By Cali Bagby
There’s something for everyone during the 2018 San Juan County Fair, from Aug. 15-18. Included in this year’s lineup are country singers, rock bands and dancers, as well as various workshops provided by some of the entertainers.
“We are mixing it up this year,” said Lars Sorensen, fair entertainment coordinator.
The workshops will allow for conversation and education between performers and their audience. For workshop dates and times, visit www.sjcfair.org.
Ten local musicians will perform, as well as up-and-coming performers from across the state, like Maiah Wynne and Micaiah Sawyer — the winner and runner-up of Seattle’s KEXP Sound Off! Competition earlier this year.
Sorensen said he hopes some of the new artists at the fair will have successful careers and become famous performers in the future.
“We can say we saw them at the fair,” said Sorensen.
There are also plenty of familiar sounds at the fair this year like the Americana folk duo Dave and Mandy and the Seattle Rock Symphony featuring the famous rock drummer Alan White of Yes.
Sorensen said that parents can share classic rock with their kids.
The Seattle Rock Orchestra performance and clinic are brought to the fair by the Bradley Family Foundation through the San Juan Island Rotary Club.
There will also be a pre-season gear-up for Seahawks fans. Supa Sam, the official DJ for the Seahawks and the Sea Gals, will help fans rally. The Sea Gals will also perform with locals who attended their camp earlier in the month.
On Thursday, Aug. 16, Friday Harbor High School students are producing a family-friendly hip-hop show. For more information, visit www.sjcfair.org.
“We’ve upped the production game as well,” said Sorensen. The community stage has received a makeover that includes a bigger stage and sound system.
Check out all the entertainment below:
Mind Reader
Mentalist Brian Ledbetter engages audiences with subtle comedy, audience participation, feats of extraordinary mentalism and intriguing visuals.
Imagine seeing inanimate objects seemingly come to life and move using only the power of the mind. Forks bend and spoons twist into a knot. Ledbetter reads the thoughts of strangers, recites the serial number of a borrowed dollar bill he’s never seen or touched and predicts a word that is thought of by an audience volunteer.
Wednesday, Aug. 15
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Main Stage
2:30-3 p.m., Roaming
4:30-5:30 p.m., Main Stage
Thursday, Aug. 16
11:30-12:30 p.m., Community Stage
1-1:30 p.m., Roaming
6-6:30 p.m., Roaming
Friday, Aug. 17
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Main Stage
2:30-3 p.m., Roaming
6-6:30 p.m., Roaming
Saturday, Aug. 18
1-1:30 p.m., Roaming
6-6:30 p.m., Roaming
Chase The Entertainer
Chase has been performing magic since he was old enough to hold a deck of cards. After mishearing his mother telling him that being the class clown is not a viable career choice, Chase sought out mentorship from the best magicians, developing a reputation for skillful card tricks and sleight of hand.
Chase has also trained in comedy and improv to develop a style of magic unusually obsessed with lemons and thus full of zest.
Wednesday, Aug. 15
1-1:30 p.m., Roaming
7:30-8 p.m., Community Stage
Thursday, Aug. 16
10:30-11 a.m., Roaming
8-8:30 p.m., Roaming
Friday, Aug. 17
1-1:30 p.m., Roaming
Saturday, Aug. 18
10:30-11 a.m., Roaming
4:30-5:30 p.m., Main Stage
8-8:30 p.m., Roaming
Zuzu African Acrobats
Originating in Mombasa, Kenya, the Zuzu African Acrobats have performed in more than 25 countries over the last 10 years including Australia, China, Korea, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. They have been performing in the United States since February 1999 and have received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.
Wednesday, Aug. 15
10:30-11 a.m., Roaming
4-4:30 p.m., Roaming
Thursday, Aug. 16
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Main Stage
4-4:30 p.m., Roaming
Friday, Aug. 17
11:30-12:15 p.m., Community Stage
4-4:30 p.m., Roaming
Saturday, Aug. 18
4-4:30 p.m., Roaming
Lunch Series
Have your lunch on the lawn near the main stage and enjoy music. Different music every day, many genres. Check the full 2018 event schedule at www.sjcfair.org.
Wednesday, Aug. 15
Choroloco, 12:30–1:30 p.m. Choroloco is a Seattle-based acoustic trio specializing in choro, a highly melodic and rhythmic instrumental form of popular Brazilian music.
Thursday, Aug. 16
Carolyn Cruso, 12:30-1 p.m. Cruso is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and composer based on Orcas Island.
Friday, Aug. 17
Teddy Deane, 12:30-1:15 p.m. Deane is a sax player from San Juan Island.
Wednesday, Aug. 15
4-H performance arts, 3-5 p.m., Community Stage.
High Class Ding A Lings, 6-6:30 p.m., Roaming. Local hand-bell group.
Chaquis Maliq, 7:30-8 p.m., Main Stage. Maliq delivers the sound of “eccentric tasteful grooves” and “honey soul” to listeners. ArtsQuest calls her “beauty,brains, and power of soul.” NPR Music gracefully refers to Maliq as “Soulful, slightly Prince-Like.” Maliq picked up a guitar in 2011, with the motivation to uplift listeners on her first project titled “Harmonies of Me,” released in the summer of 2013. Maliq then released “Resilience Eludes Death,” in November 2016. Maliq was picked by NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert in 2017, as opener for Tank and the Bangas.
