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Illinois

* The Stanley Cup will be at the Illinois State Fairgrounds this Friday…

The plan is for the Cup to arrive in Springfield around 10 a.m. Friday for a private reception at the Governor’s Mansion with Gov. Pat Quinn for Betty Wirtz and guests.

There will be brunch at the Mansion until noon, and then the trophy will be taken to the Capitol Rotunda for a photo shoot that’s expected to last from about 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Then around 2:30 Friday afternoon, Rocky Wirtz will accompany the Stanley Cup to the Illinois State Fair. For about an hour, the Cup will be at the Governor’s Tent, and then from 4:30-5:30 it will be at the Director’s Lawn for another photo session.

At about 6 p.m., there will be a cocktail reception at the Governor’s Mansion for members of the legislature and Wirtz Beverage Illinois Employees, and the Stanley Cup will spend the night at the Mansion.

* The Question: What’s your fondest State Fair memory?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:28 am

Comments

Attending with my future wife, circa 1992. A fair is a fair is a fair. But when you’re wandering around one all goopy-eyed in love, it’s like another (very welcome) planet.

Comment by Linus Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:38 am
seeing the Chicago Cubs World Series Trophy

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:39 am
As a yute (appologies to Joe pesci) it was beingtall enough to ride the avalanche (circular roller coater blasting journey songsmoving backwards at high speeds….

As an adult, it is watching my child joy at the rides and wonderment at discovering all kinds of things about animals.

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:43 am
Several Fairs back when my friend pulled back when Blago tried to shake his hand and said very loudly “kiss my @#$!”

A cheer went up around us. It was an “up day.”

Comment by Justice Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:46 am
Hearing Blago sing “Can’t stop thinking about health care”

Comment by Mr. Ethics Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:46 am
Eating the same number of fried food items as Pat Fitzgerald’s failed convictions of people named Blagojevich. (Hint: That’s a lot of fried food!)

Comment by Fair Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:54 am
Fondest memory to be…the Stanley Cup at the State Fair

Comment by Rudy Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 11:59 am
I think it has to be back in 1999; after the legislature passed the Wine and Spirits Fair Dealing Act (aka the Wirtz Law). Aup until that point in time, most Illinois drinkers had genuine concerns that their distributor might actually be placed in a position to have to compete for the distribution rights to deliver wine and liquor to retail establishments across the state. Thanks to that short lived law however, drinkers were content for a period of time (at least until the federal court intervened) to know that they could continue to pay over inflated prices for their wine and spirits in order to protect the monopolies that existed at the time.

I think they should pass the cup around the fairgrounds during the Cheap Trick appearance, and let everyone do shots out of it.

Cheers!

Comment by Quinn T. Sential Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:04 pm
The first fair I attended, I will never forget going into the Poultry Tent. I never saw living chickens before and was amazed at how beautiful they are, their varieties, colors and sizes. Do you know how bizarrely chickens stare at you? It is a stare with no vibes whatsoever. Cold.

I still do this silly thing - I go up to the winners selected as “Best Meat Trio” and tell them,

“Hey guys! Great news! You won! Bad news! You won ‘Best Meat Trio’!”

Then I would laugh like I just said the funniest thing ever as they gave me that chicken eye stare. Which makes me laugh harder. Talking to chickens is so stupid, I laugh just thinking about it.

So, if you happen to see a guy laughing at the “Best Meat Trio” in the Orr Building - that is probably me.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:06 pm
Oh - and I’m drunk.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:07 pm
When I was a lad, lo these many years ago, looking at the exhibits. Yes back in the ’60’s you could see building after building of various handiwork and handicraft by the good people of Illinois. Now most of the buildings are closed to the public and the fair is about consumerism. What’s next? Are they going to do that with Christmas?

Comment by Pale Rider Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:10 pm
Cute.

Comment by Moving to Oklahoma Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:12 pm
Now most of the buildings are closed to the public and the fair is about consumerism. What’s next? Are they going to do that with Christmas?

Only if Rob Sherman gets his way.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:22 pm
Eating everything in site, then relaxing in a beer tent…for a very long time.

Comment by Deep South Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:31 pm
Seeing the Who with Keith Moon years ago. Then again since I remember it maybe I wasn’t really there…

Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:42 pm
I will wait for this comment to be deleted again, but I stand by my favorite Fair Memory. Seeing the tents and rides packed on the back of trucks knowing the financial nightmare of the fair is over again.

Comment by Moving to Oklahoma Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 12:59 pm
Same as zatoitchi - watching the Who. 1967?

