What does it take to plan the State Fair of WV concerts each year?

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

What does it take to plan the State Fair of West Virginia’s concert series each year? Toughness and resolve. Just ask Kelly Tuckwiller Collins, the CEO of the State Fair.

RealWV sat down with Kelly to talk about the process she undergoes each year in selecting and signing artists, the day after she announced Zach Top was coming to town. The rising country star is sure to be a big draw for the 100th edition of the fair this summer.

RealWV: Congrats on signing Zach Top! He is fantastic.

Kelly Tuckwiller Collins: We worked a long time on that one. I think it will sell out.

RealWV: How many grandstand concerts will be held at the Fair this year? 

Collins: We’ll have ten concerts. We’ve made four announcements plus Zach Top, so we’ve got five left to announce. 

RealWV: When will the other five shows be announced? 

Collins: We still have a few concerts to fill. We’re happy with the folks we have. The process takes time. Once we book an artist, we have to submit a marketing plan to them. Any advertisement has to be approved by artist management. We try to plan those at least two weeks in advance and roll them out. 

RealWV: Is there extra pressure this year, since it’s the 100th year of the State Fair? 

Collins: Of course there’s a lot of extra pressure for the 100th anniversary! But we had such a big year in 2023 with that lineup (which included Lainey Wilson, Nelly, Hardy, Whiskey Meyers, Ludacris, Riley Green, & others), ever since then there’s been a level of expectations that have been set. On top of that, it’s an extreme amount of pressure to put together a bigger lineup each year. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn’t. 

RealWV: What factors go into who you book? 

Collins: You have a multitude of factors. They have to already be within a day’s drive (on their tour). We also have to look at price. You don’t want to have a concert that costs too much money. We try to keep the tickets as low as possible. We’re a 7,200 seat venue. If you have an artist that costs $1 million, those tickets have to be at least $100 per seat. 

The stage also is a big factor. Ours is smaller than many other big venues. You can only fit so much. Their screens are sometimes bigger, some of the catering requirements may not fit, tour buses, production, etc. 

RealWV: Despite those limitations, you’ve been able to book some huge acts over the years. Which ones stand out? 

Collins: So many! Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Kenny Chesney, Britney Spears, 98 Degrees, Kenny Rogers, Charlie Daniels, Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Jones, The Doobie Brothers, Toby Keith, Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn, Sammy Kershaw, Don Williams, Zach Bryan, 

2023 was a really big year. Lainey Wilson and Hardy both sold out in 25 minutes. We used to sell out two shows a year back when Alabama was huge and they came. Everybody waited in line for a ticket then.  

It’s a chance for people who don’t travel to concerts to catch one. I never went a concert outside of West Virginia before I went to college. The fair concerts were the highlight of my summer. 

RealWV: How do you balance bringing in a variety of genres, since folks have so many musical tastes? 

Collins: We try to get a variety. We are a country-heavy area but we’ve started to incorporate a couple different genres. We bring in rock bands and hip hop too. If you can get variety, it’s nice. Otherwise those fans might not come to the fair. There’s been some extremely fun concerts. 

RealWV: What shows have you announced so far this year? 

Collins: Lauren Daigle, Nate Smith, Jeff Dunham, Wyatt Flores, and Zach Top. Then we will announce five more as the time grows nearer. 

RealWV: People are very outspoken about who they want to play the fair. Sometimes their comments online can hit pretty hard. On a personal level, how do you deal with that? 

Collins: I told my two older brothers thanks for making me tough. But I get it. We are consumers. We do our best to bring in artists. It doesn’t always work out. Some of these artists that are newer, I hope people give them a chance. We are getting artists who will soon be well-known. And if they don’t want to attend a concert, I hope they still come to the fair. 

RealWV: The community has shown up for shows year after year, supporting the fair, haven’t they? 

Collins: Yes, this community has been extremely supportive. We wouldn’t be here without the fairgoers and the public. We wish we could fill all the wishes and let them see who they want to. We still appreciate the support. 

We are a fair first that happens to have a music venue. No other small town in America has the caliber acts that we do in the Greenbrier Valley because of Healing Appalachia, the golf tournament shows, and the fair. 

RealWV: Say more about being a fair first. What does that mean to you and the board philosophically? 

Collins: State fairs were created because of agriculture and to spur the local economy. Not living near cities, it pulls people in. Our mission is agriculture. If somebody comes to a concert and happens to learn where their food comes from, great. We have put together great lineups over the years. We are still a fair first with an agricultural mission. With that, our funders built a racetrack with a grandstand and they bring a lot of folks in.

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The State Fair of West Virginia is a 501c3 nonprofit governed by a board. They employ ten full-time staff year-round, reinvest thousands of dollars into the community annually, and have a payroll of more than a quarter million dollars during the fair itself. 

Watch for upcoming concert announcements, as well as free entertainment options. 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This story is part of a series, “100 Years of the State Fair of West Virginia,” funded in part by the James Peyton Fund of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.