The 133rd edition of the Sandwich Fair – a tradition for generations – is in full swing after being canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sandwich Fair, which runs through Sunday, was first held in 1888 and had never before been called off until last year.
“It feels great to be back and see all of the people smiling and having a good time,” Sandwich Fair Association Board President Larry Dannewitz said.
This time last year health restrictions due to the pandemic limited public gatherings and forced fair officials to cancel all events at the fairgrounds off of Route 34 on the west side of Sandwich.
“We never lived through a time of not having anything at all on the fairgrounds,” said Dannewitz, 68.
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Some 18,000 people walked past the fair gates on opening day Wednesday, and the crowds were also big on Thursday, Dannewitz said.
“It was a real let down not to have the fair last year. It was like losing a friend. Coming back is sheer excitement,” fair volunteer Karen Breunig said.
Sandwich firefighter Levi Franklin grew up with the fair.
“As kids we would look forward to the fair every year,” said Franklin, 22. “It was sad that we didn’t have the fair last year. It’s a family tradition for many of us, including the fire department. We enjoy having a presence and seeing everybody at the fair.”
Breunig was volunteering in the Souvenir Gazebo where pottery and other gift items are offered. This year’s collectible lapel pin and logo available at the site shows the window and facade of the 1905 Home Arts Building at the fairgrounds.
This year’s lapel pin is attached to a postcard that describes the Sandwich Fair as the oldest in the state of Illinois and notes that the 2020 fair was canceled due to the pandemic.
“It’s been fabulous to be back at the fair. Many of us have been coming to the fair since our youth, so it was sad not to have the fair last year,” Breunig said.
As with many families, the Breunig family has been involved in the fair for generations.
“It was somewhat difficult to prepare for this year’s fair,” she said. “It seemed like we hardly knew what to do. We lost our momentum a little bit but we got it back.
“Everybody seems to be in an extra good mood and happy to be back at the fair,” Breunig said.
Karen Monkemeyer and her two sisters-in-law, Pam and Penny Monkemeyer, are superintendents of the Junior Foods and Open Foods and Canning Divisions in the Home Arts Building, where hundreds of people submitted entries for the contests in those divisions.
“There are enthusiasts who spend all summer canning and compete every year to get the blue ribbon,” Karen Monkemeyer said.
There were 25 entries just for peach jam.
“It was one of our biggest categories, followed by blueberry jelly. I am not a judge but I do get to taste every now and then. The peach jam was very good,” Monkemeyer said.
A new entry was a candied apple jam that had a resemblance to an old-fashioned candy, she said.
There were hundreds of cakes, pies, cookies and muffins entered in contests as well.
The three Monkemeyers have followed in the footsteps of their late mother-in-law Renee Monkemeyer, who was involved in the Sandwich Fair for 50 years.
“We married into the fair,” Karen Monkemeyer said. “We always joke that somewhere in our wedding vows there was the ‘Sandwich Fair or not.’ We are into it,” she said.
“It was strange not to have the fair last year. We never had a Labor Day holiday weekend off,” she said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.