Clearfield County singer Heather Olson, who pays tribute to the late Patsy Cline, makes her Carbon County Fair debut Wednesday, Aug. 6, at the county fairgrounds, Little Gap Road, Palmerton.

“I love Carbon County,” said Olson, set to perform with The Silver Eagle Band at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. on the main stage. “My husband and I visit every November to celebrate our wedding anniversary.”

Olson’s fair performance will consist of two distinct shows. The first, an hour-long tribute to Cline, will include hits such as “I Fall to Pieces,” “Crazy” and “Sweet Dreams.” The second will feature covers in genres such as classic and modern country, classic and Southern rock, and oldies.

Previously, Olson performed at the West End Fair in Gilbert and the Greene-Dreher Sterling Fair in Newfoundland. She has played Pennsylvania fairs since joining The Silver Eagle Band in 2017.

The band, performing for 40 years, features Gary Turner on drums, Mike Russell on lead guitar, Phil Ponish on bass guitar and Bob McCloskey on rhythm guitar.

Born in Grampian and residing in Curwensville, Olson — who holds various positions in Clearfield County government — regards Loretta Lynn and Martina McBride as her biggest influences. Other favorites include Merle Haggard, Lorrie Morgan and Kenny Chesney.

Olson’s love for country music stemmed from a long line of musicians in the family. At an early age, Olson performed in her father’s country band.

Every year, she visited Nashville, Tennessee, for the Grand Ole Opry, an iconic live music venue. Years later, Olson’s relationship with performing loosened, but after her father died she was reminded of her dreams.

“From the time I was 5, I would always say I would be singing on a stage someday,” Olson said. At age 18, Olson started singing in her father’s country band, performing at Grampian Homecoming.

“I always wanted to have my own band and perform at fairs and festivals. However, I never completely broke my fear of singing in front of a crowd until I was 21.”

Olson, upon winning the 2006 Clearfield County Fair Amateur Idol contest, joined a country band. A gig at Country Jam in the Valley opened doors for the singer, including performances of the national anthem at county and local veterans events, Altoona Curve Baseball games and Port Royal Speedway.

Olson’s tribute to Cline started in 2013, when the Clearfield County League on Social Services needed a female tribute act for a benefit concert. A board member suggested Olson tackle Cline.

Cline, killed at age 30 in a 1963 plane crash that also took the lives of country stars Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins, bridged the gap between country and pop music. Performing as Cline comes relatively easy for Olson, “except for wearing the wig on hot days.”

Some days, though, Olson just wants to perform as herself.

“When I portrayed Patsy Cline, I felt Heather Olson was invisible. Paying tribute to her made me a better performer when I performed as myself.”

After singing for a few years with her first band Country Rebels, Olson — who also was performing solo with background tracks — later joined Spruce Creek. She sang with the group, which had a few original members from her father’s band, until her dad’s passing in 2016.

“It hit me that life is too short,” she said. “I decided to live my dream while I had the chance.”

Olson continued to perform solo while searching for a band that could travel. She eventually connected with The Silver Eagle Band, winning members over with Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings.”

Among Olson’s key career moments, the singer has opened for duo Twitty & Lynn. The latter features the grandchildren of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Olson also has opened for Whey Jennings, grandson of Waylon Jennings, and Hawkshaw Hawkins Jr., son of the aforementioned Hawkins.

Olson, set to accomplish her 2025 goal of performing out of state with a late-August gig in Elmira, New York, has other ambitions. She hopes to open for a bigger-named act, either as herself or Cline, and perform at and visit all fairs in Pennsylvania.

Other goals for Olson, who in 2010 recorded four classic-country-sounding tracks, include buying original songs from a Mifflin County musician and, primarily, carrying on her family’s music talent.

“This really isn’t a job for me,” she said. “It brings me joy. If I can make one person smile and forget their worries for one hour, then I have done my job.”

Esmeralda Hernandez contributed to this report.