Kendall County Fair ‘all about the people’

The 2016 Kendall County Fair will take place Aug. 4 to 7, and Mike Drendel knows the ins and outs of the fair better than almost anyone.

President of the fair’s board of directors for 24 years, he has been involved with the fair for over 26 years, and involved in 4-H before that.

Drendel says the fair, which takes place at 10826 Route 71, Yorkville, is all about the people.

“Our slogan is ‘A place where friends and family meet,’” he said. “You see a lot of hand-shaking going on there.”

While main events include the 15th annual Western Speed Show (11 a.m. Aug. 4), ISP Truck and Tractor Pull (6 p.m. Aug. 5), Freestyle Madness (7 p.m. Aug. 6) and the return of the Demolition Derby Sunday, it’s the hidden gems that stand out to Drendel. He hopes that when visitors see a blue ribbon, they learn how the participant earned it.

“There’s so many [gems]. The things I look at are the shows that and the judging that goes on with the livestock and the kids. The interaction between the kids, the judges and the animals – to learn why they’re doing the project they’re doing,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be livestock, it could be rocketry, growing veggies in a garden, or rock collecting. All are special, and the kids are learning. We’re trying to teach about agriculture and responsibility.”

Check-in and judging for projects began Aug. 2, and livestock check-in was Aug. 3. To learn more about entering, ­visit kendallcountyfair.org/exhibitors.

“There’s a young lady that has a 4-H project that has a disability. She showed goats as a kid, and still does. She’s going to be 30 years old now,” Drendel said. “To see her participate, and the pride she has, brings a tear to my eye.”

On the entertainment side, local artists will dominate the lineup. Deluxe will take the stage from 8 to 10 p.m. Aug. 4, while the Ethan Bell Band will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 5, followed by Bill Croft and the 5 Alarm Band from 10 p.m. to midnight. On Aug. 6, the Blue Sky Band will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. before Whiskey Romance closes out the night from 10 p.m. to midnight.

“The bands that play are terrific. You can’t beat the local talents that we have in the area,” Drendel said. “There’s a talent contest Sunday – we have kids in that contest that go down to the state contest, and all of our participants have been in top 10 in the state contest the last five years.”

The fair has its share of contests and tournaments available to the community, from Saturday’s Culver’s ice-cream-eating contest, to Sunday’s watermelon-eating contest and sweet corn chowdown. The 2016 fair will also have new mud volleyball tournament at 10 a.m. Aug. 7.

“We’ve seen [mud volleyball] be successful at some other events around the area with a lot [of people] interested in it. So we said we’re going to try it,” Drendel said. “It’s popular in the area, and hopefully it’ll be an annual event.”

A number of local food vendors will be joined by others from all over the country. Local vendors include the Kendall Grundy Beef Producers, Drendel/Kraber pulled pork and breakfast, Little Jimmy’s Italian Ice, Kendall County Pork Producers, Feeding Frenzy Concessions, Kendall County Corn Growers and Taco Fiesta. Vendors will have funnel cakes, tacos, Italian sausage, corn dogs, beef products, fried veggies, kettle corn, desserts, pulled pork, breakfast food, corn, Italian ice, pork burgers, hot dogs, smoked chicken and ribs, ice cream and more.

“If [visitors] are still hungry, they could always buy a whole cow during the 4-H Livestock Auction held 6 p.m. on Saturday,” fair board vice president Dan Ralston said in an email.

A day pass for the fair for adults is $8, seniors are $5 and children $4, and four-day passes are available for $24 for adults, $16 for seniors and $12 for children. A “megapass,” which includes a day’s fair entry and all-day carnival rides, is $20 for adults, and $8 for children 5 and under. An all-day carnival pass is $12 for adults, $16 for children ages 5 to 13, and $15 for seniors. Active service military members are free with a service identification. VIP parking spaces are available for $20.

Drendel said it takes a lot of help to produce a quality fair.

“[There are] a lot of volunteers – not just the fair board. Hundreds of people help to make this happen, and have made it successful for many generations.”

For a full schedule of the 2016 Kendall County Fair, or for more information, visit KendallCountyFair.org or call 630-553-2860.