Kane County Fair organizers offering discounts

After last year's slightly lower-than-expected turnout, organizers at this year's Kane County Fair are hoping to drive the specter of a dismal economy from fairgoers' minds with discounts and $1 admission on opening day.

The fair opens Wednesday and planners remain optimistic that despite the recession people will continue to flock to the county's biggest fair, which, along with plenty of discounts, will showcase renovations to the fairgrounds.

"The fair's popularity continues to grow ... we're a family-oriented event and at a time like this when the economy is very poor we are a tremendous value. The Kane County Fair is the 'staycation' event of the summer," said Floyd Brown, marketing director for the fair.

Last year the fair saw more than 130,000 visitors, a decrease of about 10,000 visitors from 2007. Brown remains optimistic that the fair's traditional special promotions, $1 admission on opening day, free parking and free admission for children younger than 5 and adults 62 and older, will be able to drive attendance up again after hot and rainy weather kept many away last year. Popular attractions like the Megasaurus, a fire-breathing car-eating mechanical dinosaur, and free musical performances on the main stage during the fair, which concludes Sunday, will be back this year.

Fair officials also say that concessions prices will remain at about the same level they have been in the past.

"All the vendors are trying to hold the line on food prices because they know the economics in the area. They are trying to make everything economically feasible," said Larry Breon, president of the Kane County Fair board.

The fairgrounds, at 525 S. Randall Road in St. Charles, have undergone a makeover. While the new 32,000-square-foot indoor expo center was open for last year's fair, all of the facade work that was incomplete is now done. The fairgrounds have also been completely resurfaced to allow for better water drainage and a smoother walking surface.

"You'd be surprised at how much difference resurfaced grounds make in the fair," Brown said. "Before we always seemed to have rain one day and the residual water from the rain would make things muddy. Now the surface is so much easier to walk on and so much cleaner and drier. There's a whole new drainage system all over the fairgrounds," Brown said.

Even though other Fox Valley summer festivals have seen lower turnouts this year due to fluctuating weather conditions and a poor economy, Brown remains confident the fair will be able to break the bad luck streak.

"We're hoping that the economy is not going to affect us as much as it did last year because people are adjusting even more to a down economy," he said.