Georgia National Fair offers perk for military, variety of music acts, free parking

The Georgia National Fair is coming to Perry, and with it comes Patriotic Day.

The fair begins at 3 p.m. Thursday with Sneak-A-Peek night. After that, it will be open from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. each day through Oct. 18.

On Oct. 12, active duty service members, veterans and those in the reserve, along with their immediate families, will be admitted to the fair for free with valid military identification.

Thursday’s Sneak-A-Peek day will feature opening ceremonies with Robins Air Force Base dignitaries and guest speaker Gov. Nathan Deal.

The fair has some big-name musical acts and is adding an additional day to its free concert lineup this year, starting with Grand Funk Railroad on Thursday. Other free concerts are the Charlie Daniels Band on Oct. 12, En Vogue on Oct. 13, and the Marshall Tucker Band on Oct. 14. Each concert starts at 7 p.m.

“We tried to bring in a lot of well-known genres,” said Stacy Campbell, director of marketing and media relations for the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. “We feel like it meets the needs of 8 years old to 80.”

The two paid concerts feature Alabama on Oct. 10 and Rascal Flatts on Oct. 17. Both concerts start at 7:30 p.m. at Reaves Arena. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online.

There will be other free entertainment each day, including new acts such as i-Flip, a 25-minute aerial show; the Tricky Dogs Show; and Team Rock, which features brick breaking and bodybuilders.

More information about the fair can be found at www.georgianationalfair.com including admission prices, maps, times and special days.

Reporter Wayne Crenshaw contributed to this report.

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Georgia National Fair offers perk for military, variety of music acts, free parking ."