Piglets and tractors and bands, oh my!
There may not be a scarecrow in the cornfields and there surely won’t be any lions or tin men, but the 112th annual Will County Fair promises to be as exciting a destination as Emerald City. At least if you’re “country.”
With a “Come Home to the Country” theme, the fair opens at 10 a.m. Wednesday through midnight and runs from 8 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Sunday at the fairgrounds, 710 S. West St., Peotone.
General admission is $4 for adults, and children under 10 are free. Seniors and veterans receive a $2 discount on admission on Thursday.
Wednesday is Family Day, with the 6th annual children’s ping pong ball drop set for 5:30 p.m., where 2,200 balls will be shot out of a cannon into the grandstand, each designating a prize. Kids will be divided into three age groups — 3 to 5, 6 to 8 and 9 to 12 — and allowed to hunt for the balls like Easter eggs, fair spokeswoman Lois Meyer said. Six bicycles will be given away, along with other prizes, including candy, free carnival rides and ice cream.
“We gear a lot of it toward back to school,” Meyer said, specifying that many prizes include backpacks or pencil pouches filled with glue sticks, markers and supplies.
New this year is the 144th Army Brass Quintet, which will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday in the free family entertainment tent. The group members are all active members of the National Guard.
Another new feature is the power wheels race for children, which has been added to the demolition derby, traditionally the fair’s most popular event, which had to be canceled last year because of heavy rain.
While adults can watch the smash-and-crash of the derby Friday and Saturday nights, kids can use remote controls to smash and crash their battery-operated cars, Meyer said. The price to enter the grandstand for the demolition derby for all ages is $9.
Rain or shine, there are always plenty of animals to see at the Will County Fair. Livestock judging will occur all four days. The Will County Farm Bureau will host its baby animal farm with chickens, piglets, goats, sheep and a dairy cow, according to bureau spokeswoman Terri Cooke.
On Saturday, the farm bureau will also host a scavenger hunt, directing participants into the other animal barns to hunt for information on posters. People who complete the scavenger hunt cards will enter a drawing to win a Kindle or an iPad.
The carnival opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and at noon on Saturday and Sunday. The annual rodeo will be Sunday at 2 p.m. for $8 in the grandstand. Saturday is Democrat Day, and Sunday is Republican Day.
And there will be plenty of other activities, including magic shows, comedy, exhibits, vendors and a chili cook-off. There will also be numerous tractors and farm equipment on site to see and explore.
Live entertainment in the beer garden includes Black Cadillac on Thursday and Friday, Iron Horse on Saturday and the Fill-Ins on Sunday.
The parking entrance to the fairgrounds is along Wilmington-Peotone Road, about a mile east of Interstate 57. Parking is free, and there is an air-conditioned restaurant and exhibit hall.
For a complete schedule of events, visit http://willcountyfair.org
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
