Oklahoma's Pryor Daily Times has issued the following update from Kathy Parker:

Mayes County is bracing for the big hair invasion.

Rob Rogers, Director of Productions for Catch the Fever Music Festivals, cannot say enough about Rocklahoma, an 80s rock and roll festival coming July 13th - 15th.

Although Country Fever will happen first, June 7th - 10th, at the facility between Adair and Pryor, Rogers talked almost exclusively about Rocklahoma when he visited the Adair Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.

“These people do have money and they will put it into the community,” Rogers said. “The first week of sales outsold Country Fever and the VIP sold out first.”

VIP seats are up front and include non-alcoholic drinks, beer, parking, lunch and dinner. To make sure enough VIP seats will be available, Rogers said a $1 million renovation is being completed at Catch the Fever’s facility.

Rocklahoma is happening in Oklahoma, but it was announced at a press conference in Los Angeles, Calif. Since then, Rogers said tickets have been sold to people in 15 countries, four Canadian provinces and all 50 states.

“We expect 50 to 60,000 people each day,” Rogers said. “Every hotel room is booked in a 50-70 mile radius. People are thinking about renting their houses.

“This isn’t a four-state area thing. This is world-wide. The numbers just keep going daily.”

Rogers said some of the bands in the line up hope their career will be restarted with this exposure. “This is different than Country Fever where the acts come in and out. The bands will be staying here,” Rogers said.

Rogers said the festival will be broadcast on world-wide pay for view television and the VH-1 music channel.

Rocklahoma will feature hard rock bands popular in the 80s such as GREAT WHITE, QUIET RIOT, POISON, RATT and WHITE LION.

Rogers said Country Fever sales are above last year’s. Adair Chamber volunteers will work in the beer garden tent again this year where local bands will play between acts on the main stage. Working at Country Fever is a main fundraiser for Adair’s Chamber of Commerce where previous years netted the club between $2,000 and $3,000. Chamber secretary/treasurer Diana Kennedy said all the shift spots at the tent are full for this year.

Local performer Thomas Martinez will return to Country Fever this year. Rogers said Martinez will be riding with the Blue Angels at an airshow in Norman June 6 as part of the “Oklahoma Rising” centennial promotion. Rogers said Martinez is one of the few celebrities scheduled to ride with the famous pilots.

Rogers said earlier this year a Bikes and Bulls motorcycle rally was held at the Fever facility. “It rained that weekend so we had 600-700 people out there. It was a 21-and-over event. It was a biker event, but it went off without a hitch. It became more of a local event.”