The Illinois State Fair Grounds is where the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service office (not seen) is located, in Springfield, IL, on Nov. 2, 2011. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

The Illinois State Fair is going back to its roots.

Opening Thursday in Springfield, this year’s fair will be putting more of an emphasis on agriculture, the lifeblood of the annual 10-day event.

“It is not that agriculture ever left the fair. We are an agricultural fair,” said Patrick Buchen, manager of the Illinois State Fair. “But our carnival is not going to top Six Flags; our entertainment can’t compete with amphitheaters or Chicago’s Navy Pier.

“Our emphasis needs to be on agriculture. We have moved the agriculture tent to Main and Central, the highest traffic area. We will highlight agriculture and reward people in agriculture. We will have a large display of farm machinery. That emphasis was not as strong in the past.”

Buchen said the challenge with the annual event, which runs this year through Aug. 23, is to bring in new things but not mess with traditional items.

The Butter cow has been an icon of the state fair since the 1920s.

“If I said ‘Let’s do away with the Butter Cow (a 500-pound statue of a cow made from butter and an icon of the fair since the 1920s),’ they would have me tarred and feathered,” Buchen said. “You never want to bring in new things just for the sake of bringing in new things, but you never want to hear the fair is the same ol’ same ol’.”

Buchen recommended that visitors to the fair take an agriculture tour, which offers stops at the cattle barn, pig nursery, harness racing and compost area. He said with food-to-table being so popular the tour can help educate consumers on just how their food gets to their plates.

Food is always a big part of the fair and this year is no exception. Buchen said this year’s offerings include S’mores pizza and vegan cream puffs. Ice cream will be produced next to the agriculture tent by machines powered by John Deere tractors.

Buchen said there are a number of new barbecue offerings at the fair this year. “Each one is a different flavor, though,’ he said. “Some are different because of a specific wood; some have different homemade sauces.”

The carnival is one of the many attractions of the state fair.

The fair remains an outstanding value, requiring just a $7 admission fee, according to Buchen.

“Of the nine state fairs around us, we are by far the cheapest,” Buchen said. “We have eight or nine free stages, free acts and interactive events. If you didn’t want to spend another dime once you entered the fair, you could be entertained for 12 hours. I feel we offer a tremendous amount.”

As a farm boy who showed animals in Iowa, Missouri and Indiana, Buchen contends the Illinois State Fair has one of the best livestock contests in the country. He said the horseracing track at the State Fair is the fastest recorded harness track in the country.

He said the entertainment schedule will be heavily country, with Hank Williams Jr., Rascal Flatts and Brantley Gilbert, but it will also boast Sammy Hagar and Fall Out Boy.

State fair organizers have moved the agriculture tent to the highest traffic areas to highlight agriculture.

The fair manager encouraged visitors to block out a good amount of time to roam the fair’s 366 acres, 152 utilized buildings and 2.2 million square feet of covered exhibit space.

“Make a day of it,” Buchen said. “You are not going to do it all in three or four hours.”

— Illinois State Fair beefs up agricultural offerings —