From the State Fair, we talk with Bill Jennings & Richland County Fair Queen, Samantha Trout, as the Counties celebrate their day at the State Fair. A great number of the state’s 102 counties select a Queen at the local Country Fair to represent their county.
On Friday, August 10, the state fairgrounds was where many of these young ladies gathered on Friday, the first day of the State Fair.
Mr Jennings, who serves as the Director-at-Large of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs, explains the role of County Fairs in celebrating local life, bringing friends together, who often live miles apart in rural counties, and in educating people the county fairs on the role of agriculture in the local and state economy. While a small number of individuals now work in agriculture, it remains the largest industry in the state.
