The DuPage County Fair kicked off on Friday, with the three-day event making its 69th appearance in Wheaton.
NCTV17 spoke with fair organizers about new attractions, upcoming animal shows, and the history of the weekend event.
Fun for all ages
The local summer fun is happening from July 28 to 30 at the DuPage Events Center and Fairgrounds, located at 2015 Manchester Road in Wheaton.
“We have 20 different food vendors on the grounds for you to enjoy,” said fair organizer Jim McGuire. “We have a beer garden with lots of music and entertainment at night, animal barns filled with the 4-H kids projects, and a sheep herding demonstration on the north end. So a lot of different variety.”
The fair is open until 11 p.m. on Friday, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Pickleball players rejoice
For the first time, pickleball is making an appearance at the fair.
“We set up six temporary pickleball courts, and invited a bunch of folks out,” said Jim McGuire. “Today we have women’s doubles, tomorrow’s men’s doubles and on Sunday it’s mixed doubles. We have five to six hours of pickleball tournaments each day.”
The fair partnered with Sure Shot Pickleball, who is opening a Naperville location next month.
“(Sure Shot) is going to be giving clinics for both beginners and folks who are advanced,” said McGuire. “We’re excited to bring people out here to try something new and different on our ground.”
In addition to pickleball, there will be a volleyball tournament on Saturday.
4-H exhibitions
The DuPage County 4-H Foundation is hosting several animal shows throughout the weekend. There will be goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry contests at the fairgrounds on Saturday.
“All the 4-H-ers are going to have their exhibits judged to see which one is the best,” said fair organizer Bonnie Paganis. “They’ve worked hard all year, so it’s always a big deal.”
Along with the animal competitions, there will be contests in several different categories, such as woodworking, garden flowers, and photography.
Fair tickets
DuPage County Fair tickets are available at the gate.
Adults (ages 13 & up) are $10, seniors (ages 62 & up) and children (ages 3-12) are $5. Children ages 2 and under and active military personnel with ID are free.
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