BY PORTSIA SMITH

The State Fair of Virginia is just three weeks away, and organizers have finalized their musical lineup and some other events.

This year's concert series, which is included in the general fair admission price, features a mix of country and rock performers at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County.

The 1970s British rock band Foghat, described as a boogie-rock group, will play on opening night, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m.

The Avalons, who have shared the stage with well-known artists such as the beach Boys and the Temptations, performs Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Country music singer and songwriter Dustin Lynch, whose debut single "Cowboys and Angels" hit the top of Billboard's country charts, will take the stage at 7 p.m. Sept. 30.

On Oct. 5, Grammy Award-winning country group Diamond Rio will perform at 7:30. Their album "The Reason" won the 2011 Grammy for best Southern, country or bluegrass gospel album.

Love and Theft, a country music duo who sing and play guitar, will perform at the fair Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

The final day of the fair will include a performance by "American Idol" performer Casey Abrams at 3 p.m. and country rock band Kentucky Headhunters at 7:30 p.m.

A new event at this year's fair is a Stampede 5K, a run/walk that will benefit the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. Fair officials said the statewide educational program provides teachers with resources they can use to teach children the importance of agriculture in the commonwealth and in their daily lives. That event will be held on the last day of the fair, Oct. 7.

On Oct. 3, fairgoers and interested Virginians statewide will be able to get a close-up look at life on six farms during the Real Virginia Virtual Farm Tour. The one-hour live webcast will be hosted at the Meadow Pavilion at the fair and broadcast at vafarmbureau.org. It also will include a panel discussion on the issues and challenges faced by today's farmers.

The fair will continue to feature some of its traditional favorites.

Schoolchildren will tour farming- and forestry-related exhibits such as Young MacDonald's Farm, which includes the Dairy Calving Center and the Children's Hand-Milking Corner, as well as beef cattle exhibits.