The State Fair ended on a high note with a batch of Nashville attractions.

You had to expect that Ronnie Dunn would rely heavily on material from his days as half of future Hall of Fame duo Brooks and Dunn when he played his first solo show Country Chatter at the New York State Fair’s Chevrolet Court on Aug. 30. Sure enough, there were plenty of the dynamic songs that had echoed through the Grandstand during B&D’s many shows there and they sounded great, but the future looks bright for the veteran singer who came armed with some dandy new songs, most he had written or co-written.

That success solidified the brothers’ status as one of country’s premier vocal groups. They soared with such memorable numbers as “She Used to Be Somebody’s Baby” and “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You),” always featuring the stellar voice of Larry Gatlin, undoubtedly one of the best to ever caress a country tune.

A look ahead at the 2011 New York State Fair promises that the pattern established in recent years will continue, with a concentration on presenting a wide variety of musical acts, more infrastructure improvements, plenty of sideshow entertainment...

State Fair visitors surrounded by the modern wizardry of the midway, tempted by the glorious cuisine of the food stands and dazzled by the wealth of entertainment and excitement from every corner may easily forget that it all started with agriculture.

Visitors to the 2010 New York State Fair discovered that two new brick-paved patios were lovely spots to relax while eating. Potted plants and adjacent flower gardens beautifully offset umbrella-shaded wooden tables, all within listening range of Chevrolet Court’s Stan Colella Stage.

The key to many great musical acts is balance. Not just how the instruments or singers complement each other but how the backgrounds, experiences, inspiration and personalities of the performers blend and harmonize.

new restaurant owners start by deciding on a concept, a menu and a style, then search for a location to house their place. Although Christian Van Luven had a basic blueprint for his new eatery—Montage Café and Bar, located in The Redhouse at 201 S. West St.

Trains are known for bringing business and visitors into a city. But in the case of local recording enterprise SubCat Studios, railroad tracks, specifically those that run over the West Fayette Street bridge just across the street from the once-vacant office building they now occupy, nearly derailed the move downtown.