Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – It’s in the air, can you feel it? It is State Fair season! Corndogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, and concerts! And to top it all off, its affordable. Do you think Illinois has the best state fair? You can vote for the Illinois State Fair to be determined as the best State Fair in the nation! VOTE HERE!
The Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark alongside Amy Beadle of Visit Springfield, stopped by the WTAX Morning Newswatch to let everyone know to vote for the fair in the USA Today-backed contest.
What are the makings of a great state fair, Rebecca?
“I’m looking for things that are affordable, family friendly, and relevant and entertaining. And I think the Illinois State Fair has that. You know, we are the most affordable state fair in the entire Midwest. I haven’t looked nationwide, but I know in the Midwest the most affordable state fair. So, and the ripple effect that the state fair has on our state and local community is just monumental.”
Amy, how big can we expect our fair to be this year?
“Our tourism draw this year is expected to be the largest we’ve ever seen. We’ve been on a trajectory increasing that every year, but this year with the America 250, with the Centennial for Route 66, we expect the traffic to continue, and we expect the state fair to be no different. Upwards of almost 800,000 or so people come to that. There’s not many events in the city of Springfield that draw that kind of headcount as well as the economic engine that it is. Not only for Springfield, but for the entire state’s economy.”
