PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2023

For nearly a decade now, the fair has focused on showcasing up-and coming artists from all across central Illinois, a necessary move given the stiffer competition in the local venue world and increased prices of national touring acts.

for me and my sibs. She even won a Grand Champion blue ribbon for a baby blue, three-piece suit complete with a handmade bow tie for my 3-year-old brother. He had his photo taken in one of the carnival game tents with all the stuffed animals, for the front page of the Journal Star. I fell in love with the fairgrounds again as an adult in 2002 as a Peoria Jaycee. The Jaycees hosted several long running events at Expo Gardens, and it felt like home. “The Heart of Illinois Fair isn’t the same …” And yet it is. Livestock shows, home arts competitions, truck and tractor pulls, carnival rides, food vendors and live entertainment have been the anchors of the fair and are still thriving. We also have the Celebrity Swine Showmanship Competition, the HOI Heroes Program to recognize those in our community who go the extra mile, the Mobile Open Mic for local artists, a pie-eating contest, our racing turkeys, a petting zoo, a sky-high circus act, and of course corn dogs and lemon shake-ups. This year’s fair runs from July 18-22. Tax-deductible donations are always appreciated and sponsorships are avail able. For more information, please visit our website at heartofillinoisfair.com.

FAIR STRUGGLES, NOT A NEW ISSUE

The first few fairs were hit with strong storms that wrecked the tents that held the vendors and competitors and that led to the construction of several per manent structures that still stand today. Much like today, financial struggles hit the fair on multiple occasions. Half of Exposition Gardens’ acreage was sold in 1955, along with the Grandstand, which became the future home of Richwoods High School. The influx of money led to the construction of five barns and the Youth Building. THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SHOW While the Exposition Gardens/ Heart of Illinois Fair Board is made up of volunteers, the backbone of the property has been its loyal employees. In 1973-74, a young man from Brimfield named Tim Tucker worked part-time at the fairground, going full time in 1977, the same year that a longtime office worker, Eileen Frye, took the reins as fair manager. Frye stepped into a role that was traditionally dominated by males and served 30 years until her retirement

in 2007. Tim Tucker retired this past December after a nearly 50-year relationship with the Fair. Joann Jackson also was an integral part of the Expo/ HOI Fair office from 1986 to 2020. Frye’s legacy lives on with her grand daughter, Erica Abenroth, now serving on the board. She also was president during some of the most difficult times in our history, the COVID era. A PERSONAL CONNECTION I have been a member of the Fair Board for more than a decade and am currently serving as its president, now in my second year of a three-year term. But I fell in love with the Heart of Illinois Fair back in the mid-1970s. As for many central Illinoisans, it was what my family did for a vacation during the Caterpillar summer shutdown. My Mom entered her excellent sewing projects, which became clothes Eileen Frye, second from left, was general manager of the fair for 30 years

Roxy Baker is a longtime local radio personality and the president of the board of Heart of Illinois Fair

66 JULY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE