Some things at a county fair never change - corn dogs, cattle, kids, cotton candy. But the 2005 Linn County Fair, with the theme "Exploring new territories," promises to mix the new and old, complete with favorite stars, new talent, old tractors, tyke drivers, and more.

The fair starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday.

Thursday is senior day, with admission free to everyone. Admission for the rest of the fair is $6 for adults and teens (ages 12 and up); and $4 for seniors (60 and up) and youth (ages 6 to 11). Children 5 and under are admitted free.

Season passes are $18 for adults and teens; $10 for seniors and youth.

Parking is $2 a day.

Some seating at concerts is included in the price of admission.

Amidst the backdrop of the 4-H/FFA shows, with its large and small animals as well as art, food, and other exhibits, the fair features music, science, more animals and vehicles of various kinds.

Tried-and-true pop and rock legend Starship, featuring Mickey Thomas, will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21. Number one hits such as "Sara," "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us Now" and "We Built This City, " sent Starship albums to gold, platinum or multi-platinum status.

Bulls, cowboys, clowns, antique tractors and country music legend Aaron Tippin appear on Friday, July 22.

Tippin is one of two country stars performing on the Main Stage this year. He'll be on the Main Stage at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Raised on a farm in South Carolina, Tippin remembers being at the fairs in his youth.

"There's nothing I love more than a county fair," he said recently. "I was a 4-Her as a child. I raised hogs and would show the livestock at the fair. I was a farm kid, and I believe that fairs are so important to the community. Next to Christmas, this is my favorite time of the year…. There's nothing I love more than the smell of corn dogs and cow poop."

For neo-country lovers, rising star Dierks Bentley lands at the Linn County Fair as his only stop in Oregon this year. He plays on the Main Stage at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Last year, he toured to more than 300 places.

"If we're playing a corn dog fair, I get out there and check out the horses and the cows and the prizes and hang out and meet people," he said. "You get to be a country music missionary. You're touching people's lives every day. You're influencing these people. So I try to make the most out of every day."

At 11 a.m. Sunday, at 11 a.m. the KRKT Country Showdown will be featured on the Main Stage. The finals include about 20 people competing for a spot at the State Fair, down from the 100 who entered.

The young bluegrass gospel band, Zach Driscoll and Three Quarter Time, will perform at 1 and 9:45 p.m. Thursday and at 7 and 9:45 p.m. on Saturday on the Community Stage. Zach Driscoll plays guitar. Three Quarter Time is Erik Berg-Hohansen on fiddle, Caleb (the boss) Ivanitsky on upright bass and Alex Truax on banjo. Locally talented performers square off in the Talent Show semi-finals at 5 p.m. Thursday on the Community Stage. Competition ends with the finals at 11 a.m. Saturday on the Main Stage.

Also on Thursday, bring in the old pitcher you got from Grandma and the lamp you inherited from Aunt Milly to be appraised from noon to 6 p.m. at the KGAL/KSHO Antique Appraisal and Collectibles Show on the Expo Stage.

Shivering timbers of the roguish kind, Captain Boggs and Salty will perform original pirate songs at 1 and 5 p.m. on Saturday on the Community Stage.

The Bull Riding Extravaganza starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Calapooia Arena and is part of the Wild West Events Series. Howell Rodeo Company (Debby and Jerry of Veneta) supply the stock.

Keeping the cowboys safe from the bulls this year are bullfighter Donny Griggs of Powell Butte and Jesse Tennett. Cowboys vying for top bull rider include Jimmy Floyd, two-time champion for the National Pro Rodeo Association (NPRA), champion of the Howell Wild West Series and currently lead man in the NPRA; Cody Ford, a junior from Umatilla High School who rides all over the west coast; and Charlie Barker, of Redmond, all around champion last year in the NW intercollegiate series in Walla Walla.

The Antique Tractor and Farm Equipment Show is set for the front lot on Saturday. There is no cost to enter, but preregistration is required, with check-in at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 21.

In the Calapooia Arena on Saturday, a variety of horse clinics, seminars and hands-on question and answer sessions will be presented by the country's leading experts in show-horse fitting and judging, animal chiropractics, veterinarian medicine and equine herbal supplements. The 3-Colt Ranch Dancing Horses and demonstrations from the Cowboy Mounted Shooters will entertain at 3 p.m.

Motor Sports start at 2:30 p.m. Sunday and include three monster race trucks in the Main Arena. "Survivor," "Obsession," and "Captain America," all Chevys running on alcohol engines, will jump high over old cars. They join two mini-monster Toyota pickups through the jumps. Included in the fun will the Bi-Mart Ride Monster Truck soaring over the jumps too. The show is free with fair admission.

With his gloved and thimbled fingers, Washboard Willie, a one-man band on percussion instruments, kazoos and bells, will entertain both young and old in his "Willy's Washboard Jamboree" on the fairgrounds. Magician Arthur Astsma is another regular.

Davis Show Northwest Carnival & Amusements will operate every day in the parking lot behind the Willamette Exhibit Building.

A free Toddler Games Driving School will be offered every day throughout the fair, with interactive play for children ages 1-4. Toddlers will drive miniature kid-size classic cruisers, pedal coupes, motorcycles, fire engines and tractors. Prizes include a first drivers license and game cars, which will be awarded through a drawing.