Lake County Fair returns July 27-31 offering entertainment as well as agricultural exhibitions
The area's farming heritage will meet more modern entertainment at this year's Lake County Fair.
"We have over 25 bands booked from headliners to school groups," the fair's director of business development John Maguire said. The addition of a third beer garden will act as another performance venue.
Headliners include Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band Shining Star, Led Zeppelin Tribute band Kashmir and award winning country band Bella Cain.
These bands, however, are just some of the attractions at this year's fair, which runs Wednesday, July 27, through Sunday, July 31, at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road, Grayslake.
While county fairs started as purely agricultural celebrations, more mainstream entertainment has been added over the years, sometimes stealing the show from livestock.
The organizers of the Lake County Fair are working to preserve the heritage of agriculture in the county as well as entertaining the whole family, Maguire said.
"The farming community is shrinking, but our mission is to preserve that," Maguire said. "We try to tie it together with modern day life so that people moving into Lake County can understand the heritage that built this area and highlight the active farm and farmers that are at the base of our food chain."
This year's agricultural events include barnyard bingo, an antique tractor parade, truck and tractor pulls and "Ag Adventure," which is an interactive, miniature indoor farm where children can learn about the importance of agriculture and try their hand at such tasks as milking a cow or planting corn.
Apart from the traditional 4-H livestock auction and competition taking place throughout the week, there will also be a livestock costume contest and crazy cows relay race.
Other highlights of the fair include motocross racing scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, "Night of Destruction" demolition event at 7 p.m. Friday, July 29, and a demolition derby at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 31.
On Saturday, July 30, there will be two professional rodeo shows where cowboys and cowgirls will compete in bareback bronc riding, bull riding and steer wrestling.
From barbecue to candles and even psychic readings, more than 100 vendors will be selling their food, services and products for attendees to enjoy.
To make navigating around the fair easy, attendees can download the app "Walkabout," which will have an interactive map showing the location of all the vendors, stages, barns and more.
This year, people can buy their tickets online to avoid the lines. Tickets are $10 for ages 13 and older, $5 for seniors 65 and older and $5 for children ages 6-12. Admission is free for children 5 and younger. Tickets for active military, veterans and families with valid military ID are $5, but not available online; active military and veterans with valid ID receive free entry on Friday. A family fair pack which consists of two adult and two child tickets is $25.
For more information or tickets, visit lcfair.com.