Everyone knows summer is fading fast when the Illinois State Fair is over. Harvest and school are the topics at the coffee shop and around the kitchen table. Before I moved on to summer’s last blast, Labor Day weekend, I took a few minutes to reflect on the fair a couple of weeks ago, and all the things visitors did in that short 10-day flurry of activity.

It is all about the food.

No one can visit the fair without trying out at least one or two of the classics, like a lemonade shake-up, or our new personal favorite: Culler’s French Fries, that we liberally sprinkled with salt and vinegar.

“I have to have some of Sutter’s black walnut taffy,” my husband, Keith, added – buying it twice, in fact.

The Ethnic Village is a favorite place for me. We headed to the German house, but there are choices from many different ethnic locales for visitors to choose from.

There is usually also entertainment to watch while dining. With this year’s finally cool temperatures, it was a delight to sit outside, eat a meal and watch the people go by.

Corn dogs, a milkshake in the dairy building or the mini-doughnuts are, in part, what the fair is all about. The vendors’ setups offer insight into what is new and different.

This year we stopped in to see the State of Illinois “iBid,” a program in which citizens can bid on items that are surplus or have been found in airports, such as seized property and unclaimed items. Keith had his eye on a Farmall Cub but thought better of bidding, while I kept glancing at the jewelry available.

Livestock is always a popular item at the Illinois State Fair and besides the competition, the FFA petting area is a big hit. 

When I visited, a goat almost leapt over the cage, hoping I might have offerings for him. The pig didn’t move, though, and the calf just looked up like he was too tired to contemplate sauntering over.

The wine tasting tent housed a variety of wineries that, for a small fee, would allow you to sample their wares.

Pheasant Hollow Winery out of Whittington, Ill., was a busy stop and the owner had a ready smile for those stopping by. A band was preparing to play when we stuck our heads in that Saturday night.

Music was everywhere at the fair. A band was set up outside the grandstand area, keeping visitors interested as they walked by and prepared to go hear the Saturday night acts, Miranda Lambert and the Pistol Annies.

We had purchased tickets for this particular show and we were not sorry – Lambert put on an amazing show and the Pistol Annies, of which she is also part, were amazing as well.

The tractor pulls are a family event and this year Kenny Millberg’s tractor (that my brother-in-law Wayne has a part in) took first place in the antique pull that Wednesday evening.

Friends and family meet at the show; it doesn’t really matter what they do, where they go or what they eat. It is all about making memories – sharing a moment before another summer bites the dust.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.