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* It’s that time again. Press release…

The Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Agriculture today announced temporary changes in traffic patterns around the Illinois State Fairgrounds to accommodate the influx of vehicles during the fair.

Beginning at 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, IDOT will change the traffic flow around the fairgrounds to one way counterclockwise. In addition, both eastbound and westbound turn lanes from Veterans Parkway to Eighth Street will be closed. Portable signs will inform motorists of the changes. Normal traffic patterns will resume by 6 a.m., Monday, Aug. 21.

Twilight Parade Route
The Twilight Parade is Thursday, Aug. 10, with the route beginning in Lincoln Park. It will head north through the park to Sangamon Avenue and then east to the Main Gate and to the fairgrounds. Staging for the parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the park.

The parade route will close to traffic at 4 p.m., with detour signs along North Grand Avenue and Veterans and J. David Jones parkways in place. The Parade Run begins at 5 p.m. The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. The route is expected to remain closed until 9 p.m. No public parking will be available for parade viewing in Lincoln Park and the Nelson Center. Patrons of the Nelson Center will be able to access the center using Third Street and Black Avenue.

Parking Restrictions
Beginning Thursday, Aug. 10, parking will be prohibited on neighborhood streets south of Sangamon Avenue. These changes will remain in effect until the morning of Monday, Aug. 21.

For more information on the 2023 Illinois State Fair, visit https://www2.illinois.gov/statefair/Pages/default.aspx

* SJ-R…

Gov. JB Pritzker announced a $58.1 million project last year, specifically targeting the Multi-Purpose Arena and the Coliseum, road improvements for a smoother drive through the fairgrounds and replacement of the roof and HVAC systems in many of the site’s buildings. Years of dereliction prompted the investment along with another $6.7 million from the Illinois Department of Agriculture - racking a total of nearly $65 million towards fairgrounds improvements in the last five years.

Renovations caused the closure of MPA during last year’s fair, requiring events to be moved to the Coliseum and the Grandstand instead. This year, IDOA Director Jerry Costello II said the arena will reopen Thursday - opening day for the 2023 Illinois State Fair - as host to the Monsters of Destruction tour in addition to several truck and tractor pulls and a rodeo show over the course of the fair.

The state invested $8.6 million through Rebuild Illinois into MPA, these funds going towards a new canopy and structural repairs to the the foundation and terraced walls. Work on restrooms and new concession stands at the 23-year-old building is also nearing completion.

“I can tell you any fairgoers moving around the fairgrounds, it’s hard to miss the tents of the Multi-Purpose Arena,” he said during fair media day earlier this week. “It’s something that I think everyone will notice is new.”

Grandstand and Arena schedules and lots more can be found here.

* I’m pretty sure I’ve asked this question before, but it doesn’t ever get old for me: Your all-time favorite Illinois State Fair memory?

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 11:36 am

Comments

Taking a young man from Paris. He had never seen farm animals and was just captivated around the pens. He also thought our food and portions were hilarious, but I think he ate about $80 worth of food.

Comment by Lirker Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 11:44 am
Oops on spelling my own name. And I’ll point out this was early 90’s, so $80 was still real money.

Comment by Lurker Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 11:45 am
In 1985 I was 23 years old and was hired as a stage hand thru the Dept. of Ag. One of the wildest 10 day periods of my life. Slept every night of the Fair onsite. Did booze runs for the bands to the Northender on 9th St. Played a softball game in the track infield with George Thorogood and his crew. Gallagher was a bit of a jerk. Walked Neil Young’s blue tick hound (Elvis) at setbreak. His bus was nicer than any home I’ve owned. LOL. Willie was incredible from the side of the stage. Will always remember Johnny Winter’s set. Amazing experinece for a 23 yr. old. Not impressed with the Beach Boys.

The 1985 Lineup

Survivor/Mitch Ryder.
Willie Nelson.
George Thorogood/Johnny Winter.
Waylon Jennings/Neil Young/ Jessi Colter.
Sawyer Brown/Gallagher.
Beach Boys.
John Waite/Head East.
Alabama.

Comment by danray Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 11:52 am
DuQuoin Fair. 2013. Dwight Yoakam. Great concert.

Comment by James Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 12:24 pm
My son had quite a bit of success showing heifers at the state fair. Now that he has aged out, I truly miss those times. He took that success and turned it into a business, selling offspring of those heifers to others.

Comment by UI DJR Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 12:39 pm
I think the first time I went, and just the amount of stuff. I thought the Sandwich Fair was big. A good ribeye sandwich, the huge commercial building, just the amount of stuff.

Also the last time I was there (5 or 6 years ago) and I was able to get my kid a unique vanity plate that didn’t set off any concerns.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 12:41 pm
When track tickets were only $5 and went on sale the day of the concert. Waiting in line to buy track tickets to see the Psychedelic Furs that night, and the line was right next to the line for tractor pull tickets. We were separated by only a couple of yards but it may as well been different planets, LOL.

What else? I think it was by the Coliseum, but the old beer barrel-shaped bratwurst stand. I haven’t seen it in years, but the brats were veal, not pork, just like authentic German brats should be.

Comment by Nick Name Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 12:45 pm
1973. Standing room on the track for concerts was free, first come, first served. We got in line about noon for each concert. Saw Loggins and Messina, Seals and Crofts, and the 5th Dimension. We all rode the bus to and from the fairgrounds. All of us were eighth graders.

Comment by Captain Obvious Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 1:06 pm
Damn Yankees concert, 1992 or so. Played original music, but threw in a bunch of Nugent, Styx and Night Ranger hits, too. Man, what a show.

Comment by Wading in... Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 1:12 pm
The Joan Jett/Huey Lewis double billing. I do love rock and roll, and it is, indeed, hip to be square.

Comment by duck duck goose Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 1:29 pm
Bob Dylan in 1990 or so. Finished the concert in driving rain.

Comment by Pius Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 1:33 pm
Conservation World. Best area of the fair in my opinion.

Comment by Papa2008 Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 1:34 pm
Tie
Hitting 4 straights trifectas and nearly missing Democrat Day speakers OR the night Hootie conceded the crowd wanted favorities from him and Blowfish and not the new Darius Rucker. He got a standing O for that decision.

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 1:46 pm
To a city boy like me the butter cow was quite impressive. Not sure what year that might have been.

Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 1:56 pm
Don’t remember the year, but my wife swooned when she met Gov Jim Edgar in the grandstand. For the next # of years, all I heard was how great looking he was. It was like the movie The Blind Side: the wife saying how handsome Nick Saban was while her husband was standing right there.

Comment by Interim Retiree Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 2:09 pm
Drinking too many vodka lemonades compliments of Judy Baar Topinka.

Comment by The Rum Diary Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 2:12 pm
Leon Russell, with Sam Bush and John Cowan as members of his band. Early ’80s. One of the best concerts I’ve seen ever, not just at the Grandstand. Cowan will be there this year with the Doobies, I presume.

Comment by Prince o' Peas Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 2:20 pm
Sometime in the late ’80s. Walking by the goat barn, I noticed Paul Simon in the middle of the show ring helping judge a competition for 4H kids. It was late in the evening, maybe 8 p.m. or so, and no one else was around. I don’t know how much Simon knew about goats (I certainly didn’t so I couldn’t tell); he deferred to the 4H judge, but he had a good word to say about each of the animals. I thought it was retail politics at its best.

Comment by olddog Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 4:25 pm
Got track tickets to Ray Charles, Mrs. B and I danced to just about every song. He had been our first concert as a dating couple, so we were really into it and ignored the fact that we had been dancing and hugging in front of Jump and Brenda’s private box seats. When we saw each other, they exchanged waves, and I went back to dancing with my sweetheart. “Guv and Brenda say hi” I whispered in her ear.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 6:13 pm
The IDNR guy at the Raptor Center let me pet a Golden Eagle…and look into those eyes…Magnificent.

Comment by Dotnonymous x Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 8:01 pm
Seals and Croft was my first concert…couldn’t tell you what year it was. Glad to hear it was 1973, Captain.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Aug 8, 23 @ 9:16 pm