‘Starfest ‘96’ Will Showcase Top Country Performers

Call it Country-palooza.

The third annual country music extravaganza at the Fairplex in Pomona returns Thursday for four days--this time with a new name.

Now titled “Country Music Television’s Starfest ‘96,” the event is expected to draw a total of 40,000 people, said Bob Alexander, president of Starfest Inc., a Beverly Hills firm that stages musical and fan-driven events.

If the estimate holds up, that will be a substantial gain from the approximately 15,000 people the event drew in 1994 and the 30,000 that attended in 1995, when it was called “Fanfest.”

“Over the past two years, the weather was cool and somewhat drizzly, and that might have limited attendance, but this year the overall production scope has changed dramatically,” Alexander said.

The format features country music bestsellers such as Tim McGraw, comedian Jeff Foxworthy and Faith Hill performing hourlong sets and signing autographs at booths. Main stage shows run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Tickets are $20 dollars in advance and $25 at the door, or $60 for the entire event in advance and $70 at the door. (Information: [310] 358-0900).

Here’s a partial list of the artists who’ll be performing each day:

Thursday: Billy Ray Cyrus, Joe Diffie, Tammy Wynette, TV talk-show host Jerry Springer (who will perform songs from his new album), Stonewall Jackson, Rhett Akins, Earl Thomas Conley, Ken Mellons.

Friday: Tracy Lawrence, Ricky Skaggs, Confederate Railroad, Bryan White, Wylie & the Wild West Show.

Saturday: Foxworthy, Martina McBride, Toby Keith, Doug Supernaw, Rick Trevino, Razzy Bailey.

Sunday: McGraw, Hill, Johnny Paycheck, Jeff Carson, Asleep at the Wheel, Pat Boone, the Moffatts and the Riders of the Purple Sage.