The annual Sandwich Fair closes out the summer fair season this week with a lot of the attractions fairgoers expect, like music, agriculture and livestock, carnival rides, demolition derbies and tractor pulls, as well as food and a family-friendly treat not found in other fairs. 

The annual event, which started back in 1888 as a livestock show, is one of the oldest continuing fairs in the state. Last year’s fair drew more than 177,000 attendees.  

Like all county fairs, the event will feature a host of agricultural and culinary judging and home craft contests, including clothing, needlework, art, photography, ceramics, vegetables, fruits, flowers and plants, and hybrid corn. 

The livestock shows and judging take place daily in the Ag Land area. There is junior livestock judging all day throughout the fair, with a draft horse show at 9 a.m. Friday and a draft horse pull at 1 p.m. Sunday, in the Horse Arena.  

Unlike any other Illinois fair, the Sandwich Fair boasts a live theater production. For the 41st year, Indian Valley Theater will put on daily performances. This year there will be two shows. The first, “Bad to the Last Drop,” is set in a coffee shop in the 1800s. The second, “Malled,” takes place in a department store in the 1940s. Both plays were written by area playwright Tim Lueken.  

Indian Valley Theater prides itself on its family friendly atmosphere and focus on fun. To that end they encourage the audience to get involved by cheering, hooting, clapping and, as their Facebook page invites, “throwing popcorn at the villains is encouraged!” 

The shows are performed daily, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday, at noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon and 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5 per person or $20 for two adults and up to three children under the age of 16, and are separate from the fair admission. 

Carnival rides open at 3 p.m. If you plan to enjoy more than five rides, a wristband costing $25 to $30 is available for unlimited rides most days, but check the official daily schedule for dates and times that apply.  

Children under 5 are free every day.  

Unfortunately, the biggest draw at the fair, country music artist Riley Green, will likely be sold out prior to the concert. Green, who takes the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, was the Academy of Country Music’s 2020 New Male Artist of the Year. He says he wants his fans to “raise a drink, shed a tear, and, above all, celebrate where they are from.”  

The fair offers other live music every day, most of it free with admission, on the Ag Land Stage and Home Arts Stage. On the Land Ag Stage, pianist and accordionist Craig Mathey plays with his Friends from 7-10 p.m. 

An ongoing treat for all kids will be the opportunity to fill out a Kids Activity Book provided by The DeKalb County Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. Starting at the Gazebo, kids will be given their own book to carry as they tour various areas throughout the fair, learning interesting and historic facts about the fair. At each area they will collect a stamp to be added to their personal activity book.