By Bill Raack, KWMU

St. Louis, MO – Music fans can help decide what bands will play at this year's Fair St. Louis.

The head of the city's fourth of July celebration, Rich Meyers, says organizers are going with the online vote after last year's effort to attract younger visitors.

"We had a huge day, it was wonderful," Meyers said Monday in an interview. "The young families were back, all of the hotels were delighted because of the turnout downtown.

"So we decided to take one step further and rather than us try to figure out who would be the most popular, let's ask the people that come to the fair."

The 2005 Fair St. Louis will be held Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - July 2-4.

Another consideration is budget, says Meyers. "It's very easy these days to book an act that charges 400-thousand dollars. Well, that's not possible at Fair St. Louis. We're a free event."

The online ballot is at the Fair St. Louis website, which can be reached by clicking here.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.