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The
event in Springfield begins on Aug. 11 and runs for ten days.
The event has been celebrated nearly every year since 1853 as a
showcase for Illinois agriculture.
During a fair preview event, Illinois Department of Agriculture
Director Jerry Costello said the state fair positively impacts
the entire state economically.
“If you look at the Illinois State Fair, it is approximately a
$84 million annual economic impact for Sangamon County, the
surrounding counties and Illinois in general,” said Costello.
Rebecca Clark, the new Illinois State Fair manager, says with
inflation hurting Illinois families, it was important to not
raise prices.
“So it was really important to us that we hold the line on our
prices as much as we could, so with that in mind, there are no
changes to our admission prices this year,” said Clark.
Adults will be able to get half-price tickets Sunday through
Thursday and Kids 12 and under can enter for free every day of
the fair.
State officials announced a $58.1 million investment to improve
the property in June. Costello said livestock exhibitors will
see brand new pavement near the cattle and swine barns.
“There are very heavy stock trailers using that as ingress and
egress. So the paving that was done was done with that heavy
traffic and heavy trailer traffic specifically in mind,”
Costello said. “I think it will hold up well for years to come.”
Over 500,000 fair goers passed through the gates in 2019, before
the event was canceled the following year due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
The iconic Butter Cow will be unveiled on Aug. 10 inside the
Dairy Building. The 500-pound butter sculpture is a fan favorite
every year.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in
Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of
experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.
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