DuPage County Fair opening with animals, axe throwing, and drone light show
The 71st annual DuPage County Fair will be lighting up the skies over Wheaton with three nights of drone light shows. The shows will start at 9:30 p.m. Thursday and 10:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The four-day event also features live music, axe throwing, 4-H exhibits, animals, contests and carnival rides on July 24-27. The fair is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday at the DuPage County Event Center and Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton.
Live music in the beer garden will open on Thursday with Solid Aire Band at 4:30 p.m. and Sammy and the Knights, the Winfield-based band known for playing rock & roll for charity, at 7 p.m. On Friday, local cover band Vital Signs will perform at 5 p.m. and the Two Beer Tommy Band, the St. Charles-based band playing modern, classic country, and rock, at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, Grupo Regresivo opens the beer garden at 5 p.m. followed by Michael Lynch Music at 8 p.m. On Sunday, the Lake Effect, an eight-piece band, returns at noon, followed by ERT From Earth at 2:30 p.m. Thankful Dead, a Chicago-based Grateful Dead tribute band, will close out the fair at 5 p.m.
There also will be musical entertainment in the dining hall with the Dennis Martin Duo at 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and Mariachi Morelos at 1 p.m. and Viento del Valle at 6 p.m. Saturday. West Chicago Elementary District 33 Ballet Folklorico will perform at the Expo Stage at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Axe Women Loggers of Maine will be bringing their show to Illinois with performances at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and 1, 3 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the grandstand infield. The all-female team of Logging Sports athletes has world champion choppers, sawyers, logrollers and axe throwers.
Enjoy demonstrations and educational exhibits about the GardenWorks Project, bee hives, embryology, woodcarving, bobbin lace, and more. In Building 1, watch demonstrations of knitting, crocheting, embroidery and calligraphy. Check out the “History of DuPage” in the Barn Biz or the STEM-a-Palooza in Building 5.
Stop by the “Ag-Ventureland” in pavilion 17 to learn how to milk a cow, make a rope, or shell and grind corn while dressed up like a farmer or a cowpoke. In addition to the corn hole game, there will be the “Grocery Game” and “My American Farm Game.” Or test your skills at the contests for pie-eating at 3 p.m. Friday or watermelon-eating at 3 p.m. Saturday. The DuPage County Talent Competition will have two age divisions: junior for ages 14 or younger and senior for ages 15 to 21. It includes prizes of $200 for first place, $100 for second and $75 for third place.
Every day, there will be sheep herding demonstrations at 2 and 6 p.m. in the grandstand field. The Animal Costume Contest will be at 7 p.m. Saturday in the goat & sheep barn, and the Pedal Pull Contest will be at 2 p.m. Sunday
The DuPage Fair also offers the opportunity to participate in two community service projects. For Operation Support Our Troops’ Stocking for the Troops, pick up a sample in Building 1 and sew some stockings and return them to the fair office by the first week of November. In “Cases for Smiles,” pick up directions on how to sew pillowcases for this cause at the Open Class Information Table in Building 1.
Fair admission is $12 for ages 13 or older; $8 for kids ages 6 to 12 and seniors 62 or older; free for active military personnel with an ID and kids ages 5 or younger. A Mega Pass for $35 includes admission and carnival rides for any one day at the fair.
The DuPage Event Center and Fairgrounds are located just northeast of Roosevelt and County Farm roads, directly east of the DuPage County Complex. Enter through the county complex at County Farm Road.
For information, visit dupagecountyfair.org.