It might not be the full five-day Lake County Fair folks from near and far have come to enjoy year after year. But, it will be back on the fairgrounds in Grayslake this summer — just in a smaller way.
From July 30-Aug 1, the Lake County Fair Association will present what it’s calling the Back To Our Roots Micro Fair at 1060 E. Peterson Road.
The three-day festival will celebrate the fair’s 92-year history and feature some longtime fan favorites including the demolition derby, bands, carnival rides, food and an expo hall filled with crafts, flowers, visual arts, photography and other creative projects that will be awarded with ribbons.
Three new Lake County Fair queens also will be chosen July 28, 29 and 30. Beer tents and Bingo are also on tap.
The livestock barns will not be open for public viewing, though, which Kelli Kepler-Yarc, president of Lake County Fair Association’s Board of Directors, knows will be disappointing to some.
There also will be no major grandstand events — no rodeo, no monkeys riding on the backs of dogs and no petting zoo for children.
“Our doors have been closed for 15 months (due to the pandemic), and we wanted to do something, but we wanted to make sure we were making the right decision on how to approach it financially, and also safely for the community,” said Shannon Dunn, named this week as the general manager of the Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Grayslake.
“We decided to do a micro fair and get our toes back in the water,” she said. “This was the board’s decision. It’s really scaled back.”
Dunn added: “We’re excited to be having this event, and that we’re able to have it. A lot of fairs — some in Illinois and around the world — they’re still canceling and not able to move on yet.”
For example, the DuPage County Fair Association has decided not to host the 2021 Fair scheduled for July 21-25, but is exploring the idea of a similar event in the fall. The McHenry County Fair will be held Aug. 3-8 in Woodstock and will feature monster trucks, professional bull-riding and the demolition derby, along with livestock shows and other exhibits.
Though the micro fair in Lake County is scaled back, Kepler-Yarc, said, “The village is telling us to expect and prepare for large crowds. People are anxious and hungry to get back out.”
Core components
“We are celebrating the core components of the annual fair,” Dunn said.
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The first Lake County Fair was held at a racetrack in Waukegan, according to Diana Dretske, Lake County historian and museum curator at the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County in Libertyville. Dretske wrote in a blog that the first fair featured exhibitions of farm produce, fruit, vegetables, poultry and livestock, as well as entertainers.
The livestock auction — in which those who raise pigs, cows and other animals — was featured even last year during the pandemic at the Lake County Fair, but virtually. It will be done virtually this year as well.
“But it will be more exciting,” said Chey Pribel, the fair association’s marketing and events manager. That’s because there will be a live show two days before the fair, with prizes awarded for classes and different animals, she said. Winners may command a higher sale price during the auction, Pribel said. Those who want to view the livestock shows before the fair opens can visit the website for details.
Last year, the Lake County Fair Association created a people’s choice virtual competition for the public in 2020, as well as virtual judging for 4H Club youth member projects.
This year, folks living in and outside of Lake County can compete in various categories showing off their creative endeavors in the expo hall, open for public viewing. An online catalog gives details on what is being shown and ways to register and turn in projects. Categories include flowers and arrangements, textiles, culinary, crafts and visual arts.
Some of the fun contests include the largest beet and most deformed tomato. A fair flea flip contests challenges the creator to turn junk into something funky and functional.
Demolition derby
Dunn said though the board had decided not to do any grandstand events, “Demolition Derby reached out and really wanted to make it work. Fans really wanted the derby to be here this year. So they’re gonna be here.”
“We know the derby brings in people, and we love that,” said Kepler-Yarc. “We will figure out how to make it work. They do a great job of bringing it in,” she said, referring to 4WD Promotions, which runs the derby.
Ryan Dillow, owner of 4WD Promotions, has been involved in the demolition derby sport for 26 years. He thinks it’s popular because, “it’s a full-blown adrenaline rush” for both the spectators and the participants.
“Spectators don’t know what kind of destruction will happen next,” Dillow said. As for the participants, “Who doesn’t just want to crash into something for fun?”
He added the demolition derby, “can only be done legally and safely” at events like those at the county fairs.
Food vendors will be stationed down Main Street as in the past. “You can get your funnel cake, your corn dog and your freshly squeezed lemonade,” Dunn said. The Midway will be open for carnival rides and games from noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and until 7 p.m. Sunday. “
Bingo also will be offered. “We started it at the 2019 Lake County Fair,” Dunn said. “We sold out and had a very big attendance, so we decided to bring it back.”
Beer will be for sale in a tent Friday and Saturday, with bloody marys offered Sunday.
Ten bands will perform different genres of music during the micro fair. “Live music is a great draw to bring people in, and it’s setting a great atmosphere,” Pribel said. The band list will be posted online soon and will include groups that have performed at past Lake County Fairs, she said.
Tickets for the fair need to be purchased online ahead of time.
“We’re hopeful for a good attendance,” Dunn said “We think people definitely will come out.”
The Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center hosts other large-scale events, including a new one scheduled just before the micro fair. The Cabin Fever Laser Light Show will be staged July 22 — 25 at the fairgrounds and run by private company.
“We’re really excited about it,” Pribel said. “It’s almost like a drive-in movie, where all the cars are parked and facing a screen. It’s a fun show with lasers and music.”