In the mid-1800's, following a little skullduggery, a final decision was made locating the county seat in Pittsfield. Because of the railroad which ran through Griggsville, the primary means of commuting in those days, the Fair was located in on its present site. In 1888, we opened with the name of The Illinois Valley Fair.
People would come on the train in droves to see the harness races and sulky ridden horses. Griggsville boasted the nicest track in Illinois and people came from other states to participate. Visitors would bring picnic lunches and stay for the day until the train returned in the evening. It was the largest event in Pike County.
Starting with the 2002 fair season, "new blood" in the Board of Directors undertook the challenge of revitalizing the fair. Thanks to the efforts of the fair's President, the late Rob Webel, along with support of the public and untold thousands of hours of volunteer labor, the fair is financially solvent once again.
Nearly all of the fairgrounds has been renovated since that time. Mother Nature played a part in making sure we replaced the fair's greatest landmark, the grandstand shell. In 2016, construction of a new grandstand roof was complete. But many of the improvements are unnoticed by the public. Lighting and electrical distribution are necessary items that most don't consider, but were one of our major headaches. We continue to evaluate our buildings and fairgrounds and several new permanent event areas have been built since 2010.
In the early 2000s, several tries at events prompted the construction of a motocross track in the grandstand area. However, as our events needs changed, we converted the hills and valleys of the track to allow for more spectator viewing areas, commonly known as the "infield berm." In 2003, we welcomed the inaugural School Bus Demolition Derby.
The School Bus Derby has become one of the most anticipated and intriguing events of any county fair in our region. In 2007, the City of Griggsville voted to abolish their prohibition laws. For the first time in almost a century, the Fair featured controlled alcohol. With the new system in place, the Fair Board of Directors are now able to strictly control the consumption of alcohol. We feel the Fair is now a safer and better policed environment.
2009 marked the passing of long-time fair Secretary, Norma Connour. Although Norma's heath prevented her from being on the grounds for the past few years, her behind the scenes for decades helped make the Western Illinois Fair a success. Also in 2009, we lost our long time President, Rod Webel, in an accident that was both tragic and so fitting of Rod's caring nature. Rod's leadership and gentle demeanor will be missed and his passing is a great loss to the world, but we intend to carry on his vision.
In 2011 and beyond, we were pleased to announce the return of Western Illinois Fair Queen & Princess Pageant. Unlike a county fair, the Western Illinois Fair is a regional fair, which allows us to choose our queen from contestants hailing from Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Morgan, Pike and Scott counties.
On behalf of the board of directors, we thank you for your continued support of the Western Illinois Fair.
