2024 Whitley County Fair to feature full slate of live musical acts

Three Years Apart

Organizers of this year’s Whitley County Fair have announced an exciting lineup of live music that will offer festival-goers the chance to hear a wide range of genres performed by talented artists with backgrounds from all over central and eastern Kentucky.

Things will get kicked off Wednesday evening, July 17, with Whitley County’s own Three Years Apart making their return to the stage at the fair.

Three Years Apart is led by brothers Cooper and Chandler Powell, both graduates of Whitley County High School, and includes bassist Spencer Lawson, also a WCHS grad. Caleb Ayers, who plays drums, is from Middlesboro.

Cooper Powell described the band as alternative rock, playing songs from every decade of rock and roll. He also added that they like to “play pretty loud.”

Three Years Apart has stayed busy in their five years of existence, playing a lot of live shows locally, and also traveling to other parts of the region on a regular basis. Currently, they are maintaining a presence in the Richmond area and are looking at opportunities to play more in northern Kentucky.

On Aug. 2, Three Years Apart will have a huge opportunity when they open for the popular 90’s alt rock band Everclear in downtown London. They will also be performing live this Sunday, July 14, at the Train Station in Corbin. They will be appearing alongside several other bands slated to play at the venue that evening, with festivities getting underway at 5 p.m.

For more information on Three Years Apart, search for them across social media on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok.

Beth Farmer, performing at the fair on Thursday, July 18, is a Lexington-based singer, songwriter and musician who is originally from Leslie County. Mostly self-taught, she has received many impressive accolades in her musical career, including performing at the Virginia-Kentucky Opry and being crowned the winner of a national singing competition in Las Vegas.

Farmer released an album in 2011 titled “Venus in the Morning Sky,” which features what is arguably her most popular song, called “City Boy.” She describes her style as eclectic, saying she has drawn influence from several different genres spanning multiple decades.

As for performing at this year’s Whitley County Fair, Farmer said that she is excited to return to the mountains after mainly playing venues in the Lexington area in recent years. She said that attendees can expect to hear some original songs, as well as some covers of popular songs in the country, blues, soul and rock genres.

To find out more about Farmer, search for Beth Farmer Music on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, Youtube, Spotify and iTunes.

Williamsburg’s own Trey Bryant will take the stage Friday night, July 19.

Bryant started performing country music four years ago, and put a full band together last year. Since then, he said that he and his bandmates have had several “really cool opportunities” to play gigs all up-and-down the I-75 corridor, as well as making some appearances near Nashville, Tenn.

Bryant will be performing some original material at the fair, as well as a mix of modern and classic country favorites. He said that he is looking forward to bringing a “high-energy, full band show to the stage,” and he hopes that this show will help him to further establish a solid fanbase close to home.

For more information on Bryant, look him up online at www.treybryantmusic.com. He can also be found on Instagram and Tik Tok by searching for Trey Bryant Music.

Rounding out the live music offerings this year will be Nathan Coots and the Coyotes, who are slated to take the stage as the sendoff act for the 2024 Whitley County Fair on Saturday night, July 20.

Coots said that his band’s music can best be described as a “mountain mix” of country and bluegrass, made popular with modern audiences by such acts as Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers.

Coots and the Coyotes are based in Hazard, but he is no stranger to this area, having played shows in the past at the Butcher’s Pub in downtown Williamsburg and the Train Station in Corbin.

“I just want people to have a good time and jam out to some music that I feel like everybody can enjoy,” Coots said about his band making their first appearance at the Whitley County Fair.

Coots and the Coyotes will play a mix of cover songs and original material next Saturday, and those interested can find singles by the band now on any major streaming platform. A full original album is currently in the works.

For more information, visit www.nathancootsandthecoyotes.com, or search for Nathan Coots and the Coyotes on Facebook and Tik Tok.