HARDIN - Several community favorite events and county fair traditions are making their highly anticipated return at this year’s Calhoun County Fair, set for Thursday, Sept. 5 to Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.
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Fair organizer Patrick Simon appeared on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to share more about the fair as it comes together. He said his fellow organizers have been hard at work getting everything prepared, and emphasized the event wouldn’t be possible without the support of its sponsors.
“The local support that we get is wonderful,” Simon said. “Everybody loves the fair, so they want to see it continue on and have it grow, and have it become something that for generations on can be enjoyed.”
He added that on Thursday, admission for children 12 and under is completely free, courtesy of the day’s sponsor, Simmons Hanly Conroy. Animal judging for dogs, cats, poultry, and rabbits kicks off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, when the Garden Tractor Pulls also return at 6 p.m., featuring vehicles Simon described as “suped-up lawn mowers.”
The first day of the 2024 fair caps off at 7 p.m. with the Talent Show, which has seen several talented acts perform over the years, including a dancing duo - Macy Waters and Avery Wyatt - who earned a first-place ranking at last year’s county fair before going on to win first place at the state-level talent competition at the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs (IAAF) convention earlier this year.
Friday night’s activities, presented by the Bank of Calhoun County, kick off at 7 p.m. with what Simon described as one of the fair’s biggest events: the Illinois Farm Pullers Truck Pull. Simon also emphasized the popularity of the fair pageants, including the Junior Miss, Little Miss, and Miss Calhoun County pageants that run throughout the fair weekend.
“Our pageants are some of the most-attended events, especially the Miss Calhoun County … but the Junior Miss is also well-attended as well as the Little Miss,” he said. “That’s one of your traditional Calhoun County Fair activities is going and seeing the pageants, and seeing who’s going to win.”
First up is the Junior Miss Calhoun pageant on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 at 7 p.m., followed by the Little Miss Calhoun pageant on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. and the Miss Calhoun County Pageant on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m.
Saturday starts with early morning events including 4-H exhibits and the Junior and Open Horse Show, followed by a slate of activities from 12-5 p.m. for “Ag Family Day.”
“Ag Family Day is going to be a big day,” Simon said, noting the “Touch The Truck” event giving children a hands-on look at large firetrucks and more. “There’s going to be a lot of stuff for the kids to enjoy that afternoon.”
Ag Family Day begins with the Junior Olympics, which Simon said features footraces and other competitions for kids, who can win prizes and have fun. Seniors aren’t left out of the fun on Saturday either, as admission for senior citizens is free from 12-4 p.m.
Saturday at 2 p.m. will see another kid-friendly competition with the Pedal Tractor Pull, with registration beginning at 1:30 p.m. Simon said this is essentially a mini-tractor pull featuring weights on the back of the tractor, with the child strong enough to pedal the tractor forward being named the winner.
After the grandstand-packing Little Miss Calhoun County pageant at 5 p.m., another one of the fair’s staple events commences at 7 p.m. with the ITPA tractor pull, the full-size version of the fair’s traditional tractor pull. Simon noted the sheer popularity of this event means interested attendees should get to the grandstands early to secure a decent spot.
The final day of the 2024 fair begins with the Calhoun County Fair Parade on Sunday at 12 p.m., followed by the Demolition Derby at 2 p.m. Both events are community favorites and set the tone for the final grandstand events of the weekend: performances from the Jersey Community High School Jazz Band and Show Choir, and last but certainly not least, the Miss Calhoun County Pageant, which starts at 6 p.m. and wraps up the Calhoun County Fair festivities for 2024.
For more information about the 2024 Calhoun County Fair, visit the fair’s Facebook page or website, or check out the full interview with Simon at the top of this story, on Riverbender.com/video, or on the Riverbender.com Roku TV app.
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