Randy Hansen, 8:15–9:45 p.m., Main Stage. Hansen is an American guitarist, songwriter, artist and occasional actor who is best known for his work contributing to the soundtrack of “Apocalypse Now,” the 1980 Academy Award Winner for Best Sound. He is also the founder of the “World’sFirst Rock Tribute Act” honoringJimi Hendrix, and plays guitarwith Heart By Heart; successful 80s band Heart’s Rock and RollHall of Fame inductees SteveFossen and Michael Derosier.
Thursday, Aug. 16
Della Moustashella-Vaudeville/Circus, 2:30-3 p.m., CommunityStage.
Uncle Otto, 3-4 p.m., Community Stage.
High Class Ding A Lings, 5-6 p.m., Community Stage. Local hand-bell group.
4-H performance arts, 3-5p.m., Community Stage.
Desolation Sound, 5:30 – 6:15p.m., Main Stage.
Chameleons, 6:30 – 7:15 p.m.
Crow Valley and Brograss, 6:15-7 p.m., Community Stage.
Andrew Rivers And More, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Main Stage. Rivers’ very personal and fun storytelling comedy, combined with his exemplary work ethic, has earnedhim high praise from some of the best comedians in the business. Rivers is a regular opener forChristopher Titus and has toured across North America and Europe with Steve Hofstetter. Apart from television appearances on NBC and FOX, Rivers has been featured in the popular “Truth or Drink” webseries from WatchCut and isa regular guest on Seattle’s No. 1morning show “BJ and Migs.”
Hip Hop Artists, 7:15-8:15 p.m., Community Stage. DJ Supa Sam and the Seattle Seahawks Sea Gals, 8-9 p.m., Main Stage. Gear up for the season with the Seahawks’official DJ. Watch the Sea Gals perform with a dance camp featuring locals.
Friday, Aug. 17
Della Moustashella-Vaudeville/Circus, 10:30 – 11 a.m. and 8-9 p.m., Roaming. A jugglingduo from Bellingham.
Uncle Otto, 2-4 p.m., Community Stage.
4-H performance arts, 3-5p.m., Community Stage.
Fair Feud, 5-6 p.m., Community Stage.
Rocky Bay Band, 6:30-7:15 p.m., Community Stage.
Maiah Wynne, 6:30-7:15 p.m., Main Stage. To experience Wynne is to follow a wandering butterfly as it leads you away to a land of delicate melodies, midtempo folk rhythms and perfectly tailored instrumentation. Wynne is a multi-instrumentalist, one-woman tour de force, with a show that appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds. Wynne most recently placed second in The Museum of Pop Culture’sSound Off 2018 competition, and she will be touring as a featured artist with Portland Cello Project in May.
Micaiah Sawyer, 7:15-8 p.m.,Main Stage. Sawyer is a singer-songwriter from Olympia,Washington who plays a blend of folk, blues and rock. Her “relatable and wise-beyond-years” lyrics have been known to make an impression on listeners.Armed with an accompaniment of energetic and talented musicians, Sawyer won the SoundOff 2018 competition hosted bySeattle’s Museum Of Pop Culture and KEXP 90.3 FM.
Duke and Mojo Nation, 8- 9p.m., Community Stage. Dave and Mandy, 8:15-9:45p.m., Main Stage. Pacific Northwest-based songwriter duo DaveMcGraw and Mandy Fer voyagefar out to sea with their latestrelease, 2016’s “Off-Grid Lo-Fi.”It was recorded with solar- and wind-powered electricity in the San Juans.
Saturday, Aug. 18
Jan Zurcher, 11:30 a.m.-noon, Roaming. Local singer-songwriter.
Paul Kollet, 11:30-noon, Community Stage.
Fair Feud, 4-5 p.m., Community Stage.
Miller Campbell, 5:30-6:30p.m., Community Stage. Seattle country singer Campbell intends to claim a prominent place in the canon of western music. She sings with a “natural assuredness usually only found in artists with decades of experience.”
Trashion Fashion Show, 6:15-7:45 p.m., Main Stage. Let your imagination go during this contest. Be wildly inventive, “think outside recycle binlebin” and try another persona on for size. Remember,though, that this is a family show and there will be children in the audience. Use your best judgment and keep age-appropriateness inmind.
Seattle Rock Orchestra featuring rock drummer Alan White, 8-9:45 p.m., Main Stage.Seattle Rock Orchestra utilizesstrings, woodwinds, brass, percussionand a rotating cast of guestvocalists to deliver tribute showsunlike any other. Each show provides audiences with a plethora ofpossibilities, from the infectiousenergy of a dance party to a classy night out at the symphony. Whiteis the drummer for rock band Yes.He was also a member of JohnLennon’s Plastic Ono Band.
Read more about the fair in the San Juan County Fair Guide.
Entertainers’ bios compiled by Mandi Johnson.
