The Art Hall

Most people come to the fair and sadly never take time to come the Art Exhibitor’s Hall. It’s too bad because you’ll find everything there: from pencil drawings to canned soup, quilts to radishes, dried flower arrangements to muffins. Best of all, everyone over 8 years old, is welcomed and in fact encouraged to compete. There is a chance you can get a ribbon and a premium!

The Art Hall allows exhibitors to release their inner “Martha.” In all seriousness, the Art Hall has several departments: Agricultural Products, Floriculture, Textiles, Fine Arts, Art and Photography, Antique Collections and Vintage Articles, Culinary, Baking, and two Junior Shows just for ages 8-13 and 13-19.

Then there are classes in each of the departments. Let me clarify.  For example, in 2012 I entered a two crusted Sweet Potato Pie that was exhibited in the Culinary Baking department, in the Two Crusted Pie class. To figure out the department and classes you will want to compete in, I will post each department and class in separate posts at a later time.

The recently appointed Exhibition Hall Superintendents Tamra and Eva Dynes, are trying to update some of the Art Hall portion of the fair. Some of the new classes will be a selfie, potted plants, and the oldest and/or most interesting item before 1930. To figure out the department and classes you will want to compete in, I will post each department and class in separate posts at a later date. The entire fair book should be online at http://www.henrycountyfairil.com/ around April 1st. If you desire a hard copy, the fair book will be available at local banks around Henry County about the same time.

Guest Post-Lauren VanDeVelde

Lauren VanDeVelde, has written a guest post about her experience as Miss Henry County 2013:

Lauren VanDeVelde-2013 Miss Henry County Fair

This past year as the 2013 Henry County Fair Queen has been an experience of a lifetime!  From meeting many great people to spending an entire week at the Henry County Fair, every moment has been amazing.  I grew up attending the fair every year but experiencing it as the queen has made me appreciate it so much more.  I spent fair week watching the livestock shows, handing out ribbons and trophies, riding rides, helping with grandstand events, and of course eating every type of fair food I could get my hands on!  After fair week, I spent the summer with my Jr Miss Lauren, Little Miss Olivia, and pageant director Kelli traveling to parades and other area pageants. We had a lot of fun continuing to eat fair food and watching local county queens be crowned.  At the end of summer we enjoyed County Fair Day at the State Fair. This was a fun day full of meeting other queens and exploring the state fair grounds and all it has to offer.  In the fall I was thrilled to help at various events in the county such as the Demo Derby Fundraiser for Jackie English, a trivia night to raise funds for the Braveheart Children’s Advocacy Center and collecting toys and then helping to distribute them for our area Toys for Needy Children Campaign.  Volunteering and helping people in need is always a great feeling!  I also spent a lot of time preparing to represent my county at the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant in January.  It was a weekend full of excitement and making many new friends. The support I felt from residents of Henry County and all of my family and friends was something I will never forget! The rest of my year will be filled with more community service, parades, and of course the pageant on the opening day of the Henry County Fair. I cannot wait to meet all of the beautiful girls competing for the title.  I’m sure the new queen will love every minute of it just as I did!  I would encourage any young woman to do this pageant.  It is really an awesome experience that will give you skills for your future such as interview and public speaking.  It also gives you the chance to make new friends, get more involved in your county and not to mention another chance to wear that pretty prom dress!

~Lauren VanDeVelde

2013 Miss Henry County Fair

Talent Contest

Do you have a talent? Singing, dancing, some type instrument, or part of dance troop perhaps? Then you will want to enter the Henry County Fair Talent Contest. Click here to go to the fair website and it will have the form available along with all the rules. Entries for the Jr. Division must be age 6, and have not reached past their 14th birthday as of the date of competition. Senior Division entries must be 15 years of age and not over 22 years of age as of the date of contest. Must sign a waiver (which is also included in the link above). No entry fee is required for participation, only the front gate entrance fee.

Everyone who enters will receive a participation ribbon. Entries that win first place in each division will win a cash prize of $50, a trophy and the opportunity to compete at the Illinois State Talent Contest in January. Second and third place will receive both a trophy and $30 and $20, respectively. A trophy will also be awarded for best costume.

. With all of the great talent we have here in Henry County I can’t wait to go this year. See you there!

More Henry County Fair History

This year the Henry County Fair is celebrating its 155th anniversary, but more information found about the fair dates back to 1853. If my math is correct the dates just don't compute.  I discovered it takes A LOT to cancel the Henry County Fair. Since the first fair in 1853 it has only been cancelled less than a hand full of times. It took a war, Civil War that is, a Great Depression and a cyclone. Just think the Olympics were cancelled because of both WW I and WW II, but not the Henry County Fair. It's the energizer bunny of fairs!

On July 6th, 1942 a gale force wind destroyed much of the fairground buildings, the damage wasn't able to be fixed in time and only the 4-H fair was held later that year.

In 1945 World War II came very close to cancelling the Henry County Fair. In that year, a permit needed to be obtained from the Office of Defense Transportation. Henry County applied for the permit but was turned down. The fair board proved it was a local event because eighty percent of the exhibitors were Henry County residents; the permit was then wired just days before the fair began.

So with this type of history, we can be confident that the Henry County Fair will be held for many years to come!

