers previously wrote on Facebook.

Grange Fair-goers can do the “Watermelon Crawl” when Tracy Byrd, American country music artist, performs Aug. 25. Byrd broke through on the country music scene with his 1993 single “Holdin’ Heaven.” Byrd has charted more than 30 hit singles in his career and is known for hits such as “Watermelon Crawl,” “Ten Rounds with José Cuervo,” “The Keeper of the Stars” and “I’m From the Country.”

Aug. 26 will feature Jake Worthington. Fans of NBC’s reality singing competition “The Voice” might remember the 26-year-old from season six, when he “stunned the judges and the audience with his flawless rendition” of Keith Whitley’s, “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” organizers previously wrote on Facebook. He was the runner-up of that season and was on Blake Shelton’s team. Since then, the rising country star has continued to make an impact with his “honky-tonk swagger” and traditional sound, organizers wrote.

Closing out the fair on Aug. 27 is Rockland Road, a family group of six musicians who represent four generations of music. The six are all vocalists and together play a total of 23 instruments. They promise “an impeccable blend of soaring harmonies and energetic live shows” and recently released a single, “Mountains Up Ahead.”

Grandstand shows begin at 8 p.m. and are free; admission to the fair is required. In the past, performers including Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, Gabby Barrett, Tracy Lawrence and Morgan Wallen took the stage.

The Grange Fair acts as a home-away-from-home for a lot of the 1,000 families who stay in tents and 1,500 RVs at the fairgrounds. It is the only remaining tenting fair in the nation, according to its website.