Saturday Finale

Brought In 4,500

To See Concert,

Strongman Contest

By TOM YANCEY

Staff Writer

More moderate temperatures, a cool breeze, a local country-rock band and a strongman contest combined to make Saturday the best day for the Greene County Fair, with 4,500 attending.

Lanny Love, the fair's president, said overall revenue for the fair was "off 3 percent" from last year, "which I consider good, with the economy the way it is."

Treasurer James Thornton said total attendance for the week was 27,941, down about 7 percent from last year. He said fewer passes were given out this year and workers had a better handle on controlling the gate. "That seems to get better every year," he said.

Love said Friday's attendance was "almost a record," and helped offset low attendance on the first three days.

"We're looking forward to next year, which will be the 60th anniversary," Love said.

New Barns Next Year

The fair has received an agriculture enhancement grant from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Love said. The grant will be used to replace the livestock barns, which he thinks were on the property when the fair started in 1949.

The new barns will be larger, with more space to move and display animals, but about the same number of stalls.

Livestock competitions, along with produce, canning and preserving, and cooking contests are the lifeblood of the fair, and attracted particpants from a wide area throughout the week.

Winners were on display in the air-conditioned expo building and elsewhere, and were still attracting visitors late Saturday evening.

But many came to see "Bulls Gap," a high-energy Southern Country-Rock band whose two leaders, Scott Arnold and Jerry Vincent, who went to first-grade together at St. Clair Elementary and then high school at Bulls Gap.

Those two, plus bass player Chuck Morrisett, have been entertaining together since high school, and the current band has been together for about a year, Arnold said.

"Bulls Gap" seemed to be well-known to many in the audience, who clapped and at times sang along. A few got up and danced, too, and some wore "Bulls Gap" T-shirts.

Although the show started in full daylight at 7 p.m., the audience did not seem to mind. Vincent, the lead singer, has a voice that is always easy to listen to and at times was impressive, especially late in the show.

The crowd got into "Country Kind of Cowboy," sung by Vincent, but it also liked the way Arnold covered "Taking Care of Business."

The current configuration is a very tight band, and features four guitars: Arnold and Vincent, plus Matt Ward of Harlan, Ky., on lead and Morrisett, who lives in Bulls Gap, on bass, plus Don Gaylord of Nashville on keyboards and Chip Johnson, the youngest and another Bulls Gap native, on drums.

Several of the songs were written by Arnold and Vincent, and drawn from their lives. "She's Walking Away" is a smooth, striding ballad, and "Keep on Believing," which Vincent said will be "our next single," could become a country anthem.

"Never give up, never give in, keep on loving like each day could be the end" is a chorus that just about everybody needs to hear from time to time, and the crowd loved it.

The band ranged from Amazing Grace to songs about boy-girl stuff with equal aplomb. When Vincent brought his 9-year-old granddaughter, Hayley Willett, on stage to help him sing "My Heart Can't Believe My Eyes," she handled it like a trooper, even though she was later seen enjoying the bumper cars with her elementary school friends.

When Vincent announced that the band will play on Labor Day at its namesake town, a lot of people in the audience made mental notes to attend.

The Greene County Fair is the kind of place where you can see a big burly dad dancing with his preschool daughter slung over his shoulder, with both of them laughing and relatives clapping.

A lot of babies were being strolled through the grounds, to be admired, and a lot of pretty girls and handsome young men were trying hard not to look too proud of their escorts.

Last Night Is Date Night

Saturday night was date night, with plenty of young couples double and triple and single-dating, and seeming to enjoy themselves. It was easy to feel old, watching groups of high schoolers and middle schoolers swarm through the midway, jostling for position.

Strongman Contest

The strongman competition, sponsored by the U.S. Army and Mike's Dynabody, held Saturday evening at the Jim Saulsbury Arena, attracted an enthusiastic crowd.

It featured stout young men with muscles they used for a keg toss, 150-pound log press, a "Hummer-pull," and other lifting events involving objects (including "Atlas stones" weighing up to 500 and 600 pounds.

Contestants accumulated points from all events, and first place went to Danny Ramsey, of New Tazewell, followed by Mike Nease, of Mike's Dynabody. Jason Carter of Greeneville was third, and Richard Neely of New Tazewell was fourth. Neely said several of the contestants also participate in the Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain, N.C.

Talent Contest

Local banjo picker Daniel Norton, 14, won the WIKQ Youth Talent Contest held Friday night on the main stage.

Norton received $500 by winning against 12 other contestants who came from as far away as Bluff City and Knoxville.

Their acts included clogging, singing and a variety of musical instruments.

The contest was open to youth ages 13-21.

Second-place winner was vocalist Nicole Ambrose, of Knoxville, who received $300.

Third-place winner was vocalist Laura Taliaferro, of Greeneville, who received $200.

All three winners are eligible to compete in the regional youth talent contest at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville.

Contestant Andrew McDonald from Greeneville won $210 in the Seal The Deal contest, sponsored by WIKQ-WGRV and Heritage Community Bank.

Contestant Dennis Arnold from Gary won $450.

The event was hosted by Ronn Metcalfe, with a lot of help from high school cheerleaders from local schools who imitated Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White. The cheerleaders each held boxes that hid dollar amounts that contestants tried to use to reach, but not exceed, a specified total.

Greeneville Sun Winners

Saturday's winners at The Greeneville Sun booth at the Greene County Fair were:

Pam Holt, Joe Light, Lynette Hipshire, Teresa Terwilliger, Allen Britton, Jeremy Workman, Ashlan Hopson, Pauline Adams, Cameron Davis, Bobby Gueraussio, Nicole Riddle, Autumn Smith, Lynn Harison, Darleen Johnson, Danny Champman, Janet Weems, Charles Fann, Janice Jones, Linda Dorris, Dick Gunter, Jaclyn Ricker, Linda Williams, Kerry Ottinger, Dan Vincent and Teresa Laws.

Friday's winners at The Greeneville Sun booth at the Greene County Fair were:

Teresa Laws, Jamie Bible, Sonny Brown, Ronnie McAmis, Carolyn Burgess, Kelly Coulston, Monica Shoemaker, Jannie Pleasant, Nancy Barboza, Marlena Mcdonald, Brandy Styles, Anna Kesterson, Vickie Leonard, Kelly McCurry, Michael Nance, Ralph Shatto, Daniel Reaves, Gary Cole and Carrie Thompson.