The annual Kansas State Fair starts later this week. Gates open Friday for this year's 10-day run at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson.

Among its features are hundreds of commercial exhibits, agricultural and educational displays, carnival rides and its famous butter sculpture. There also are more than 30,000 entries in competitive exhibits ranging from blue-ribbon animals to homemade crafts.

This year there are a wide variety of musical acts. They include:

Tesla Friday, Sept. 11

Hard rock meets bluesy soul when Tesla hits the stage. The band began in 1984 in Sacramento, Calif., and they have been shaking things up in the music world ever since. Although Tesla draws from heavy metal roots, they strayed from the typical "Glam Metal" appeal of the 1980s. The band toured with heavy metal legends Def Leppard, David Lee Roth and Poison. However, Tesla countered these bands by pioneering the T-shirt and jeans image in stark contrast to the leather pants, big hair, heavy make-up look that was popular at the time. Tesla's debut album, Mechanical Resonance, came out in 1986 and created a strong fan base with hit songs "Rock Me to the Top" and "Little Susi." Tesla prides its music on being completely "unplugged." The band's music consists of only guitars, drums and the occasional piano. Tesla proudly displays the phrase "no machines" on all of their albums, as they use no synthesizers to distort their sound. In 1989, Tesla released The Great Radio Controversy featuring the hit single "Love Song." In 1994, the band took a break only to come back full force in the early 2000s. In 2002, they performed in "The Rock Never Stops" tour, and they released in 2004 their fifth album, Into the Now.

Montgomery Gentry Saturday, Sept. 12

This award-winning country duo has been topping the charts since 1999. Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry's first joint musical venture was in a Lexington, Ky., band named Early Tymz. After that band separated they created Young Country with Eddie's brother, John Michael Montgomery. Montgomery Gentry was born shortly after John Michael decided to go for a solo career. Montgomery Gentry draws musical inspiration from well-known southern rockers like the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The duo has become famous for their rebellious redneck attitude with a hint of southern charm. Saying they write songs for the working class, they tell stories people can relate to that are rooted in God, country and family. Their debut album, Tattoos & Scars, featured the hits "Hillbilly Shoes" and "Daddy Won't Sell the Farm." Released in 1999, the album made the country Top Ten list, paving the way for Montgomery Gentry to become the Country Music Association's Duo of the Year in 2000. Nine albums, many successful tours and a Grammy nomination later, Montgomery Gentry plays to sold-out crowds with smash hits like "Some People Change" (2006) and "Back When I Knew It All" (2008).

Huey Lewis and the News Sunday, Sept. 13

Huey Lewis and the News provides a satisfying mix of pop-rock and blue-eyed soul. This Grammy-winning rock band, based out of San Francisco, Calif., features Huey Lewis, a talented musician and songwriter who sings lead vocals and plays the harmonica. The band's debut, self-titled album fell by the wayside, but their second album, Picture This picked up the pieces. Featuring hit songs "Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do," "Do You Believe in Love" and "Workin' for a Livin", Picture This went gold and spent 35 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1982. The News' other albums throughout the 80s and 90s included Sports, Fore!, and Plan B. Throughout their prosperous career the band has racked up 19 Top-10 singles across the Billboard Top 100, toured in Japan with Chicago and even performed with the Foo Fighters. Most recently Huey performed his song "Workin' for a Livin" live as a duet with Garth Brooks. The band also wrote and produced the theme song "Pineapple Express" for the 2008 movie, Pineapple Express.

