'Nashville Star' Concert Tour coming to Spencer

(NBC Photo by Frederick Breedon) Shawn Mayer of May City was joined in the final four by Coffey, a 29-year-old single dad originally from Bangs, Texas, Melissa Lawson, 32, a working mother of five boys from Arlington, Texas and Gabe Garcia, a 28-year-old former electrician from Lytle, Texas. The contestants will travel around the country this fall as part of the "Nashville Star" Concert Tour.

The Clay County Regional Events Center has been selected as a stop for the 2008 "Nashville Star" Concert Tour, the show announced on its telecast Monday night.

The NBC country music competition series will bring its final four contestants to the all-seasons building on the Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer for an 8 p.m. concert on Saturday, Nov. 22. Doors open an hour before the show.

Pre-sale ticket orders begin at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8, and customers will need to remember "star" as a password to complete the order.

Tickets go on sale beginning Sept. 15, which is the Monday after the 2008 Clay County Fair comes to a conclusion.

The concert will feature 32-year-old Melissa Lawson, an Arlington, Texas native and mother of five boys. She claimed the title of 2008 Nashville Star over a fellow Texan, the classic country singing Gabe Garcia.

The biggest draw for the Spencer concert stop will likely be northwest Iowa's 21-year-old country rock and blues-belter, Shawn Mayer, who finished third in the competition. She is from May City, which is less than 30 miles northwest of Spencer.

"We're certainly excited to bring the actual, official 'Nashville Star' Tour back to her roots here in northwest Iowa," said Scott Hallgren, the Clay County Regional Events Center's general manager.

Coffey, a 29-year-old single dad from Los Angeles claimed the fourth spot in the competition and earned a spot on the tour. Hallgren said he finalized details of the concert stop Tuesday with the tour's producers. He considers the concert one of the anchors for the event center's fall line-up.

"If you look at all the talent, not just Shawn but you look at Melissa, who actually won and is the Nashville Star -- a very, very talented singer," he said. "And Gabe: There's a lot of talk out there in Nashville right now where some say he's a very young Garth Brooks."

* Tickets are available at the Events Center Box Office, which is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Purchases also can be made through the Ticketmaster Web site (www.ticketmaster.com) or charged by phone through Ticketmaster at 712-262-4554. Ticket Prices are $44, $34, and $24 based on seat location.