By C.E. Hanifin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Many big events claim to offer fun for the whole family, but don't quite deliver. This weekend, though, the Meijer Country Stampede made good on its promise of something for just about everyone with a penchant for country music.

Renae Truex, fiddle player with Cowboy Crush kicks it up at the Country Stampede Sunday, June 6, 2004, at the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. (Craig Ruttle/ The Cincinnati Enquirer)

The festival, held for its second year at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, drew about 121,000 people during its four-day run, which ended Sunday. That's almost 21,000 more than last year's event.

The Stampede culminated with Reba McEntire taking the stage Sunday evening for a crowd mellowed by four days of festivities. After a few songs, she told the audience, "Let's keep this party rolling," and ratcheted up the tempo. Folks responded by clapping their hands, lifting babies onto their shoulders and letting loose a few final howls.

Reba McEntire smiles after her first song as she performs at the Country Stampede. (Craig Ruttle/ The Cincinnati Enquirer)

It was a typical reaction for the crowd, which encompassed energetic toddlers, roving packs of teenagers, middle-aged couples parked on lawn chairs and seniors who partied all weekend in their RVs. About the only type of person who was tough to spot was someone who looked bored.

Adrianne Mays, 22, and her friends parked themselves in the middle of the action for the event's run. The four young women, all from Walton, Ky., have racked up concert experiences that range from the Monkees to Metallica.

The quartet juggled conflicting work schedules so they could return together to the Stampede for a second year to hear their favorite country artists and to soak in the backyard-barbecue atmosphere.

"It's not a regular concert,"" Mays said. "You can be 20, 40 or 60 and have a good time, and you can bring your kids, too."

The 20-act lineup covered all the major country bases. Gigantic stars with major pop appeal (headliners Martina McBride and McEntire). Good ol' boys with red-white-and-blue hearts. (Darryl Worley, Joe Diffie and Mark Chesnutt). A road-weathered cowboy (Chris LeDoux). A sure-thing Next Big Thing (Terri Clark). Several possible Next Big Things (Cowboy Crush and Craig Morgan).

The laidback crowd, many of whom came out for all four days of the festivities, took the sometimes dramatic musical shifts in stride.

On Saturday, they cheered as Clark explained that "I Just Wanna Be Mad," then sang along with McBride's assertion that "the sweetest thing that you'll ever see in the whole wide world is a happy girl."

More than a few pairs of cowboy boots segued from the two-step into disco moves when Neal McCoy busted out a medley of '70s dance hits on Friday.

The action on the sidelines, from thrill rides to food concessions, also contributed to the something-for-everyone theme. Festival-goers could quench their thirst with blue raspberry Hawaiian shave ice or frozen Jack Daniels whiskey and Coke. They could deck themselves in a straw cowboy hat or Mardi Gras beads entwined with plastic beer mugs.

And everybody, "from a year old to 80," could get a good ride on the mechanical bulls, said operator Dee Groff, who ran the two bucking faux beasts. He adjusted the speed to suit the age and saddle savvy of each rider.

Although the offstage attractions, performances and varied audience represented a universe of down-home diversity, the event was held together by the common passions that pump through the heart of the country lifestyle kept the spirit of the event cohesive.

Many of the musicians paid homage to America and its troops in their lyrics and between-song announcements. Chris Cagle dedicated his first No. 1 hit, "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out," to "everyone who didn't make it home."

The audience awarded the most overwhelming standing ovation of the weekend to a presentation of the American flag on Thursday night. Across the venue, people stopped walking, talking and eating, and held cowboy hats and baseball caps against their hearts as the national anthem* played.

Reverence for the legends of country music came in a close second to patriotism. Colt Prather covered a Waylon Jennings tune. Clark gave a nod to Patsy Cline with her version of "Walkin' After Midnight." Cagle reminded the audience that "Johnny Cash will never make another record, y'all."

The most frequently heard onstage banter (other than the timeless "Are you ready to have a good time?") was performers' expressions of gratitude to their fans. The word "Kentucky" found its impromptu way into numerous song lyrics. McBride belted out "Kentucky, I love you!" and got a roar in return when she asked, "Do you love me, too?" Diffie paused in his set to introduce his wife and his month-old daughter to the audience.

Some fans even got face time with the performers at meet-and-greets.

April Wilson of Owenton, Ky., won the chance to chat with Worley through a contest held by one of the radio stations on Saturday.

Wilson, 22, said the singer complimented her on her T-shirt, which proclaimed her to be a "Dixie Girl." and warned "You Can't Handle This."

"He's really nice," she said. "He was really smiling and you could tell he was excited to be here."

"That makes it so much better, when you can tell that everybody's really glad."

E-mail:chanifin@enquirer.com