Sharon Motter has witnessed the Du Quoin State Fair first hand and how the entertainment activities have changed for nearly a quarter of a century.

By Gus Bode

Motter has been on the road running Sutter’s Salt Water Taffy out of Hayesville, Ohio, since 1950, and her taffy stand has been a part of the fair each year since 1973.

In the 70s, they might bring in one entertainer for seven nights, Motter said. Now they have more entertainers and bigger names.

This year, the Du Quoin State Fair is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and many people, including Motter, who have seen it develop agree it is still changing.

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The fair, which began Aug. 22 and ends Monday, features several carnival rides, a petting zoo, horse and car races, numerous food stands, two large beer tents, agriculture exhibitions and night shows including ZZ Top on Sunday.

The fair began in 1923 and was created by local businessman W.R. Hayes. The first fair was an immediate success, said Danny Malkovich, Du Quoin State Fair public relations director.

There were about 60,000 people at the first fair, he said. That’s really good considering it was a very rural area at the time.

The fair history, as recounted in the scheduled events pamphlet, states that Hayes saw the event as a prestigious statewide attraction that would improve yearly as long as the fair exists.

The state bought the fair in 1986 and has been running it since.

The first night show at the fair was in 1929 and featured the Music Box Review. This year, the fair features seven main stage acts including Billy Ray Cyrus with Rhett Atkins Saturday night.

Sabrina Harris helps run Happy Feet, a shoe distributing stand at the fair. Her family has been camping out at the fair for the last 30 years, and she said that the night life of the fair has changed.

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It used to be that there was no alcohol, she said. Now it’s the biggest part of the night life.

Harris said that the entertainment at the fair has always been first-rate and that it is still getting better.

[The fair] has always been good as far as entertainment, she said. There’s a lot more entertainment now as compared to 30 years ago.

The number of food stands and the variety of food served have also increased in the 75 years of the Du Quoin State Fair.

There wasn’t anything like this as far as food stands go, Harris said. There are a lot more now as compared to 30 years ago.

Don and Judy Wright spend at least 12 hours a day throughout all 10 days of the fair on their feet running a food stand specializing in funnel cakes, corn dogs and lemonade shake-ups.

The Wrights also have also witnessed the fair develop over the ears and say that the attendance and vast number of activities is the biggest change.

Motter also has noticed an increase in attendance over the years, while Harris has observed a growth in the fairground’s physical size as well as attendance.

Everything is so spread out now, Harris said. It gets bigger and a little better every year.

The attendance over the first three days of the fair has shown an increase of 7,148 people from last year. This year, 111,005 people passed through the gates in the first three days.

Fair manager Ron Summers said that the fair has grown 4 percent every year since 1992.

I think the family environment of the past few years has gotten a lot of people interested in coming (to the fair), he said.

Summers has been the Du Quoin State Fair manager since 1991. He said that weather-exposed, aboveground electrical equipment and a small campground were problems in the past that have since been improved.

There is a cleaner horizon and a safer environment now that the electrical equipment is underground, he said. We now have power and water for 300 campsites.

Summers said new activities each year, such as the bench press contest, more rides for people of all ages including a roller coaster for the thrill seekers and an exotic petting zoo that includes a giraffe and kangaroo will keep the fair consistently changing in the future.

We try to bring something new every year, he said.

Harris said that the fair has been a positive for the people of Southern Illinois. She said that people from all over the Midwest come to the area to take in all that the fair offers.

A lot of people all over have heard of (the fair), she said. Overall it’s really good for Southern Illinois.

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