Comment by Just the Facts Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 1:01 pm
Seeing Heart last year at the Grandstand with my daughter who had been raised on their music. They were awesome and forever bonded us even more!

Comment by Interested Observer Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 1:07 pm
hey MTO, Don’t let the door hit ya as you cross the Mississippi river…..

Comment by I'm Just Saying Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 1:09 pm
Wow, seeing the Who in the 1960s must have been awesome. Are your ears still ringing?

I haven’t been to the fair since I was a kid, and my only memory was vomiting on the Tilt-O-Whirl, getting much of it on the poor boy scout who was next to me. I’m sure it’s one of his favorite memories too…

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 1:11 pm
I bet MTO was the guy that went around telling his younger siblings and schoolmates that there was no such thing as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Dude, you need a hug.

Comment by chitownhv Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 1:13 pm
Watching a guy with a jet pack fly over the stadium (a long time ago).

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 1:35 pm
It is a tie between watching my young son’s eyes grow wide in absolute awe at the raptor exhibit and seeing an absolutely enormous Belgian (draft horse) break wind and actually move my buddy’s hair off his shoulders. Both of those events are burned into my memory.

Comment by Slick Willy Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 2:21 pm
Willy, I just spewed my tea at the monitor! Cracked me up!

Comment by Interested Observer Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 2:29 pm
Fishing with my kids at the little DNR pond where each bluegill must have been caught 10 times that day.

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 3:47 pm
Bumping into Big Jim at the Grandstands, just like he was one of the rest of the folks. And the Dukes of Dixieland at a beer tent (when there seemed to be a great variety of music and beer tents!)

Comment by Mr. Yesterday Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 3:51 pm
Sitting on the Governor’s reviewing stand on a beautiful summer late afternoon watching Alabama perform only a few feet away, awesome concert, and seeing Big Jim Thompson clad in cowboy boots, checkered shirt, and a bolo tie, carrying a cold bottle of beer, sit down amongst my kids and chat with them about their day at the Fair. He got someone to get him three Jim Thompson Fan, fans and he autographed them and showeed my kids how to fan themselves with them to keep cool. They were tickled to death. No cameras, no media, just a great guy being truly friendly to three little kids. Beautiful!!!!

Comment by Irish Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 3:59 pm
Sorry, I didn’t mention blue jeans. Didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. lol

Comment by Irish Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 4:02 pm
The time that Blago blamed the press critter
for waking up his kid and making her cry….

Comment by Esteban Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 4:23 pm
Another fair memory - 1968 my cousin and I grabbing a bunch of “Nixon’s the One” bumper stickers and going to the parking lot where a relative who was a patronage worker in the grandstand ticket office parked and placing bumper stickers on the cars. (Sam Shapiro a democrat was governor then)

Comment by Just the Facts Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 4:58 pm
Seeing Jim Thompson on the Giant Slide with his daughter… The double Ferris Wheel (very nice view)… My first lemonade shake-up… Giving away Reviewing Stand tickets for Garth Brooks to a co-worker (I didn’t have any idea who he was then)… Meeting and chatting with Bill Cosby one-on-one in a dressing room under the grandstand stage for about a half-hour one afternoon before his show… Meeting the Osmond family… Sadly, being in a mall in Southern California in the sixties and reading on a news ticker in a radio station’s glass window of the terrible accident when the scaffold on the top of the grandstand collapsed and several people were injured and one or two killed, I think.

Comment by Behind The Scenes Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 5:16 pm
Taking the kids for the first time when they were 4 & 5. Old enough to be amazed, young enough to be wiped out and carried by dusk. Second- Hootie & The Blowfish in ‘95 w/ future wife. Hot & crowded, but a good show.

Comment by Scott217 Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 9:02 pm
The usual fun stuff I normally do at the Fair, like rolling a huge watermelon around not too far away from the GOP stage (thank goodness no one was speaking at the time) with a cute little toddler (you know, the type of thing adult women my age usually do at the Fair when they’ve heard the speeches over and over and over again)…

…only to have the watermelon stopped suddenly by the foot of a prominent GOP Leader because it was about to knock either him, or one of two other GOP Leaders standing next to him, off their feet…and then not only forgetting the name of the candidate I was supporting, but the office he was running for too in response to a question I was asked…and then watching the three of them try not to break out in hysterical laughter as he told me that I was doing “a great job” for my candidate.

Um…that might have been my most embarassing memory, which would actually make it a good one. I’ve been caught doing sillier things.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Aug 18, 10 @ 9:20 pm