In a highly urbanized area, where working family farms and barnyard animals have all but disappeared from the landscape, the county fair still preserves a sweet slice of rural life.
New general manager named as Lake County Fairgrounds returns from pandemic pause The 92nd annual Lake County Fair was canceled in 2020. A smaller, shorter version called Back to Our Roots Micro-Fair is scheduled this year for July 30 to Aug. 1. Paul Valade | Staff Photographer, 2020 Chey Pribel, left, and Shannon Dunn at the Lake County Fairgrounds & Event Center at an event in February 2020. Dunn was just promoted to general manager of the facility and Pribel is taking over as sales and marketing manager. Courtesy of Shannon Dunn
Updated 6/29/2021 5:28 PM
The Lake County Fairgrounds & Events Center in Grayslake has a new general manager, as operations at the facility ramp up and a scaled-down county fair approaches.
Dale Bowman
The pandemic will break the Chicago tradition of attending outdoor shows in winter. In the Chicago Boat Show, that tradition goes back 90 years.
I think the break, at least for the months of January and February, is the only sane response. Frankly, it will probably take months longer.
When I checked with a show salesman with decades of experience on status of various shows, he messaged, “Any show organizer that is still planning a show is clearly consumed by greed.”
Or in denial of the deadliness of the pandemic in the United States.
On the good side, creative thinkers are reconsidering their options for attending or doing shows. After the pandemic, there will be changes. I even think the concept of show going with thousands packing enclosed buildings may be rethought.