Country musician Aaron Tippin has signed on as one of two headlining performers for the Riverfest 2009 to be April 17-18.

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Tippin will close out the two-day festival with a Saturday night performance, while a headliner for Friday night is still being sought and should be announced soon, said Erin Hern, treasurer of Vicksburg’s spring festival and party.

Local performers will fill out the lineup, with The Chill and The Patrick Smith Band playing Friday, and Chosen and Anthony Walls set to open for Tippin. Performance times are to be announced.

Tippin, from Pensacola, has at least five gold and one platinum recording and has had more than 30 singles on country music charts. Three have made it to No. 1, including  “There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong with the Radio” in 1992, “That’s as Close as I’ll Get to Loving You” in 1995, and “Kiss This” in 2000.

Entertainment at Riverfest is being scaled back to one stage this year. Two stages featured entertainers last year and Hern said sponsors and donors are still needed, or this could be the last Riverfest.

“If we have to use our reserve funds to pay for this year’s festival, we will not be able to have Riverfest next year,” she said.

Riverfest is a nonprofit organization created after the spring festival was initiated 21 years ago. Last year’s festival cost around $250,000 to put on, $40,000 of which was spent on headline performer Rick Springfield.

Along with the entertainment, ticket prices for the festival have been scaled back this year, with advance tickets selling for $15 per night or $25 per weekend. At the gate, admissions will remain the same as last year — $20 per night or $30 for a two-day pass. All Saturday daytime events, including the gospel festival, kids zone and annual arts and crafts fair, will remain free.

Tickets are available at the Riverfest Web site, www.riverfestms.com. Advance tickets can be purchased online until April 15, while advance tickets at local retailers will be available until the opening night of the festival. Riverfest 2009 shirts, featuring a design by  Vicksburg  native and Mississippi State University student Jonathan Prudhomme, are also available for purchase on line.

The 2nd Annual Rally on the River motorcycle rally will take place in conjunction with Riverfest this year. The rally was begun last year to raise money and awareness about child abuse. About 450 bikers participated in the first rally, said event coordinator Kathy Triplett, and raised approximately $7,000.

This year’s rally will feature both a dice run for bikers and a dice walk throughout downtown for those without wheels. A bike show on the top level of the Walnut Street parking ramp will also take place. All events will benefit the Vicksburg Child Abuse Prevention Center. Cost to enter the dice run is $10 for bikers, $5 for walkers, with registration available the day of the runs beginning at 8 a.m. on Walnut Street between South and Veto streets. The bike show is free to view and $10 to enter a bike.

“I think bringing the bike rally on will bring a lot more people to Riverfest from outside of Vicksburg,” said Terisa Cochran, Riverfest president. “We want to give the people of Vicksburg what they want, and we also want to bring visitors in from outside the community to shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants and stay in our hotels.”

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com.