PEORIA, Ill. – The Heart of Illinois Fair takes place with a diamond anniversary this week, as it tries to keep its place in an ever-changing society.
The fair runs from Tuesday to Saturday at Exposition Gardens in Peoria. Admission each day is $10 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12, and free for kids under six.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Heart of Illinois Fair, with Fair Board of Directors President Roxy Baker saying the fair surviving that long is reason enough to celebrate.
“Societal trends aren’t county fair favorable right now,” Baker said. “The fact that we’re still running with a volunteer board is quite a commemoration of that.”
Baker believes a technological and instant gratification society has taken away from county fairs, where one walks around and visits exhibits. She says the fair has tried to counter that by bringing in local acts to perform, as well as embracing Venmo as a form of payment.
One major part of the fair this year that will be missing is the carnival. Baker says the company running it broke its contract around a couple months ago, which did not give the fair enough time to find a replacement.
“We did try very hard, we have a board of about 25 people, and everybody chipped in, and what we discovered is that carnival companies are not as prevalent as they once were, and they’re all booked up in the month of July,” Baker said.
Baker says the fair is replacing the carnival with a dinosaur animatronic educational exhibit that’s geared towards kids and families, along with inflatables.
