Tue 8/8-Sun 8/13
I grew up in the only county in Illinois that didn’t have a county fair. Cook County is the second most populous county in the U.S. (after Los Angeles), and 40% of Illinois’ population lives there. There is a 4-H fair, but despite the proliferation of urban farming, no county fair where Chicagoans can show off their giant pumpkins or special jellies. (All five Chicago collar counties do have fairs, if you want to make the drive.) So county fairs seem kind of exotic to me.
Cuyahoga County is almost as urban as Cook, although much smaller, but it has had a county fair since 1893, back when Berea, where the fairgrounds is located, actually was pretty much nothing but farms.
That isn’t the case now, of course, but this week you can get a taste of old-school farm-type exhibits — animals, produce, bees & honey, flowers and crafts, a watermelon eating and an ironing (?) contest — as well as contemporary entertainments: a motorcycle thrill show, an Elvis Tribute, hula hooping, hypnotists, Jungle Bob Tuma’s Animal Show, Jason D’Vaude’s Art of Fire show, a balloon artist and yes, of COURSE, there’s a demolition derby in the Grandstand on Sunday afternoon at 3pm (extra ticket required). You know they didn’t have that in 1893!
The fair kicks off on Tuesday August 8 with the opening ceremony and parade from noon-1pm, followed by five more days of fun, ranging from country singers to dog shows to booths of all kinds, and of course fair food of the sort you should probably eat only once a year. And this is the week.
For more information and advance tickets go to cuyfair.com.
164 Eastland Road, Berea, OH 44017