Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas Country great Aaron Tippin takes the stage at 8 p.m. June 24 at the Timberwood Amphitheater at Magic Springs & Crystal Falls theme park here.

Tippin's performance is the fourth of 16 exciting music concerts on the schedule this summer as Magic Springs once again expands its Timberwood Amphitheater series of outdoor performances and solidifies its status as the greatest entertainment value in the South.

"We are excited that once again we are expanding our Timberwood concert series for the 2006 season," said Jackie Arrison, Magic Springs' assistant general manager and director of sales and marketing. "The Magic Springs concerts have always been the best entertainment bargain in the region, and this year they are an even more spectacular deal at $49.95 for all 16 shows with our season pass. Plus, pass-holders get unlimited visits to the park, which is even greater this year with the addition of the X-Coaster, the world's highest inversion roller coaster."

Also this year, prior to each concert a special dinner menu will be available starting at 6 p.m. at the Picnic Pavilion adjacent to the Timberwood Amphitheater, Arrison said. All of the concerts begin at 8 p.m.

After six Top 10 singles, one Top 5 single, one No. 2 single, three No. 1 singles and sales of 5 million albums over the life of his career, Aaron Tippin still sings what he knows about most strong family ties and hard work.

Tippin's career was launched when his debut single, "You've Got to Stand for Something," reached the Top 10 in 1991 and became an anthem for a nation embroiled in the conflict of Desert Storm. Tippin quickly became a voice of patriotism, a badge he wears proudly and has carried with him throughout his career. In 2001, he cut the track, 'Where The Stars And Stripes And The Eagle Fly,' immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and donated proceeds from the commercial single, which zoomed to No. 2 on the Billboard chart, to the Disaster Relief Fund of the Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. "Country fans went out and bought the record to help other Americans who needed help at the time," Tippin says. "That's common of what real country fans are like."

Tippin was raised on a farm in South Carolina; his chief influences included Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Thompson and Lefty Frizzell. He began playing guitar and performing when he was 10. By the time he was 20, he was working as a commercial pilot. In 1986, he moved to Nashville, where he eventually became a staff writer at Acuff-Rose. He signed his first recording contract with RCA in 1990. The hits that followed included "There Ain't Nothin' Wrong With The Radio," "Working Man's Ph.D.," "Kiss This," "Where The Stars And Stripes And The Eagle Fly" and "Come Friday."

While writing, recording and touring keep Tippin busy, he manages to find time to share a quiet life with his family in their hometown of Smithville, Tenn. He still pilots his own small airplane and loves taking young sons Teddy and Thomas flying.

One of Tippin's favorite hobbies is making wine. "Wine is a different drink," he says. "Every single glass, even out of the same bottle, is different depending on the oxidation. The more oxidized it becomes the more the flavor comes out to a certain time--then it starts to deteriorate. You can have a sip from the top of a bottle, a sip in the middle and a sip off the bottom of the bottle and they will all three be different."

And like a good wine, Aaron Tippin has mellowed with age.

"I've changed since the beginning of my career," he says. "I've learned to relax and quit thinking that everything's gotta happen right now. I was probably sometimes a little overbearing to people. I was from a world of aviation where pilots bark orders across the cockpit at each other and there's nothing wrong with that, it's how it goes. You don't have time to say please much -- when you tell somebody to put the landing gear down, you mean right now. It's a different world. Now I try to relax about things that are out of my control. I appreciate what has happened and appreciate the things that are the most important to me in life."

The 2006 Magic Springs concert schedule also includes:

• July 1, Pop group "Click Five" will perform.
• July 2, "The Spinners", one of the great classic R&B acts of all time.
• July 8, The hot country act, "SHeDaisy", is on stage.
• July 15, Classic rockers "Foreigner" will fill the evening with great hits.
• July 22, "Kansas", the hit classic rock act, will perform.
• July 29, Hip hop act "B5" is the evening's talent.
• August 5, Christian Youth Day at the park showcases Christian rockers "FFH".
• August 12, Country musician "Buddy Jewell" takes the stage.
• August 19, Classic rockers "Air Supply" return to Magic Springs after being rained out at last season's scheduled performance.
• August 26, Classic R&B legends "The Temptations" are on stage.
• September 2, "The Bellamy Brothers", longtime country music legends, will perform.
• September 3 "Rick Springfield", who combines his classic rock talent with a starring role on television, winds up the Magic Springs summer concert season.

The 16-concert Timberwood schedule is available at no additional charge to Magic Springs season pass holders, according to Dan Aylward, the park's general manager and president of Themeparks LLC, which operates the park.

Guests will get to experience all 16 concerts, the X-Coaster, all of our other great rides and Crystal Falls water park for a mere $49.95 season pass, Aylward said. That's an entertainment bargain that is virtually unequalled. The concerts also will be included in the price of a single-day admission, which is $38.99 (children under 52 inches tall and seniors 55 and older are admitted for $28.99). Fans who want only to attend the concerts will be admitted after 5 p.m. for $28.99. For $5 more, guests may obtain reserved seating.

Season passes are available for purchase on the Magic Springs website, www.magicsprings.com, or by visiting Magic Springs at 1701 East Grand Avenue in Hot Springs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The season pass also allows unlimited access to all the park's other rides and attractions, including Crystal Falls, the largest water park in Arkansas. In addition to the X-Coaster and The Gauntlet, there are four other roller coasters, including the classic wooden coaster, Arkansas Twister, and Big Bad John, plus numerous thrill rides such as Plummet Summit, Dr. Dean's Rocket Machine, Wild Thang and The Hawk, and lots of kiddie and family rides.

Magic Springs & Crystal Falls, owned by Themeparks, LLC, is located on Highway 70 East in Hot Springs, just 45 minutes from Little Rock and a short drive from Memphis.

For more information on season passes, group rates and daily admission visit the website at www.magicsprings.com or call 501-624-0100.