By IL Radio Network & Brad Highland
Du Quoin, IL – For the second time this month, there's a state fair going on... this time in southern Illinois. The DuQuoin State Fair opens this Friday night, and runs through Labor Day.
Fair Manager John Rednour Junior says there is plenty to entertain you this year.
Grandstand entertainment includes Lee Ann Womack and Styx , with Uncle Kracker performing a free show in the veterans' tent. Horse racing, auto racing, and a demolition derby are on the schedule too.
Rednour says the fair is a big economic engine for depressed Perry County and the surrounding area, filling motels for miles around.
Visitors to the Du Quoin State Fair can sample the local flavor at the "Made in Southern Illinois Marketplace."
Sponsored by SIUC's Entrepreneurship Center, the marketplace will 20 local vendors selling their home-made or home-grown products.
Robyn Russell, Director of the Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center, says this year's fair will feature a special booth where chef Dylan Lipe will prepare meals, using food grown locally in Southern Illinois.
Cooking shows will run begin at 6:00 P.M. Aug. 28th through Sept. 5th, at noon Aug. 28-29th, and at 1:00 P.M. Sept. 4-5th.
The marketplace will be open from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. daily.
For more information visit www.agr.state.il.us/dq
