SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Bud Ford wants Jimmy Buffett to flip-flop onto the Illinois State Fairgrandstand. Ford, the state fair's manager, has been pursuing Buffett, best known for his 1977 hit "Margaritaville," since the close of the 1999 fair.
"I said I'd take him even if he had to come in a walker," said Ford, whose latest tactic includes newspaper ads featuring a petition asking Buffett to appear at next year's fair. Fans can clip the ad and mail it to the singer's secretary in Key West, Fla.
Last year, Gov. George Ryan, his wife, Lura Lynn, and about 1,500 Hawaiian shirt-wearing fans made a videotaped appeal for Buffett to play Springfield. But the 54-year-old Buffett has long-standing commitments and rarely visits new cities, said Dave Snowden, talent scout for the fair. Ford remains undeterred.
"If (Buffett) says `no' next year, I'll come up with another way to invite him and ask again," he said. "We'll just keep doing it unless he gets me arrested for stalking or something."
Jimmy at the Illinois State Fair??
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