Officials: It was a good year for the IL State Fair

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Official numbers aren’t available yet, but all indications point to a successful Illinois State Fair.

As the fair wrapped up Sunday, State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark said they are cautiously optimistic that attendance was up this year.

“We saw probably a 20% increase in the number of animals on the fairgrounds, so that means that there’s big growth and excitement about our youth exhibitor programs. And, we’ve heard really good feedback from our vendors, and that’s another really good indicator,” Clark said.

Beautiful weather for most of the fair days certainly helped, Clark added.

A diverse Grandstand lineup also boosted numbers.

The DuQuoin State Fair in Southern Illinois begins Friday and runs through Labor Day weekend.

Learn more about the DuQuoin State Fair HERE.