The county fair is a staple of summertime in Illinois. A family can spend an evening at the fair and enjoy a variety of attractions and activities: tractor pulls, carnivals, harness racing, and more.
But like many other events, programs, and services in Illinois, county fairs are seeing their share of state funding get cut.
The Knox County Fair, taking place this week just outside of Knoxville, is not immune. Fair President Tom Collopy said it’s becoming more difficult to provide everything the fair wants to each year and maintain the fair’s grounds while getting less money from the state.
He said the fair is currently “suspended” in funding from the state and not receiving funding for next year’s fair at the moment.
Collopy said the fair has had to make some tough decisions as a result of the funding cuts.
“If you haven’t adjusted your county fair in the last three or four or five years to make up for that lack of state help through premium and also the rehab, some county fairs are going to be in trouble,” Collopy said.
Adjustments in KNox County include a one-day reduction in the length of the fair and a cutback on advertising. Collopy said the fair has also been forced to prioritize repairs. He said work on the grandstand and new signs for the fair have been put on hold.
Collopy said the fair has had to look to outside sources to make up for the losses. The fair received a donation from the City of Galesburg this year. It's also started charging a small gate fee.
Despite the revenue struggles, Collopy said the fair has a bright future because of the people who work for it.
“The board’s committed to do it. We’ve got a great county fair this year. We’ve got four excellent grandstand shows. And we have a core of supporters for the livestock portion of it, domestic parts of it, and I think that core will not let this fair fail.”