Gaither Vocal Band Tuesday, Sept. 15

A gospel music veteran, Bill Gaither is one of the most admired and accomplished singer-songwriters the world has ever seen. Since the 1960s Gaither has written 500 songs published in church hymnals including household titles "He Touched Me," "Because He Lives" and "The King is Coming." He has accumulated five Grammy awards and 28 Dove awards throughout his prosperous career. Over the years he has performed with his wife, Gloria, the Bill Gaither Trio, and the Gaither Vocal Band, created in 1963. Many gospel music veterans got their start as members of the Gaither Vocal Band including Sandi Patti, Steve Green and Don Francisco. The Gaither Vocal Band has produced a total of 21 albums including Wings (1988), A Few Good Men (1992), Passin? The Faith Along (2004) and Give It Away (2006.) In the early 1990s, Bill and Gloria took on the endeavor of creating a series of 12 videotapes as a way of remembering the "greats" of southern gospel music. The venture led to a special on The Nashville Network in 1995 titled "A Gospel Reunion at the Ryman." Following this success, TNN aired "The Gaither Gospel Hour" weekly. In 2001, "The Gaither Family Music Hour" joined PAX-TV and now airs on 10 networks. The Gaither Vocal Band's current lineup includes Bill Gaither, bass; Michael English, tenor; Wes Hampton, tenor; Mark Lowry, baritone; and David Phelps, tenor. The band is accompanied by Gordon Mote on piano; Kevin Williams on guitar; Greg Ritchie on drums; and Rory Rigdon, working the monitors and providing comic relief.

Hinder Friday, Sept. 18

An ode to classic rock of the 70s and 80s, Hinder adds a modern twist to its music with angsty lyrics and raw guitar riffs. The band's musical influences include rock legends Aerosmith, AC/DC, KISS, and Guns N' Roses. Hinder exploded onto the mainstream music scene when their debut album Extreme Behavior (2005) went triple platinum. The album's second single, "Lips of an Angel," reached No. 1 on the Pop 100 Chart and carried the album to its success. The band's second album, Take it to the Limit, was released in 2008 and capitalized on the accomplishment of the lead single, "Use Me." The album combines rock anthems and soulful ballads that pay tribute to the band's classic rock roots. Take It To the Limit debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 81,000 sales its first week. Hinder is made up of Austin Winkler singing vocals, Joe "Blower" Garvey on guitar, Mark King on guitar, Mike Rodden on bass, and Cody Hanson on drums. Almost as popular as Hinder's music is their wild and rebellious lifestyle. With raucous antics and crazy tour stories both onstage and off, the boys live and breathe the life of a rock star. Hinder's songs reflect what they are going through and fans love to relate.

Heart Saturday, Sept. 19

Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been incorporating heart and soul into their rock music for more than 30 years. The band, aptly named Heart, first debuted in the 1970s and wowed audiences with their hard rock attitude combined with a little folk rock flavor. Heart's debut album Dreamboat Annie boasted hits like "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man". Throughout the 1970s, Heart rocked more chart-toppers like "Barracuda", "Straight On", and "Kick it Out". During the 1980s, the band strayed slightly from hard rock and belted some incredible power ballads including "What About Love" and "Alone". With 30 million records sold and 21 Top-40 hits, Heart has had a profound influence on rock music. Bands like REM, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains all say the sisters were a big influence on their musical style. Two of the band's smash hits, "Barracuda" and "Crazy On You" have even been immortalized in the video game Guitar Hero. Now, in the new millennium, Heart is still rockin' as hard as ever. Their concert DVD, Heart Alive in Seattle, went platinum in 2003. VH1 named Heart a recipient of the "Rock Honors Award" in 2007 and listed the group No. 57 on the "100 Greatest Artists of Rock."

Nat and Alex Wolff The Naked Brothers Band Sunday, Sept. 20

The Naked Brothers Band is a project of the Wolff brothers, Nat and Alex. A band that began when they were just in preschool, the name arose from a story that their mother, Polly Draper, tells about the boys climbing out of the bath when they were young and shouting "We're the Naked Brothers Band!" The phrase stuck and the boys' mother created the 2005 film "The Naked Brothers Band" based on Nat and Alex's adventures. The movie inspired a 2007 TV series by the same name that airs on Nickelodeon. The Naked Brothers Band released their self-titled first album in 2007 and the second I Don't Want to Go to School in 2008. The Naked Brothers Band has become a bubblegum pop sensation and features hit songs like "Crazy Car" and "If That's Not Love." Nat, the 14-year-old sensitive lead singer, writes heartfelt, soulful songs for the group while simultaneously capturing the hearts of tween girls all over the nation. He draws his musical inspiration from the Beatles and claims to know every single one of their songs. Alex, the 11-year-old self-proclaimed rebel, is the band's drummer. This 10-year-old has an extensive collection of do-rags, fake tattoos and fake piercings. He can usually be found practicing kick flips on his skateboard when not rehearsing with the band.

The Kansas State Fair event typically draws more than 340,000 people from across Kansas and neighboring states.