Traditions at fair continue
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Despite a decrease in state funding, a 156-year-old tradition is going on as always this week.
The Ogle County Fair officially began July 29 and will run through Sunday, Aug. 2 at the fairgrounds on Limekiln Road, off Ill. 64 west of Oregon.
Fair board president Harlan Holm said the traditional favorites are right on schedule, along with some new events.
“We’re going to have a great fair. We’re really excited about it,” he said Sunday, as he and other volunteers made final preparations for opening day.
A bigger carnival will be one of the highlights.
“The carnival will be relocated to allow more room because they’re bringing more rides this year,” said Holm. “It will be set up down by the exit gate instead of by the entrance gate. We’re doing that to accommodate the flow of people through the fairgrounds.”
This year’s theme is “Step Back in Time in 2009 — Revisit the Ogle County Fair.”
The gates open are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Ogle County 4-H Clubs will take center stage at this year’s fair.
In addition to exhibiting and showing their projects, the 4-H Clover Olympics will be the grandstand entertainment on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.
Besides the 4-H Show, a Junior Open Show for anyone up to 18 years old will be held throughout the five-day fair.
Judging of both 4-H and Open and Junior Show projects will go on throughout the fair.
“We’re concentrating more on youth this year,” Holm said.
The fair this year includes more commercial exhibits than in previous years, and they will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m.
One will feature a demonstration of air bags and other safety equipment for automobiles, Holm said.
On Friday and Saturday, a special car outfitted with two crash dummies will be used to show how air bags and seat belts protect passengers during a crash.
Holm said three new free shows will be held twice daily each day of the fair — the Granpa Cratchet Puppet Show, Mark Preston’s Animal Safari, and the Paul Bunyon Lumber Jack Show.
Bands at the Lions Shelter include “One Stack Mack” on Thursday, “First Friday” on Friday, and “Switch Track” on Saturday. The shows start at 7 p.m.
Favorite events are back for this year’s fair.
The truck and tractor pulls are set for Thursday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m.
The Big Hat Rodeo will perform on Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m.
The demolition, always a crowd-pleaser, will be held on Sunday, Aug. 2 at 2 p.m.
Holm said the decrease in state funds forced the fair board to rethink some of the events.
The state budget woes mean the fair board will receive less than half the funding promised, he said.
“We were affected quite a bit,” he said. “There’s no Open Show and no queen contest this year.”
Open Shows allow adults to enter exhibits for judging.
Holm said the cuts in state funding are nothing new but have become more severe than in previous years.
“We’ve been having cuts each year, but now the cuts are getting so drastic, it’s hard to make up the difference,” he said. “The funding level is supposed to be 66 and two-third cents for every dollar we spend in premiums. We got 38 cents in 2008.”
That translated into just $12,000 last year compared to $22,000 the year before.
The fair board received a letter from the state several weeks ago which said this year’s funding level would be 30 cents.
Despite all that Holm remains optimistic.
“We have to get to the point where we’re self-sufficient, and we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.
