Mitchell Tenpenny, Lauren Alaina to perform at Bureau County Fair

Mitchell Tenpenny said he likes to have a good time and keep things relaxed.

On Thursday, Bureau County will get a chance to see the country pop star up and close. Tenpenny will take the Bureau County Fair stage with special guest Lauren Alaina, keeping a tradition of headlining country stars performing at the annual event in Princeton.

Tenpenny is a multifaceted entertainer, singer, songwriter, producer and performer. Since the release of his debut three-time platinum-certified No. 1 hit single “Drunk Me,” he’s set new standards for breakout success in country music. He was recognized for surpassing the 1 billion streams threshold, surpassing 1.5 billion global streams. Tenpenny’s latest album, “This Is The Heavy,” contains the platinum-selling No. 1 hit “Truth About You,” a song that made chart history for shortest span between No. 1 songs since 1982 with only three weeks since his last chart-topper. “Truth About You” followed Tenpenny’s co-penned No. 1 collaboration with label-mate Chris Young on the ACM Awards-nominated “At the End of a Bar.”

“We love to have a great time,” Tenpenny told WALLS 102 FM radio host Dani Holland of Shaw Local Radio Network. “We’re going to bring a lot of energy. We feed off the crowd. It’s so special to play at county fairs because they are more intimate.”

Tenpenny’s music has burst onto the country scene quickly. He performed his radio single “We Got History” on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.”

“I’m just out here trying every day, just hustling, seeing what happens, having the time of my life doing it,” Tenpenny told WALLS 102. “It’s been awesome to see some songs resonate, and [to] get to perform them all around the country and have people sing them. I’m out here having fun doing this and seeing what happens.”

One of Tenpenny’s popular singles is a song called “Not Today,” which has an accompanying music video. He said he wrote a version in college that was more of a ballad, but he likes the way the song resonates today through a more uptempo and modern version.

“I’ve always liked the concept of knowing you’re going to get over something and get through it, but maybe not today,” Tenpenny said. “I think it’s important to wear things and take the time to truly heal.”

Tenpenny spoke about losing his father to cancer and said his mother also battled cancer, which led him to start a charity. The 10Penny Fund invests in programs that motivate patients, encourage healing and build a community of support. Tenpenny said he wants to contribute to a person’s well-being and mental state as they go through cancer, a facet he said gets overlooked. To donate, visit 10pennyfund.org.

Alaina will join Tenpenny on the stage Thursday.

Grand Ole Opry member and Big Loud Records powerhouse Alaina released “Unlocked.” Alaina has earned three chart-topping hits: RIAA platinum-certified “Road Less Traveled,” seven-time platinum “What Ifs” with her childhood friend Kane Brown, and two-time platinum “ONE BEER” with label-mate HARDY + Devin Dawson. The Georgia-born singer has shared the stage with Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Martina McBride and Jason Aldean. She’s headlined two tours, the sold-out That Girl Was Me Tour and bar-raising On Top of the World Tour presented by Maurices.

The gold-medal vocalist has performed on some of the highest-profile stages in the world including PBS’s “A Capitol Fourth,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “American Idol,” CBS’ “Beyond the Edge,” “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, ABC’s CMA Fest specials, the CMA and ACM Awards, Nickelodeon’s “All That,” the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day halftime performance, MLB’s World Series national anthem performance and a performance at the White House for President Barack Obama, among others.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Bureau County Fair. All tickets will be sold online at bureaucountyfair.com.

For information about the artists, visit mitchell10penny.com and laurenalainaofficial.com.

For complete ticket information, including prices, visit bureaucountyfair.com. The 169th Bureau County Fair runs from Aug. 21 to 25 in Princeton.

WALLS 102 will be at the fair

Shaw Local Radio Network will be broadcasting at the fair from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, and Thursday, Aug. 22, just before Tenpenny and Alaina take the stage. Visit their tent and listen for more details on the fair.