MUSIC - Kick'n Up Kountry Third annual Hallock, Minn., music festival features country stars, future stars

Country stars such as SheDaisy and Sammy Kershaw and newcomers such as Keith Anderson and Josh Turner may headline the third annual Kick'n Up Kountry music festival, but event organizers are making room for the wannabe-future stars, too.

The third annual festival Sept. 1-3 in Hallock, Minn., will open with the Colgate Country Showdown Minnesota/North Dakota State Final, featuring contestants for what's billed as America's largest country music talent search.

The competition will be followed with a performance by Miss North Dakota 2005 Ashley Ford. The Cavalier, N.D., native who attends classes at UND won at the state and regional contests last year and was one of five national finalists who traveled to Nashville, Tenn., in January.

Other entertainers at the festival range from a Shania Twain tribute act to hot regional acts such as The Roosters, based out of Fargo, and nationally known performers Cowboy Crush and Kevin Sharp.

Ardell Larson, president of Kick'n Up Kountry Inc., founded the festival. Each year it's a challenge to try to choose the right artists that are affordable and still able to sell tickets, she said.

"The festival has grown each year, and I truly believe that it will continue to grow over the years," Larson said. "We have more people coming from other areas each year and this year more people coming from Canada as well." This year, more than 200 volunteers will help with the show. Here's a list of performers.

-- Keith Anderson, who often wears a scruffy cowboy hat over a do-rag, had hits with "Pickin' Wildflowers" and "Double XL" and wrote the Grammy-nominated "Beer Run" recorded by Garth Brooks and George Jones.

-- Cowboy Crush, five women who "sing like angels" and "play like demons," debuted in 2003 and since have performed at festivals and fairgrounds and opened for Travis Tritt, Lonestar, Trace Adkins and more.

-- Deuces Wild! Deuling Pianos are David Charles Eichholz and Ted Manderfield, self-taught pianists from Minnesota, who offer a Las Vegas-style show of comedy and audience participation.

-- Ashley Ford also is competing in the Northern Star Contest in Grand Forks, which will provide two people with airline tickets and hotel accommodations to try out for TV's "American Idol." (See related story in this section.)

-- Sammy Kershaw says he's had "George Jones music imprinted on his DNA before birth" and that he's all about saving country music's soul. Making his debut in the 1990s, Kershaw's hits include "She Don't Know She's Beautiful" and "Don't Go Near The Water."

-- The Roosters followed their 1994 debut by performing in clubs, street dances, fairs, city celebrations and country music festivals, opening A-list concerts, and developing a tight live sound and style.

-- Kevin Sharp is an award winning vocalist, entertainer, cancer survivor and now one of the country's top speakers. His musical successes include his platinum debut album, "Measure of a Man."

-- SheDaisy - sisters Kristyn, Kelsi and Kassidy Osborn - released their latest "Fortuneteller's Melody," including "She Gets What I Deserve," this year.

-- Josh Turner sold a million copies of his 2003 debut album, "Long Black Train," and its haunting, gospel-sounding title track. His second, "Your Man," also went platinum.

-- Shania Twin, a Shania Twain tribute act, featuring Donna Huber.

-- Whiskey Johnson emerged into the rock/country scene in 1998, gaining a large fan base in the northern Minnesota Iron Range. They play everything from Alabama and Waylon Jennings to AC/DC and ZZ Top.