The Freeborn County Fair Board on Thursday announced four out of five of the entertainers for the 2020 Freeborn County Fair.

The fair will start out with country music band Sawyer Brown on Aug. 4 and country and gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys on Aug. 5. The next day, “America’s Got Talent” winner Darci Lynne, a ventriloquist, will perform, followed by country music artist Michael Ray on Aug. 7. 

The performer for Aug. 8 will be announced in February but is expected to be a top name Christian act, according to Mike Woitas, entertainment director of the Freeborn County Fair. 

The following is more information about each of the performers:

 

Sawyer Brown, Tuesday, Aug. 4

The band, which previously performed at the Freeborn County Fair in 2005 and 2013, got its big break in 1983 by winning the TV show talent contest “Star Search.” 

It was named Vocal Group of the Year in 1997 by the Academy of Country Music Awards and was named Vocal Band of the Year each year from 1993 to 1998 by the TNN Music City News Country Music Awards.

It is made up of members Mark Miller, lead vocalist; Gregg Hubbard on piano; Shayne Hill on guitar; Joe Smyth on drums and percussion; and Jim Scholten on bass. 

 

Oak Ridge Boys, Wednesday, Aug. 5

This will be the seventh time for the Oak Ridge Boys to perform at the Freeborn County Fair, bringing with them four decades of charted singles and 50 years of tradition. 

The group’s four-part harmonies and upbeat songs have spawned dozens of country hits and a No. 1 Pop smash, earned them Grammy, Dove, CMA and ACM awards and garnered a host of other industry accolades. 

The group has scored 12 gold, three platinum, and one double platinum album — plus one double platinum single — and had more than a dozen national No. 1 singles and over 30 Top 10 hits.

Their string of hits includes country pop chart-topper “Elvira,” as well as “Bobbie Sue,” “Dream On,” “Thank God for Kids,” “American Made and “Fancy Free,” among others. 

 

Darci Lynne and Friends, Thursday, Aug. 6

The youngest contestant to ever win “America’s Got Talent,” Darci Lynne has made a name for herself, not only as a ventriloquist but as a singer, as well. 

In her younger years, she had a timid demeanor that she was able to overcome through talent-based pageants. She was soon introduced to the art of ventriloquism and decided to try it out for herself. 

After only having her first puppet for two weeks, she was determined to audition for her first talent show, never knowing it would lead her to audition for the biggest talent show on earth. 

She received the golden buzzer during her “America’s Got Talent” audition, sending her straight to the quarterfinals. Her winning final performance has over 21 million views on “America’s Got Talent” YouTube, more than any other finals performance on the show. 

 

Michael Ray, Friday, Aug. 7

Country singer-songwriter Michael Ray has been a hit right out of the box, scoring both with critics and on the charts. 

Country Aircheck has boasted there are “big things on the horizon for Michael Ray,” and his live shows have been lauded by USA Today as simply “lip-smacking good.” He had two No. 1 hits from his 2015 self-titled debut album with “Kiss You in the Morning” and “Think a Little Less.” His sophomore album, “Amos,” which debuted in the Top 3 on the Billboard Country Charts upon release, has already spawned the hit “Get to You” and third No. 1 “One That Got Away.”

Tickets are available at midwestix.com.