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Illinois State Fair observations offered

Another Illinois State Fair is nearing it’s close. I did not stay in Springfield for the entire fair, as I have in past years. I did, however, spend enough time at the fair to make a few observations. As I write this from a hotel room in Springfield, I have to laugh at myself, because I tell my husband, “I have to be careful in the way I say these things. . .” as if the Governor himself is going to bar me from next year’s fair if I speak my mind.

My number one observation about the Illinois State Fair this year is that many people were walking on eggshells for fear they might say something that would not be politically correct, as though freedom of speech is no longer allowed on the fairgrounds.
Other observations:
The ice cream at the Dairy building is creamier because it contains a higher content of butterfat than you’ll find at other ice cream stands.
If you make an unfavorable comment about the grandstand line-up, or lack thereof, you might not be allowed a media golf-cart permit.
Pork Chop on a Stick is just as tasty as it was last year. You can find that treat at the Pork Patio in the Commodities Pavillion.
The governor reschedules interviews with farm broadcasters over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. This farm broadcaster just decided not to show up for the last rescheduled interview. So I don’t know if he made it or not.
A ribeye sandwich from the Ribeye Corral is the best lunch after the Simmental Show on Sunday.
Illinois Department of Agriculture employee’s credentials (to get on the state fairgrounds) are not valid after 5pm or on week-ends, unless of course they are scheduled to work. So much for boosting morale for those people who work long hours to get READY for the fair.
Illinois Director of Agriculture Chuck Hartke truly cares about agriculture in this state. You can see that if you go to the AgriExpo area, where each of the divisions of the Department have their own tent to show what they do for both farmers and consumers in Illinois. You really shouldn’t miss a visit to this area.
The Apiculture exhibit is located in the Illinois Building. I couldn’t find it on the schedule, but you’ll find the prize-winning honey and educational information there.
The Big Slide is as popular as ever with young and old alike.
People that work for the state fair – like the Assistant State Fair Manager, the State Fair Press Office Manager, and a long list of others who are either employed by the state year-round, not to mention those who show up to work long hours during the Junior livestock shows and Open livestock shows -do good work, like a well-oiled machine.
Illinois still has one of the most beautiful fairgrounds in the midwest.
The Orr Building, the first Sunday about 10am, is alive with the sounds of thousands of roosters, chickens, ducks, and geese.
Nothing smells so good to me as the smell of the cattle barns with fresh bark, hay, cattle, and all of the tools of the trade used to get the beeves ready for show.
The draft horses, all dressed up and ready for show, still leave me in awe.
And finally, the farm broadcasters who were once given a prominent position in the Ethanol Building (which is now a Jimmy Buffet-themed bar area,)
can now be found under the grandstand. You’ll find them just inside the doorway to the Illinois State Fair Historical Museum. My good friend Randy Miller who owns several radio stations in Illinois, wondered if perhaps they were trying to tell us something.