Brothers Osborne to headline Allen County Fair

LIMA — The Allen County Fair is welcoming a special headliner for this year’s grandstand concerts.

The show will feature Brothers Osborne with opener Corey Kent going onstage at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17.

“We think it’s going to be a good show as long as the weather holds up,” fairground operations manager Troy Elwer said. “We always try to bring in a different, diverse talent each and every year to get people out here. An event like this honestly may be the make or break of whether people want to come out to the fair.”

Last year, rising star Hardy sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale, so Elwer said the fair knew it had to follow it up strong. Tickets for this year’s fair concert are still on sale at bit.ly/3SHY8x6, starting at $35.

“Last year was definitely a historic year for us with that concert in a multitude of ways,” he said. “But that’s something a lot of people don’t realize. It is super difficult to put on a show of that size and scale, so we’re already working on a 2025 and have been for several months to give you an idea of the time and dedication from multiple parties that go into putting on something like this.”

Judging by the success of the brothers, the fair may have something similarly special.

“With (singer) TJ’s far-away stare and (guitarist) John’s concealing bear, there’s always been something mysterious about Brothers Osborne, as if they weren’t quite ready to show everyone their cards,” according to group’s press site (bit.ly/4debbP5). “But on their fourth studio album — self-titled ‘Brothers Osborne’ — the sibling country-music duo reveal all.”

Opener Corey Kent is no slouch either.

Inspired by Keith Richards and the Eagles, Kent sits at the intersection of “rock-infused country, heartland values and red dirt grit,” according to the fair website.

The Grammy-winning Brothers Osborne hail from Deale, Maryland, and are the current CMA and ACM Vocal Duo of the Year.

“Country music’s most consistently adventurous band,” as the website calls them, performs with a sound compared to outlaw country and Southern rock and worked with artists such as Lee Ann Womack, Dierks Bently and David Nail.

“That’s really what our goal is every year: to increase our revenue, drive new demographics onto the property and allow them to experience and enjoy all the great things we have to offer out here,” Elwer said.

Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.