Fair time for McLean County

Last year's McLean County Fair / CIFN file photo.

BLOOMINGTON – Families in the area will have the chance to enjoy some family-friendly activities this week during the McLean County Fair which runs Wednesday through Sunday (Aug. 3-7).

“We are going to have a variety of project areas,” explains Katie Buckley, McLean County 4-H educator.

Visitors to Cloverleaf Hall can expect to see projects ranging from crop sciences and woodworking to foods and floral displays.

“Our barns are pretty full too this year as far as livestock goes. Poultry will be virtual due to the Avian Flu,” added Buckley.

Numbers look good this year for the county as they have 767 members enrolled in 4-H and just under 4,000 exhibits will be featured at the fair.

“Of those, 537 are showing in the 4-H Show.”

Visitors to the five-day event can enjoy everything from face painting to balloon animals.

“We have a carnival, we have fair food and we have our free entertainment,” notes Anna Ziegler, McLean County Farm Bureau assistant manager.

Kids can learn all about agriculture by visiting the popular Food and Farm Fun Zone. Birkeys allows the fair to use their indoor showroom space for this interactive display. The Food and Farm Fun Zone is located just off of the fair’s main street before the food court.

“A committee works on it all year long and then we have about 125 or so volunteers that help us out during the week,” said Ziegler.

Inside the farm zone, they will be hatching chicks and have piglets, a lamb and calf for visitors to see. Not only will kids be able to watch seeds sprout, but they will learn where food comes from – all the way from the farm to the grocery store.