Lake County fair opens; staff expect 200,000 visitors

Chicago Tribune

5 days ago

For 65 years, Germaine Marquess has attended the Lake County Fair and shown animals. This year is no exception.
'We come here just to enjoy it,' the Cedar Lake resident said. 'Yes, we value the competition, and we want to win. … But we want to come here to have fun and cheer for our friends.'
Marquess plans to show her 14-year-old miniature horse, Gunner, at the Lake County Fair from Aug. 1 through 10. Marquess and Gunner will compete in miniature horse driving and an obstacle course.
Throughout the year, except between January and April, Marquess practices with Gunner about three days a week.
'I spend at least an hour to an hour and a half just doing body movements so we can do the obstacles,' she said. 'And then we spend probably another two hours driving.'
Dawn Casey, secretary of the Lake County Fair board, said staff are expecting about 200,000 people to visit this year. Throughout the week, the fair will feature horse shows, which Casey says are usually popular with crowds.
'People don't get to see farm animals a lot,' Casey said. 'That's my favorite part — just watching people enjoy themselves.'
Sister Abbie Boomsma, 9, and Hannah Boomsma, 6, from Crown Point said their favorite part of visiting the fair is looking at the animals. The Boomsma sisters spent part of Friday afternoon looking at the rabbits.
'I like looking at the bunnies and the horses,' Hannah Boomsma said. 'They're cute.'
This year, the Lake County Fair will feature a new stunt show on its grandstand stage, Casey said, featuring four-wheelers, snowmobiles and other equipment that they'll do stunts and flips with. According to the fair schedule, the stunt show — also called 406 FMXX — will be at the grandstand stage at 7 p.m. Monday.
New bands will also be at the fair this year, playing at the showcase tent. The fair will feature a classic rock band, an Eagles cover band and an Taylor Swift cover band, Casey said.
Throughout the fair's 10 days, Casey anticipates that the monster truck shows on the grandstand stage will be most popular. The monster truck shows are at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The international demolition derby is also popular, Casey said, which is at the grandstand stage at 5 p.m. Aug. 9 and 10.
'All of (the shows) are popular,' Casey said. 'But those are probably our most popular.'
Casey also said fair staff hear that families, especially children, enjoy the rides.
For Crown Point resident Sam Abbott, the fair is the last celebration of summer for his family. On Friday, his wife Katie Abbott and 8-year-old daughter Adelyn Abbott, rode the swings at the fair while he watched.
'The kids love the rides,' Sam Abbott said. 'My wife and I, we love the food, we like getting a good sandwich or elephant ear.'
The Abbott family usually visits multiple times throughout the week, trying to go the first and last weekend of the 10-day event.
'It usually depends on if we're in town,' Abbott said.
Multiple families make the family an annual tradition, Casey said, and it's nice for the staff to see each year.
'We hope to see everyone at the fair,' she said. 'We want them to have a great time, eat all the foods, see all the animals, walk through the buildings, and enjoy themselves.'