There’s a scene in Wilmington-shot TV series “The Runarounds,” currently airing on Amazon, when the poppy young rock band of the title scores a popularity-driving gig at the county fair.
That might not be exactly what happens when the inaugural Brunswick County Agricultural Fair & Expo comes to the unincorporated town of Ash from Oct. 15-19, but the fair will have a trio of stages featuring live music and other acts over the course of its five-day run.
Live music wasn’t typically a staple of the old Cape Fear Fair & Expo, which ran for decades at a few different locations around Wilmington.
But Fair Operations Manager Kyle Bridgers said live music is something he wanted to bring to the new Brunswick fair, with acts performing on an outdoor stage.
“I know almost all of the (acts) personally,” Bridgers said. “I’ve done business with them in the past, and they’re all good,” adding that most of the acts play regularly at area bars and restaurants.
Who’s playing?
Winnabow singer Parker Lanier will play the Brunswick County Agricultural Fair & Expo Oct. 15.
What to know: Brunswick’s first agricultural fair gets ready for opening day in October
The first act to take the main stage will be Winnabow singer Parker Lanier, who will perform a mix of country, bluegrass and classic rock 7-9 p.m. Oct. 15.
Phillip Page will come down from the North Carolina mountain town of Granite Falls to play country and rock 7-9 p.m. Oct. 16.
Wilmington’s own Joe Copple & The Wild East Band will play country and rock on the main stage 7-9 p.m. Oct. 17.
No live music is scheduled for Oct. 18, but the duo Hunter Varnam and Ethan Clewis out of Varnamtown will play bluegrass and country 7-8 p.m. Oct. 19.
Before and after the bands play each night, DJ Kelz will spin a mix of genres from 4:30-10:30 p.m. Oct. 15-17, 11:30 a.m.-1-:30 p.m. Oct. 18 and 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19.
What other live entertainment is there?
In addition to live music on its main stage, the Brunswick County Agricultural Fair & Expo will also offer live shows on two side stages.
A pirate-themed show of aerialists and acrobats called Pirates of the Colombian Carribean will perform on the fair’s “second stage” 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Oct. 15-17; 12:45 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Oct. 18; and 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Oct. 19.
On the fair’s “third stage,” Bob Bohm’s Family Entertainment will present a trio of shows multiple times over the course of five days. The performances include a comedy magic show, a “Survivor”-themed family game show and an agricultural education, game-show-type program called “FARMily Feud.”
These shows will happen 4:45 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15-17; 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18; and 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 19.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What live entertainment will there be at the Brunswick County Fair?