Agriculture, rides, concerts and tanks, the Morgan County Fair had it all
By Ben Cox
Editor’s Note: The fair photos in this issue are attributed to ElCrow Photography, Ryan Mason, Kyla Hurt and the Morgan County Fair. Photos can be found throughout.
The Morgan County Fair was a success. The weather was somewhat finicky, but fairgoers were mostly able to dodge the rains for a great time. The fair kicked off on Tuesday, July 8 with a visit from WW2 Armor for a tank exhibition. Kicking off the night in the grandstand on Tuesday was some of Morgan County’s most talented young people with the annual Talent Competition. The finale on Tuesday night was the 67th annual Morgan County Fair Pageant.
The 4-H family got things started on Wednesday, July 9 with sheep and rabbit judging early in the morning. WW2 Armor opened up their tank line in the afternoon for a meet and greet. Former Morgan County and Illinois County Fair Queen Natalie Evans reflected on her magical year representing both the county and the state.
The Witty Farmer, Jenny Sauer-Schmidgall, presented her self-serve shopping experience in a brief lecture about the Grab ’N’ Grow Greenhouse shortly after in the 4-H building. WW2 Armor brought the boom for the evening’s grandstand entertainment Wednesday to both educate the public on World War II tanks and weapons and to support area veterans with freewill donations going to the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight.
Thursday, July 10 was Kids’ Day at the fair. The fun carnival day was capped with a Power Wheels Derby at 6:30 p.m. and then the clash of steel with the Demolition Derby that night in the grandstand.
The anticipation was in the air on Friday, as many were worried that rain would stop the Dustin Lynch concert. County fair officials moved the concert up by an hour, which proved wise as the rains came just a little after 10 p.m. The wise move allowed the capacity crowd to pack the fairgrounds.
There were no fears of weather on Saturday, as the day started hot. Beef judging started the day, followed by the annual 6-on-6 volleyball tournament and the Western Horse Show. Aerial photos taken from above of the fairgrounds on Saturday night may have recorded some record-setting attendance for the show of country superstar Warren Zeiders. Many stuck around for local favorites The Longmeyer Band in the pavilion.
Unfortunately, the rains got the better of the fair on Sunday as three-quarters of an inch soaked the infield of the track, canceling the tractor pulls. The fair concluded officially the afternoon of Monday, July 14 with a good showing for the 4-H and 4-H Alumni livestock auction.
