This column originally appeared in the July 30, 2019 edition of the “Greenville Advocate”
Growing up as a farm kid, made the annual Bond County Fair in Greenville, Illinois a “really” special occasion for me.
Living south of the booming metropolis of Beavercreek, Illinois (population never counted), seemed like living on the edge of civilization, but one week a year I got to escape to the County Fair in Greenville, the county seat, located 10 miles away. But it wasn’t an easy escape, because that was inevitably the week the township road commissioner would choose to oil the road in front of our farm, so we had to trek across the neighbor’s field to the “back” road where we parked our vehicles for that week.
Escape from the farm
Thanks to my mom’s involvement with the Bond County Home Extension, which has run a food stand for as long as I can remember (almost 70 years), I would accompany her to the fair on the days she helped in the stand and the food there was good. I still have those traditional chicken dinners several times during a fair.
It was a great adventure to have all day to kick around the fairgrounds, partly because there were no chores to be done, so it was a bit of a vacation.
Cattle barns for the ‘action’
I was also a charter member of a 4-H club, but since I was a “crops” guy rather than a “cattle” guy, I had no good reason to sleep in the cattle barns, except that is where my friends were and where all the “action” was. Although 60 years later, I’m a little fuzzy about what the action “was”.
Queens everywhere
I did and still do enjoy livestock judging, which reminded a little bit of a queen pageant without any pretty girls. Don’t get your hackles up, that may not sound PC, but I have had a girlfriend and a daughter win the queen contest in my lifetime, so I have attended more than my share of them and they are still a treat, especially with the addition of the Junior and Little Miss categories.
In the days leading up to the fair, I remember there was always one day when all my dad’s employees would be sent over to help clean and fix up the grounds along with dozens of other volunteers. It took and still takes a massive community effort to make a county fair successful.
Dirt track racing
A wide variety of events have taken place in the grandstand since the fair grounds were established in 1948 and many have become annual traditions. But, once in a while, something unusual would happen along. Am I correct in recalling the Joey Chitwood Auto Thrill Show and dirt track motorcycle racing on a Sunday afternoon. Help me out here, my memory may be failing.
Modern day knights doing battle
The demo derby always had a certain appeal to me, but I never could pull the trigger and enter. The picture in my mind’s eye of me dying in a fiery vehicle and having it appear on the front page of my hometown newspaper, was enough to keep me in the grandstands watching. Kudos to those braver than I.
No place for the faint of heart
Across the street, the carnival always was alluring. Whether it be the colorful carnies or my desire to not experience motion sickness, I’ve always been conflicted by the carnival. My aversion to heights and movement kept me off most rides and out of the NASA astronaut program, but my love of people-watching made me go anyway.
I got a horse right here
One of my personal highlights each year was an afternoon of harness racing. It seems like the races were held for about four days each year and even had a twilight session. My buddies and I would find an empty high-priced box down front close to the track, become squatters until chased away, and bet our quarters on each race. Kind of an adolescent para-mutual betting ring. Seeing one of the old horse barns being torn down recently made me recall all of this and more.
My zucchini is bigger than yours
The Community Building, or Women’s Building, as it was known then, held all kinds of good thoughts for me, especially because it was the only air/conditioned building on the grounds. It was a respite from the normally oppressive August heat, so we spent a lot of time there and knew most of the displays and most of the people who created those displays of vegetables or other home-made items.
Biggest one-day crowd of the year
The highlight of the fair, then and still today, was parade night or, what I refer too, as the “biggest social gathering in the county each year.” Of course, that was long before the days of the Fourth Fest extravaganza and other large downtown events, but every budding politician, business or organization wants to enter a float and be noticed. I always thought you could see every person who lived in Bond County on parade night and you still can.
Shine up your motorcycle
Other attractions have been added and sometimes deleted, like: talent shows, rodeos, a beer tent, antique tractors (that were new when I was a kid), motorcycle judging and racing, so take your time and spend some hours at the next fair. Enjoy all the events and for sure, don’t miss the FFA food stand with the best that Chef Wes Pourchot has to offer. Start your new traditions now!
We hope you will be inspired to attend one of Illinois’ 100+ county and two state fairs, which are held from June through October. Those events are operated under the auspices of the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs. Visit their site: www.illinoiscountyfairs.org for a complete list and more details.