The History of the VERY first Henry County Fair

I went to the Cambridge Public Library to research the history of the Henry County Fair. The fair board has said that the fair scrapbooks complied by Frances Johnston were kept there. I walked in to the library, along with my mom who likes to just tag along, and asked the librarians for the fair archives for my blog. They looked puzzled, but they politely went upstairs and retrieved the large tubs, all ten of them, full of pamphlets, brochures, scrapbooks, memorabilia, newspaper articles and pictures. I was stunned by all the information that there was, so I got to work right away. The next three hours were a joy looking through the pictures, newspaper articles and other archives that described what the Henry County Fair was like. The oldest archives I found were dated 1915, but there was a lot of information that was on the first fair in later articles.

The Henry County Fair was first held on October 5th and 6th, 1853 on the courthouse lawns .The idea of the fair was to "stimulate commercial agricultural practices". The first premiums awarded were: 1st prize-$5, 2nd- $3, and 3rd place was worth the volume of a "Prairie Farmer” (Kazlowski, 1975). An article dated December 13th 1951 from the Cambridge Chronicle explains what the first county fair was like:

“The number of entries made was much greater than was expected, and nearly all of our prominent farmers and horticulturists were represented. The fair grounds and rooms were crowded with visitors both days, and we were pleased to see many strangers attracted by the exhibition. Among them were some of your Moline Manufactures”  (The Cambridge Chronicle, 1951).

I don’t know what was meant by the terms, “Prairie Farmer” for a third place finish or “Moline Manufactures”. If anybody knows, feel free to post it in the comments section.

The very first fair board included:

Frederick P. Brown-President

Sylvester Blish and Henry G. Griffin- Vice President

Thos. F. Davenport- Recording Secretary

Benj. Graham- Corresponding Secretary

Alfred W. Perry- Treasurer (The Cambridge Chronicle, 1951).

A special thank you to the Cambridge Public Library for providing the archives and information and an even more big thank you to the late Frances Johnston for keeping track of a piece of Henry County History.

Queen Contest

The entry form is now online for the Queen Contests. There are three categories: Little Miss for ages 5-7, Jr. Miss for those ages 12-14, and Miss Henry County Fair Queen for those ages 16-21 and cannot have reached their 22nd birthday before January 1st, 2015. We are fortunate to have a wonderful director such as Kelli Patton. Year after year she does a terrific job. I would encourage any interested girls to sign up for the pageant. Little Miss is full and both entries close on May 5^th. Jr. Miss may close earlier if 25 entries are received before the deadline. Click here for the link to the fair website it has both of the forms available.

I have always enjoyed the Queen Pageants, I participated in several when I was younger and was in the Henry County Little Miss Pageant (at least my mom says I did it I don't remember). Many people believe pageants these days have a negative stereotype, especially because reality shows portray pageant girls going to extremes to do anything for the crown. I find this stereotype to be totally untrue.

 I have participated in eight pageants in my life and never won once (the closest I got was first and second runner-up at local pageants). But even though I didn't win, the skills that I learned at an early age have lasted me a lifetime such as how to be confident, interview skills and how to lose gracefully. Unfortunately, I never learned how to master the walk-which is probably why I never won. I practiced for hours when I was younger and even to this day my mom says I still stomp like a Clydesdale, like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality.

If you have a past fair queen, experience feel free to post in the comments section.

The History of County Fairs

This year The Henry County Fair runs from June 24-29th and will celebrate it's 155th anniversary, making it one of the oldest fairs in Illinois. Think about it 1859...before the automobile, the Civil War and even blogs!  Every county fair has its history, but I will to talk about the history of county fairs in general. My source comes from the Encyclopedia of Chicago.

In the United States, county fairs first started out in the early 1800's as a way to promote modern farming to the local people (County Fairs, 2005). So the original county fair resembled a modern day trade show. The first fairs in the United States started out in bigger cities and eventually moved to smaller towns, events at these fairs included plowing contests, livestock judging and exhibits on how to use new farming techniques and equipment. In the 1900's 4-H was organized to encourage younger children to get involved in county fairs. As time went on, other events of entertainment such as horse racing, bicycle races  and other forms of entertainment were added to the program. Firework displays soon replace evening lectures and other forms of agriculture education. While some fairs are still around, other have had to discontinue because financial difficulties of maintaining the land and the expense of obtaining world-class entertainment (County Fairs, 2005).

Fortunately the Henry County Fair has a dedicated group of individuals who volunteer and work hard to preserve the meaning of the fair and keep it running smoothly for everyone to enjoy.

 Sources

County Fairs. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Copyright 2005. Date Retrieved 9 Mar 2014. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/345.html         

Beyond The Midway

The winter midway at the Henry County Fair along
 with the grandstand (right) and art hall (left)

What comes to mind you think about a county fair? Corn dogs, queen pageants and carnival rides perhaps? But a county fair is more than just that, it's about the meaning of agriculture and its importance. The purpose of this blog is to reveal the "hidden treasures" that make up the fair, beyond the mid-way. This blog will cover topics such as the people, the exhibits, the art hall, the livestock barns and events that define a county fair.

As for myself, I have many fond memories of the Henry County Fair. When I was little I would ride as many carnival rides as I could handle. When I was older and in 4-H I showed art projects and worked the 4-H food stand.  I was also a Henry County Beef Ambassador and handed out ribbons to the many award winning cattle. I hope to communicate the importance of the county fair to friends I have from the city who seem very puzzled by this whole phenomenon. My goal of this blog is to attract people who normally don't attend the fair and to get people aware and excited for it. Another thing I hope this blog accomplishes is to get more people to exhibit and inspire others to actively participate and attend county fairs.