Grandstand ticket sales for the York Fair are the strongest they have been in five years.

Sales this high are not what fair organizers were expecting considering how poor the economy has been recently, said York Fair President Gene Schenk.

Grandstand ticket sales are typically an area where the fair loses money, but this year it looks like they will have a chance to break even, he said.

Event organizers have been speculating that one of the reasons for the high sales might be the new option this year that allowed fairgoers to purchase show tickets before Aug. 25 that would include gate admission as well, said Schenk.

The lineup of performers might also be the reason for high ticket sales, he said.

"Sometimes it's just the mix of performers you have and the selection," Schenk said. "We had times in the past when we were able to get performers for every night, and a lot of times we wound up not selling as many tickets.

"But we have a limited selection, so that may have driven sales as well this year," he said.

Ultimately the popularity of this year's performers, particularly Jeff Dunham, Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, is what have been driving sales, said Schenk.

Opening up the week of concerts will be teenage family band R5, with special guest Shane Cover, starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $10.

Country singer Luke Bryan will take the grandstand stage with special guest Easton Corbin on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Tickets start at $34.

Country singer Blake Shelton and Sunny Sweeney will perform on Wednesday, Sept. 12 with tickets starting at $49.

REO Speedwagon will perform on Thursday, Sept. 13, with tickets starting at $32.

On Friday, Sept. 14, Jeff Dunham will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., with tickets starting at $44.

Wrapping up the week of shows will be Allstar Weekend and New Hollow on Saturday, Sept. 15. Tickets start at $24.

-- Reach Chelsea Shank at cshank@yorkdispatch.com.