Puyallup Fair guests enjoyed listening to The Shoppe from 1978-98 as they performed daily on the Coca-Cola Stage.
The Dallas band was popular with fairgoers; anyone who wanted to sit down during their performance had to make plans to get there early.
The Shoppe will return to the fair for performances through Sunday. They will perform at noon, 3 and 6 p.m. daily at the Coca-Cola Stage.
Jack Wilcox, one of the founding musicians, said he’s excited about returning to the fair.
“This was a very special place for us,” he said. “It was the most special place we played every year, and the best explanation is there was just something magical that happened at the fair between what our band did on stage and how it was received by the people.”
Co-founder Clarke Wilcox attended law school and launched a new career as an attorney. Band members went their separate ways after 1998 but decided to stage a comeback a couple of years ago.
“I had never given a reunion a minute’s thought, but when Clarke said he wanted to do it, I bought in hook, line and sinker,” Jack Wilcox said.
It has been 13 years since the band performed together, and Jack Wilcox admitted he was a little nervous but excited.
“We’re going to do what we have historically done,” he said. “A lot of country, a lot of classic oldies, and some of our original tunes.”
Organizers are thrilled about The Shoppe’s return, said fair spokeswoman Karen LaFlamme.
“They were a very interesting group in that they got to know the fans they were performing to every single day on a personal level,” she said.
The Shoppe has recorded 39 albums and has toured 60,000 miles a year. They appeared at The Grand Old Opry and the television show “Hee-Haw,” and they scored a Top 40 hit with “Doesn’t Anybody Get High On Love Anymore.”
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