Lots of free shows highlight this year's Kane County Fair in St. Charles

Sunshine and temperatures around 80 degrees helped make the first day of the Kane County Fair a comfortable experience on Wednesday.

Some shows and midway features were not yet up and running, but festival food was plentiful and the crowds reasonable.

“Coming with two kids, I feel like it's a lot more manageable than in past years,” said Jamie Biggs as she sat on the wooden bleachers with her daughters, ages 3 and 5, to watch 4-H horses in the ring on the southern end of the fairgrounds.

Inside the ring, Frosty, a miniature pony that was saved from a dire situation eight years ago, was being led around by Kaylee Rothecker, 8, of Maple Park's Y-Not 4-H Club. Her aunt Sarah Yakle rescued the tiny white horse and named it for its frostbitten ears.

“This pony hit the jackpot,” said Yakle.

Horse shows are just one of dozens of events and shows. Others include the classic midway rides, games and food, as well as free shows like the Wheels of Agriculture Game Show, the Swifty Swine Racing Pigs, the Classic JP Car Show, woodcarvers, the Miller Lite Sound Stage, a petting zoo, 4-H animal barns and auctions, and agricultural and business barns to walk through.

The grandstand shows feature Illinois State Pullers on Thursday, professional bullriders and cowgirls on Friday and Saturday, and two demolition derbies on Sunday.

The fair is open from 3 to 11 p.m. Thursday, noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-12; kids 2 and younger get in free. The fairgrounds are located at 525 S. Randall Rd. in St. Charles.