Rodeo, Demo Derby And More At Lake County Fair

The enticing smell of warm funnel cakes and laughter from the carnival rides will abound at the 83rd Annual Lake County Fair, set to run from Tuesday, July 26 to Sunday, July 31.

Several long-time fair acts will be returning, including the popular demolition derby and PCRA Professional Rodeo. According to Sheri Vyfvinkel, business manager for the , the fair will also be bringing in some exciting new acts this year.the Professional PRCA Rodeo and an event known as the Banana Derby, featuring monkeys trained as jockeys riding dogs around a race track.

Single-day General Admission tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children ages 5-12 while season passes are $35 for adults and $15 for seniors and children. Gates to the fair open at 8 a.m. and the vendors open two hours later.

“Since we are a private association, we rely almost solely on the attendance for pay,” said LCFA President Mike Richards. “It's difficult to do that without funding, but we still want the customer experience to be as best as it can be. That is our priority.”

Vyfvinkel said there will be an expanded midway featuring more carnival rides. Tickets for the rides run at $1 each, but you are also able to buy the tickets in a bulk of 20 for $20. ‘Kiddie’ rides cost two tickets, ‘Major’ rides are three tickets, and ‘Spectacular’ rides are four tickets.

Vyfvinkel said the popular band American English will be also be returning to the fair once again this year, due to their popularity at last year’s event.

Last year's fair attendance was estimated at 106,624, according to LCFA reports. Vyfvinkel said the LCFA is hoping to increase that by 10 percent this year to 117,286.

Free parking will be provided for the fair but there will also be preferred parking provided for $5 per vehicle.

For more information about the Lake County Fair, a detailed map, and coupons, visit www.lcfair.com or contact the LCFA at (847) 680-7200.