Aug. 11-21, fairgrounds open 7 a.m. to 12 a.m., buildings open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
This year’s Illinois State Fair theme is “We’ve Got a Good Thing Growing.” Illinois flourishes with more than 28 million acres of farmland, 76,000 farms and some of the premier livestock in the nation. Celebrated almost every year since 1853, the159th fair is one of the largest agricultural fairs in the country.
Kicking off the 10-day showcase of people, animals, articles, programs, food and activities is the Twilight Parade on Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. The parade begins at Ninth Street and North Grand Avenue and enters the fairgrounds through the Main Gate on Sangamon Avenue.
Inside the gates, there’s all the regular fair fare: carnival, lemonade shakeups, corndog on a stick, butter cow sculpture, amateur art show, livestock show, vegetable show and ponytail and smile contest, but are you aware of the chilli cook-off, the meat loaf contest, the Great American Spam Championship contest, the fiddle and banjo contest, cottage cheese contest and bocce ball tournament? There’s just so much to do and see—ah, the list is full of good things and it grows and grows. Entertainment this year at the Grandstand includes music by country crooners Lady Antebullum, rapper MC Hammer and the longstanding band .38 Special. Check out the full lineup and details of all the contests, entertainment, activities and schedules at the fair’s website at www.agr.state.il.us.
General admission is $5, with children under four getting in free. There are special days each day with some free admissions for specific groups such as veterans and seniors. Parking is $7 in the fair lots, with trams, wheelchair and stroller services.