As summer turns the corner into August and is nearing its end, we always look forward to a few fun-filled days down at the State Fair. My mother-in-law has been in the role as the Illinois State Fair Manager for 10 years now and is the longest serving manager in the 161-year history of the Illinois State Fair. She is also the first female manager in the fair’s history. Her year-round hard work and dedication surely shows over the course of the 11 day event each August. It’s truly amazing to witness her ability to multi-task throughout all of the fair’s events. I feel like she is able to be in 10 places at once, from press conferences & interviews, to judging different competitions, running meetings and the day-to-day oversight of her huge team and all of the tasks associated with running such a large event. She has done a phenomenal job!
We have made a family tradition of going down to spend time with her and the rest of the family and see all that there is to see on the fairgrounds. This year, my 2 aunts from Arizona flew in to spend a few days at our house and then we, along with my parents, sister and her friend all headed down to Springfield for the weekend to get our fair fix. We overindulged in all things “fair”… lots of yummy food, kiddie rides, animals and 2 awesome concerts, complete with backstage “meet & greets” with the music artists before their shows.
We had the best time!
Henry giving in to his Mini Donut craving 🙂
Horseys & piggies
It was so fun watching Henry take it all in this year!
My mother-in-law sneaking in some grandson time in between events & interviews. My mom getting her QT in with Simon and all the girls hanging out on my mother-in-law’s deck at her home on the fairgrounds. Last, but not least, Ted and I grabbing some fair food… the kind you can only eat once a year! Believe it or not, I had never been to a state fair before my first trip down to Springfield while dating Ted in 2009. I also tried my first corndog & lemonade skake-up that year. They are now of course, fair staples. 🙂
Cruisin’ solo & then with his cousins. Fast-forward 15 years and this could be reality!
A few shots of our “nightlife”. We got to meet Pitbull & Florida Georgia Line before the concerts. So awesome! A big thanks for my MIL for everything she did for us. She made sure we had an action-packed weekend. We loved every minute of it!
See you back here later this week with a couple of new projects – one from my recent Powder Room Refresh and then I’ll be revisiting Henry’s ABC & 123 party with a simple DIY decoration project tutorial. Thanks for swinging by!
Henry giving in to his Mini Donut craving 🙂
My mother-in-law sneaking in some grandson time in between events & interviews. My mom getting her QT in with Simon and all the girls hanging out on my mother-in-law’s deck at her home on the fairgrounds. Last, but not least, Ted and I grabbing some fair food… the kind you can only eat once a year! Believe it or not, I had never been to a state fair before my first trip down to Springfield while dating Ted in 2009. I also tried my first corndog & lemonade skake-up that year. They are now of course, fair staples. 🙂
A few shots of our “nightlife”. We got to meet Pitbull & Florida Georgia Line before the concerts. So awesome! A big thanks for my MIL for everything she did for us. She made sure we had an action-packed weekend. We loved every minute of it!
