BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — On Friday, the Kern County Fair announced it's music lineup for 2021.
Among the acts performing are country stars Walker Hayes and Michael Ray, classic rockers The Guess Who, singer/songwriter Monica, rock band Smash Mouth and local The Voice contestant Jim Ranger.
Also appearing are Maddie & Tae, Sean Kingston, Jesus Ojeda Y Sus Parientes, and Grupo Siggno.
Initially, the Kern County Fair was canceled for 2021 due to concerns over COVID and the fairgrounds being used for a mass testing site. However, back on June 4th, the Fair Board voted to hold the fair after discussions with the Board of Supervisors and the Kern County Administrative Officer Ryan Alsop.
“The Board, fair staff, and I are thrilled to once again be planning the 2021 Kern County Fair for our community,” said Michael Olcott, CEO of the Kern County Fair at the time. “Like other fairs and venues that have safely reopened throughout California and around the country, we are developing best practices and safety guidelines that align with the CDC and CDPH.”
“I would like to thank the County’s Board of Supervisors and the County Administrative Officer for all the support they have given the Fair over the past 12 months” added Olcott. “We look forward to working with the County of Kern so that free testing and vaccinations are available to fairgoers.”
The Kern County Fair Board then only had months to put together a fair, something that normally takes up to a year to plan.
Chelsey Roberts with the Kern County Fair said, “everything has changed so fast, but I think everything so far is pointing toward a pretty open normal fair.”
Roberts says this includes rides, games, live entertainment, and much more. However, they’ve had issues booking some of these companies and acts on such a short notice.
Roberts says, “not just in California, but across the U.S. Everyone wants these same entertainers at their events. You’re pushing a whole years worth of entertainment into just 4 months. So we're all kind of competing for those same acts.”
The Kern County Fair is scheduled to take place September 22nd through October 3rd at the Kern County Fairgrounds.
