Country music legend George Strait proved Saturday that a country music party is more than a bunch of “Yahoos!” and spit cups.

It was one heck of a gala.

Not only was there great music in the massive confines of Jack Trice Stadium, but there also was great food, good company and a fair-like atmosphere that put everyone in good spirits.

The day turned out to be warm and sunny with a cool breeze and nary a cloud in the sky.

When the gates to the area known as “Straitland” at the south end of the stadium opened up at 11 a.m., two hours before the festival was to begin, a crowd of people was already waiting to get inside. Fans flooded booths set up by the festival’s sponsors, the beer tent area, food stands and the porta-potties.

Stands selling boots, hats and festival merchandise were scattered around the area. The merchandise stands were continuously surrounded by fans and people waiting as long as 30 minutes to purchase a T-shirt.

Straitland included midway-type games that cost $2 each to play and a climbing wall that cost $5 to climb.

Food wasn’t cheap either. The Walk ‘N Taco and brats were $4 each. Hot dogs and a 20-oz bottle of Coke was $3. Despite the prices, the food was good, especially the Walk N Taco and the brats, which were big.

Once the gates to the stadium itself opened at noon, festival-goers discovered a whole new array of food choices: corn on the cob, pork burgers, glazed funnel cakes, plus the regular Cyclone concession stands choices of pizza, pretzels and nachos.

At 1 p.m., when Asleep at the Wheel took to the stage to start the show, a line of cars was still inching around Elwood Drive off of Highway 30. Cars were lined up along the road until 2:45 p.m.

The stadium was only about one-fourth full when the band starting singing, opening with “Route 66.” Asleep at the Wheel played nine songs in about 30 minutes. When the band tried to get the audience’s attention, it seemed like not many people were watching, but when the band was done with its set, the audience proved its appreciation with a big round of applause.

Between each act, there was a 30-minute break during which the audience was entertained by sponsor commercials on giant screens on either side of the stage.

Mark Wills received a loud welcome as he stepped onto the stage at 2:05 p.m. However, the stadium was still only about half-full, and crowds of people lingered in Straitland.

He sang his hits “Jacob’s Ladder, “I Do (Cherish You),” “Don’t Laugh at Me” and his most recent No. 1 hit, “Wish You Were Here.” After only 25 minutes, he left the stage. Wills didn’t have a lot of energy, but most of his songs were ballads, which preclude dancing.

The most entertaining act of the day was Jo Dee Messina, who performed for about 45 minutes. She danced, jumped, kicked and spun around the stage to a three-quarters-full audience. The crowd members on the floor and the lower decks were on their feet for most of her show.

Messina was the only performer to allude to the tragedy last week at Columbine High and sang the song “Even God Must Get the Blues” to signify the violence in America’s society. She also thanked the fans and the radio stations for their support and dedicated “I’m Alright” to the audience.

Messina joined the band by banging on two sets of drums several times. She opened with “Heads Carolina,” and the crowd roared when she sang the line about Des Moines.

Messina also threw in a couple of non-country songs: “Turn the Beat Around” and “Hip to Be Square.” She ended her show with her hit “Bye Bye” and had the audience on its feet and singing the chorus as she waved good-bye.

The next act was Kenny Chesney, who performed for about 50 minutes in front of an almost completely packed stadium. He started with his hit “She’s Got it All,” and kept most of the crowd on its feet for his entire show.

With not a boring moment, he delighted the masses with other hits like “That’s Why I’m Here,” “Me and You” and “Don’t That Make You Wanna Fall in Love.”

The crowd roared when Chesney played “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama and “The Race Is On,” originally recorded by George Jones. He also played his soon-to-be-released single “You Had Me From Hello.”

Chesney closed with his current No. 1 hit, “How Forever Feels.” Giant orange balloons appeared in the crowd and for the rest of the day drifted through the stadium with fans signing and tossing them around.

The Dixie Chicks began their show at 5:30 p.m. in front of a full stadium, and for the first time Saturday, Straitland looked more like a ghost town.

Dressed in platform shoes, baggy pants and at least one tube top, the Dixie Chicks didn’t look country, but they sounded like it. The crowd roared when the trio came out but really came to life when the Chicks sang “There’s Your Trouble.”

A couple of songs later, the trio performed “You Were Mine,” a song about Marty and Emily’s parents’ divorce. Natalie, the lead singer, announced her own divorce to the crowd and joked about how there should always be one single Chick in the band. She also informed the audience that Emily was getting married next week.

Adding to the rest of the band’s sound, Marty and Emily played the fiddle and guitar, respectively.

Between songs, the women had a lot of witty repartee between them. Before the Chicks’ final song, Natalie spoke about the festival.

“The best part of this tour is watching Tim McGraw and George Strait walk away,” she said. Again, the audience joined the Chicks in “I Can Love You Better Than That.”

At the end of the set, the Chicks threw white boas into the crowd, which had been wrapped around the singer’s microphones during the show.

The best show award went to Tim McGraw, who sang for only an hour. He opened with “She Was Mine” and “Where the Green Grass Grows,” both recent hits. The crowd sang along with McGraw for the entire show. He didn’t even bother to finish the chorus for his hits “Down on the Farm” or “Don’t Take the Girl.” He just pointed at the crowd, which happily filled in.

One of the best moments in the show was when McGraw sang the song “It’s Your Love,” a duet he recorded with wife, Faith Hill. It was obvious the audience was hoping Hill would walk out and perform. Instead, about halfway into the song, a cellular phone appeared in McGraw’s hand and he held it up as the crowd sang along.

At the last chorus, McGraw stopped singing and gestured for the crowd to keep going, holding the cell phone out. Fifty-thousand people serenaded the cell phone, hoping Hill was on the other end. As the song ended, McGraw announced Hill was indeed was listening via the cell phone.

McGraw was the first performer to come back for an encore and he ended with “I Like It, I Love It.” Mark Wills and the Dixie Chicks came back on stage for the last chorus.

George Strait got the award for the most boring show of the day. A mega-country star who most of the fans came to see, Strait didn’t connect with the audience members or even really talk to them for the first 45 minutes.

With a few exceptions including “Heartland” and “We Shouldn’t Be Doing This,” the first 70 minutes of his 120-minute show included songs few people knew.

Strait didn’t sing any of his most recent hits until the last 40 minutes, and by that time about one-fourth of the stadium had cleared out.

Strait sang about 30 songs, but only half of them got any real reaction from the crowd. He sang only a couple of his treasured classics, like “Amarillo By Morning.”

His show picked up at the end with a string of his most recent hits, including “Cross My Heart,” “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” and “Meanwhile.” He came back for one encore with two songs and then ended the show.