Aberdeen's Own - The Brown County Fair

It’s hard to believe, but the calendar has turned to August. Around these parts, that only means one thing – THE BROWN COUNTY FAIR!

The 2015 edition will kick off Monday, August 10 at 9 a.m. with the open class youth horse show in Akkerman Arena and will end the following Monday with the 4-H livestock premium sale. What happens in the week in between can only be described as spectacular. Animal judging, carnival rides and fair food are just a few things to keep folks of all ages busy during fair week, but no matter your interest, there is something for everyone.

Taylor Swift singing at the 2007 BCF

Highlighting the BCF every year is the headline performers that take over the grandstand and turn the Hub City into a social hotspot. Past performances have included the likes of Luke Bryan, Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Rogers and Taylor Swift. A who’s who in country music, if you will.

But to truly appreciate the pageantry of the BCF, you must consider its humble beginning.

According to the official website, the BCF has been providing entertainment and promoting family unity since the 1880’s when it began as a small county fair where livestock, vegetables, grains and machinery were brought for display. In the 1920’s, it transformed into the Tri-State Fair with Minnesota and North Dakota and ran a full week and was known for its competition among purebred animal producers. It was a major social and entertainment event before radio and TV.

The “Booster Button” was introduced in 1986, which provided quality, well-known grandstand entertainment for the week at one price. The performers that year included: Exile, Lee Greenwood, Herman’s Hermits, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, The Grass Roots and The Monkees.

While the performers change from year to year, the passion and excitement around the event does not.

This year’s Wednesday night performance will provide a different spectacle than years past, as the Newsboys, a Christian rock band that found their start in Australia, will kick things off.

Martina McBride - Brett Eldredge - Gary Allan

Country star Martina McBride will return to the BCF for the first time since she made her debut in 1997 and will be the Thursday night headliner. Brett Eldrege and Gary Allan will close out the shows Friday and Saturday night, respectively.

In all, there have been 149 performances in the grandstand since the debut 29 years ago.

We took on the large task of trying to narrow down a top-10 list of all-time BCF performances. To do so, we compiled an community panel of avid fair goers who share a mutual passion for the weeklong event.

Our panel narrowed it to 10, now it's up to you to decide who is the BEST!

Our panel narrowed the list down to 10, but now we are asking YOU to decide who was the VERY BEST. To vote, comment on this post with your vote. We’ll tally the votes and announce the results on Friday, August 14.

See ya at the fairgrounds!

Complete Brown County Fair Schedule