THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 5, 1995 TAG: 9510040191
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
Peanut Fest is a ``something-for-everyone'' affair.
The 18th annual celebration offers fun for all ages through Sunday at the municipal airport.
Admission into the festival site is free, but parking costs $5 a car. Area Sentry Food Marts are selling a three-day parking pass for $10.
Ongoing activities include carnival and pony rides, a petting zoo, monster truck rides and bingo games. A demolition derby will be held Friday night, and a rodeo will be repeated at various times.
And there will be exhibits, demonstrations and art-and-crafts displays. Strolling jugglers and magicians will amuse the young and young-at-heart.
On Friday, there are special activities for children and senior citizens and fireworks at 9 p.m.
There will be numerous concession stands, plenty of peanuts and nearly nonstop music.
The big name entertainers are country, but they are not the only names.
No matter what your musical tastes, you will find something - someone - to keep you happy.
And, of course, it's all free.
Here are some thumbnail sketches of what you can expect:
TODAY
Arena Area at 3 p.m. - The Suffolk Ruritan Club Shrimp Feast offers shrimp, barbecue, beer, soft drinks and a wild man, Jason D. Williams, often compared to Jerry Lee Lewis. If you don't have advance tickets, you can hang onto the fence and listen.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 6:30 p.m. - Jim Newsom and the PorchRockers, a local group into rock, jazz, folk and blues.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 8:30 p.m. - Rock, soul and pop - Rare Earth. Have they been around a long time? Well, they were on The Ed Sullivan Show.
FRIDAY
Goober Stage at 10:30 a.m. - From that time to 2:30, families will gather `round to hear youngsters from every school in the neighborhood.
Peanut Stage at 11 a.m. - Dick Crist. If you like swing music, you will like his band, Sounds of Swing.
Peanut Stage at 5 p.m. - Country music with Cactus Rose.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 5:30 p.m. - Boulevard 58 travels with soft sounds.
Peanut Stage at 6:30 p.m. - Duke Merrick is in the country rock category.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 7:15 p.m. - The Lewis McGehee Trio has been playing jazz for eons.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 7:30 p.m. - If you're into the music of the '80s, The Georgia Satellites is for you. ``Keep Your Hands to Yourself'' was number two on the charts during that decade.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 9:15 p.m. - If you're into the music of the '60s, you will remember Jefferson Starship. Two of the original members are still at it. Grace Slick? No.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 9:15 p.m. - It's late. You want soothing. Head for Atlantic Avenue.
SATURDAY
Peanut Stage at 10 a.m. - Hit the boards. It's Franklin's County Line Cloggers.
Peanut Stage at 11 a.m. - Love that clogging, huh? Suffolk's Peanut City Cloggers this time.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at noon - James Dean-inspired pop rock by East of Eden.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at noon - Odyssey is for jazz fans. One of its members is John Jenkins, director of the Nansemond-Suffolk Academy band.
Peanut Stage at 12:30 p.m. - The Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Showdown features groups of that genre in a hot fiddle competition.
Goober Stage at 1 p.m. - More country music. Rhinestone Renegades, this time.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 1:30 p.m. - Country rock, this time. The Bill Lyerly Band.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 2 p.m. - Pieces of a Dream, a 20-year-old jazz band with some good-selling albums under its belt.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 3 p.m. - The return of Jim Newsom and the PorchRockers.
Goober Stage at 3 p.m. - Penn Russell's Magic. Hocus, etc.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 4 p.m. - More jazz - Against All Odds.
Goober Stage at 4 p.m. - Local entertainers from The Fine Arts Center.
Peanut Fest Stage at 5:30 p.m. - The Bluegrass Showdown's first place winners.
Harvest Stage at 6 p.m. Saturday is a night for jazz aficionados. As One is number one.
Peanut Stage at 6:45 p.m. The second place Bluegrass Showdown winner.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 7 p.m. features a Flock of Seagulls with a lot of jazz.
Arena area at 7:30 p.m. Once more, this year, the McLamb Rodeo.
Harvest Stage at 8 p.m. The Showman with still more jazz-oriented music.
``Bud'' Fest Stage at 9 p.m. Martin Page combines church hymns with African rhythms. He offers what he calls ``songs of emotional honesty.''
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 9:10 p.m. The return of The Showman.
Sunday:
Peanut Stage at 10:30 am. The first of the day's gospel entertainment features music by the Open Door Church Choir.
Peanut Stage at noon. ReNewed supplies the gospel music this time.
Goober Stage at noon. For the youngsters, music by C-shells.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 1 p.m. A familiar pop sight - The Rhondels.
Goober Stage at 1 p.m. The Fine Arts Center of Suffolk offers FACES.
Peanut Stage at 1:30 p.m. This gospel music offering is by the Londonairs.
Arena area at 2 p.m. Another edition of the McLamb Rodeo.
Goober Stage at 2 p.m. The Spectrum Puppets entertain the children.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 2:45 p.m. - Pop music by The Stingrays.
Peanut Stage at 3 p.m. Gospel music by the Friendship Quartet.
Goober Stage at 3 p.m. Hocus, pocus for boys and girls with Merman's Magical Mania.
Goober Stage at 4 p.m. Troy Hedspeth, recent winner of the area's True Value/Jimmy Dean country competition, is a 13-year-old version of Garth.
``Coors'' Harvest Stage at 4:30 p.m. Another group familiar to area fans - Gentlemen and their Ladies.
Peanut Stage at 4:30 p.m. offers the last gospel group - Old Time Gospel Singers. MEMO: [For a related story, see microfilm on page 12 of The Sun for this
date.]
ILLUSTRATION: The jazz band, Pieces of a Dream, will perform at 2 p.m.
Saturday on the ``Coors'' Harvest Stage.
by CNB