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Today, people have lots of different parks nearby to visit for summertime fun.
Whether it’s amusement parks, waterparks, community parks with playgrounds, ballparks for baseball and softball games and even dog parks, there seemingly are unlimited opportunities for summertime adventures in Kane County today.
The same couldn’t be said in the early 1900s in the Aurora area.
That all changed for a while though in 1922 when the Central States Fair and Exposition came to North Aurora.
According to “Images of America, North Aurora, 1834-1940,” Joseph Slater purchased 139 acres of land in North Aurora for the center and fair with an initial investment of $100,000. It was situated on farmland near what is now U.S. Route 31 and I-88.
A grandstand, numerous exposition buildings for cattle and produce, along with a mile-long racing track were the initial offerings. By the late 1920s, an additional $340,000 was invested for a community swimming pool and cottage hotel.
Advertisements welcomed guests to “swim in drinking water,” in one of the largest freshwater pools in the world at the Central States Fair and Exposition. Ranging from one to 10-feet deep, this pool covered 360’ x 160’ and could accommodate more than 5,000 swimmers at one time!
For a period of time, the Central States Fair and Exposition was the second most popular amusement park in Illinois with only Chicago’s Riverview Park drawing more people.
Frank Thielen, who was called “Mr. Show Biz” of the Fox Valley, called it “the Coney Island of the Middle West.”
Thielen also was the first to introduce vaudeville and motion picture theater in Aurora in 1899.
Today, to find directions to get somewhere, all you need to do is push a button on a handheld phone and say, “Directions to Exposition Amusement Park in Aurora, Illinois.” Back then, Thielen distributed countless brochures that not only promoted his park’s attractions but explained how easy it was to get there to experience them.
His brochures explained how you could get to the park from one of four highways and two railroads. Upon arrival in the cities along the Fox River, guests utilized an interurban electric line that took them to the entrance. Located on the east side of the Lincoln Highway, guests gained access by way of an underground tunnel.
The park was open from Easter until late fall annually. It’s believed that as many as 85,000 people were on the grounds on some Sundays, the most popular day during August and September.
Seeing the newest wheeled vehicles certainly was a big draw of the park. Car dealers from Aurora, Batavia, Chicago and Naperville had cars on display.
Others alleviated their need for speed on the Exposition Flyer, a roller coaster popular among teens. Some sought thrills on Exposition Park’s version of the Ferris wheel, an elliptical called the Swooper which could hold up to 18 people and would raise and drop them in pair.
Attendance declined as the Great Depression grasped hold of America and the Fair ended in 1931, although the park remained open in some capacity until World War II.