More Entertainment Added to Free Family Zone At Fan Fair; Jessica Andrews, Billy Gilman, PBS Series ``Between The Lions'' and Concerts Added to Carnival, Texas Show and Barbecue Cook-Off.

Entertainment Editors

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--June 5, 2001

Fan Fair(R) 2001 keeps getting bigger and better than ever with the addition of Billy Gilman, Jessica Andrews and PBS literacy series "Between The Lions" announced for the "Family Zone," presented by Blue Bonnet. The "Family Zone" is an alcohol-free environment for families with the Fan Fair Carnival, Fan Fair 2001 National Barbecue Championship Cook-Off, concerts and activities for children on the grounds of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Downtown Nashville.

Dynamic young stars Jessica Andrews and Billy Gilman have signed on to perform at 10 AM Saturday, June 16. The 30-minute concert will serve as a kick-off to the performers' "=29 Tour," which starts the following day in North Platte, Neb., and ends Sept. 29 in Santa Clara, Calif., after stops in 37 cities.

NPT, Nashville Public Television (Channel 8), and CMA have joined together to bring popular characters from the PBS children's literacy series "Between The Lions" to Fan Fair for "The Mane Event" Saturday, June 16, with three shows at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Country Music artists will join character puppets Lionel, Cleo and Smarmy Marmy for a segment of the show, where the artists read aloud to children in the audience. Produced by award winning WGBH Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., this popular television show about a family of lions who run a library, has garnered three Emmy Awards and also won the Television Critics Award as the Outstanding Children's Show on television.

"This is exactly the type of entertainment value we envisioned for the Bicentennial Mall Family Zone," said Ed Benson, Executive Director of CMA. "It is a wonderful opportunity for Nashville families to come out and enjoy the variety of entertainment that Fan Fair offers in a beautiful park setting."

The list of artists appearing at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park continues to grow with the announcement of several artists who will be performing from 1:00-4:00 PM, Sunday, June 17, on the Fan Fair Stage at the Mall. Scheduled artists include Bobbie Eakes, Ken Mellons, Craig Morgan and South 65.

The "Best in Texas" music showcase offers a lineup of artists on the rise in the burgeoning Texas music scene including Lee Roy Parnell, Sonny Burgess, John Evans, Bill Pekar and Elbert West. The "Best in Texas" show will be 2:30-5:30 PM Saturday, June 16, on the Fan Fair Stage at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park lawn.

The Fan Fair Carnival presented by SunCom, opens Wednesday, June 13 and runs through Sunday, June 17 with rides for the whole family. Hours are 5-11 PM Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Noon to 11 PM Saturday and Noon to 10 PM Sunday. Ride tickets are available on site. Fan Fair four-day registrants with their credentials will receive discounts on the carnival rides and attractions. SunCom will be offering discount ride coupons to local residents via local retail outlets.

The Fan Fair 2001 National Barbecue Championship Cook-Off, presented by Greased Lightning, will feature top crews from across the nation competing for prizes and bragging rights for the best barbecue. The event starts at 4:30 PM Friday, June 15 with some of the teams selling barbecue and other goods. The event continues at 10:30 AM, Saturday, June 16, with judging from Noon to 2:00 PM, followed by an announcement of the winners later in the afternoon.

In addition to the carnival, cook-off and concert stage, an area will be set aside at the park with special activities for children - including games, crafts and clowns. The Kid Zone is open from Noon to 5:00 PM Saturday and Sunday.

Fan Fair's "Family Zone" is open to the public. Fan Fair four-day registrations and individual tickets for Nightly Concerts at Adelphia Coliseum are available by calling toll-free 866/FAN-FAIR, at the Fan Fair box office at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville and through all Ticketmaster outlets.

For a complete list of artists appearing at Fan Fair 2001, information and schedules visit www.FanFair.com. Fan Fair is organized and produced by the Country Music Association and is a registered trademark of CMA.

Partners for Fan Fair 2001 include CMT, TNN, Country Weekly and Country Music magazines. Ford is the official Truck of Fan Fair. Blue Bonnet is the presenting sponsor of Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park Family Zone activities. Food Lion is the presenting sponsor of Riverfront Park Stages. Promotional partners include Southwest Airlines, Bush's Country Style Baked Beans, Food Lion, Pizza Hut, Jack Daniel's Grilling Sauce, American Airlines, United Airlines, MUSICMATCH, Georgia Pacific and SunCom. MJI Broadcasting is the official radio packager for Fan Fair.

ATTENTION PHOTO EDITORS: Images from Fan Fair 2000, the Fan Fair 2001 logo and images from "Between The Lions" are available at www.CMApress.com. This is a protected site with restrictions on use and access. It is not intended for public use.