Organizers Geared Up for Summer's 'Last Hurrah' at the Will County Fair

With five days, 38 acres of grounds and an expected 65,000 visitors, this week's Will County Fair promises the family fun it has consistently provided through its 108 years of history.

The fair opens Wednesday and continues through Sunday at the Will County Fairgrounds in Peotone, rounding out the summer with plenty of festivities, from animal exhibits and competitions to comedic performances and a two-day Demolition Derby.

According to Will County Fair Association President Ron Meyer, the planning process is a yearround effort. Plans are usually in place by January, giving the association’s 55 volunteers ample time to prepare.

“We’re good to go,” he said. “We’re prepared as well as can be.”

Meyer said he hopes for good weather, as that usually determines how well the fair runs. During the fair in 1993, a downpour drove visitors into buildings and the festivities were abandoned for a day.

High winds can also be a problem, as evidenced in last week’s Indiana State Fair accident, but Meyer said visitors shouldn’t worry. The Will County Fair can hold up against such inclement weather, as the grand stand and stage are permanent structures and checked by an engineer every three years.

Meyer also said he expects a large turnout, especially during the weekend. Because admission to the fair costs just $4 for adults and is free for children, Meyer said the fair encourages visitors to explore on their own.

“We’re on the cheap side, but we make it work,” he said. “We want to let them decide what they want to spend money on.”

Visitors tend to come in droves for the popular Demolition Derby, the baby animals show Sunday afternoon and the recently added ping pong ball drop event, where children can pick up balls and redeem them for prizes, including free ride tickets, ice cream sundaes and school supplies. The fair offers one of the top carnivals in the United States and children have countless options for rides, Meyer said.

The fair is also a showcase for a variety of animals, with livestock and other exhibits, including one for baby kangaroos. Jay Nadler, vice president of the Fair Association and a veterinarian at the Peotone Animal Hospital, said the animals attract crowds.

“We always have a really great animal exhibit,” Nadler said. “They get a tremendous amount of traffic.”

Of course, the fair is also a way to demonstrate the significance of agriculture in the county. For Meyer, it’s an important focus for the area, as the fairgrounds is nested within farmlands sprawling with cornfields.

“People just don’t see livestock or see the importance of it in this part of the county,” he said. “I’d like to see visitors see ag-related food products, what they’re like on the farm and relate them to how agriculture life is.”

Though the fair hosts plenty of competitions and awards many blue ribbons to its winners, Nadler said it ultimately aims to provide family-oriented fun, social events, in order to gather residents of Will County together before the children have to head back to school. Nadler said he enjoys seeing groups of people mingling at the fair, showing its purpose as a social gathering.

“We’ve really stressed for this fair to be family-friendly, kid-oriented,” he said. “We try to be the last party of the summer. It’s a last hurrah.”