Grundy fair has 'down home' feel

MORRIS – Visitors to the Grundy County Fair often experience that “down home” feel. Just ask fair participant Josh Paul of Marseilles.

“Everybody is nice,” he admits.

Paul’s family was showing beef cattle, as they have a purebred Hereford herd at home. By Monday, Paul received champion Hereford heifer and champion Hereford bull.

“We are going to do about six shows. This is the first one that is kind of our warm-up. We’re going to hit about three state fairs and three county fairs during the summer,” Paul said.

Robbie Dannenberg of Newark took time out of his busy summer schedule to show pigs in Grundy County Monday. He plans to hit nine shows at both the state and national levels in the coming weeks.

“A couple of days ago, we had a couple of first and seconds and today, a second and third place.”

Dannenberg’s summer is filled with attending other county fairs, working and eventually attending the Illinois State Fair at Springfield.

“Patience is key. (The show pigs) are not always going to cooperate, but sooner or later, they’ll get there,” Dannenberg added.

The Grundy County Fair, which concludes Wednesday, is a big agricultural event with livestock, racing and everything else that goes with a fair.

“We have the usual livestock judging from swine and cattle to sheep, rabbits, poultry and goats,” said fair secretary Scott Carter.

Carter is unsure about the future of county fair funding at the state level, but feels the fair must go on. He says all they can do is wait and see what happens.