BOALSBURG — The Centre County Grange Fair is giving country music fans a chance to turn their admiration for rising star Emily Ann Roberts into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
For the first time, the fair is launching “The Ultimate Emily Ann Roberts VIP Experience,” a fan contest that will award three winners a chance to meet the country singer when she performs at the Grange Fair on Aug. 26.
The contest officially opens July 3.
Rather than a random drawing, entrants are being asked to share their personal connection to Roberts and her music by submitting a 30-second video explaining why they should win, why they are one of her biggest fans or how one of her songs has impacted their lives.
Grange Fair Entertainment Chairperson Kris McCloskey said the idea grew from a desire to create something more personal for concertgoers.
“That was brought about actually by Amy [Evans] herself,” McCloskey said. “Amy came up with that idea. We’ve talked about how Emily Ann is very fashionable. She presents herself well. She has her own kind of look. We are always trying to draw people into the grandstand and just wanted to give people more of an opportunity to have a special experience with her.”
Instead of simply giving away tickets, organizers hope the contest encourages fans to tell their own stories while building excitement for both the concert and the fair itself.
“Pretty much just how she’s affecting people’s lives,” McCloskey said. “She has a lot of different songs out there and a lot of people are moved by some of her music. I think it’s just kind of a great way to get people involved, get them excited about the fair, get them excited about the experience.”
While the concert is a featured attraction, McCloskey said the contest also reflects the Grange Fair’s larger mission of introducing new visitors to one of the nation’s largest agricultural fairs.
“Our fair is a very large agricultural fair,” she said. “The grandstand is kind of like a bonus event to that. We do a lot of country music. Country is very popular with a lot of ag people.”
Entertainment has become an important gateway for first-time visitors, she said.
“We’re always trying to do that anyway,” McCloskey said. “In entertainment, we’re trying to bring in people that maybe have never been here before. We get people from out of state to travel to our concerts. We’ve had people from Canada travel to our concerts. So it’s just about bringing more people here, showing them our fairgrounds, being proud of our fairgrounds. We have a lot to be proud of agricultural-wise and it gives them a nice entertainment experience.”
Before launching the contest, Grange Fair officials received approval from Roberts’ representatives.
“We reached out to them to just get their approval for the contest and they were on board,” McCloskey said. “They were all very receptive to the idea.”
She noted Roberts has hosted fan contests through her own social media channels, making the Grange Fair promotion a natural fit.
For fans hoping to win, McCloskey offered one piece of advice: be genuine.
“I guess just be honest with yourself,” she said. “If you’re really truly a fan of hers, it’s going to show.”
To enter, participants must submit a video no longer than 30 seconds to grangefaircontest@gmail.com with their name in the subject line. Entries must be received by July 31. Three winners will be announced Aug. 12.
Each winner will receive The Ultimate Emily Ann Roberts VIP Experience package which includes two daily fair passes, two VIP concert seats and two meet-and-greet passes for Roberts’ Aug. 26 performance.
McCloskey said the grandstand committee is looking forward to welcoming Roberts and the rest of this year’s entertainment lineup.
“The grandstand staff is excited to have all our entertainers this year,” she said, “and we’ll be there to support the fans and try to make it a great experience for everyone.”
