Today is the Army of the United
States 240th anniversary. The Illinois State Fairgrounds has shared a history
with the U.S. Army since the 1900’s. In 1917, solders waiting to go to war were
housed in the Dome building, until it burned down. In 1919, American soldiers
from 3 wars; the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War I gathered
at the State Fair to celebrate Victory Day in commemoration of the end of WWI.
The fairs tie to the Army does not end there. Between the years 1942 and 1945,
no fair was held. This was due to the fact that the fairgrounds were being used
as a U.S. Army Air Force supply depot. The grounds were also used during that
time to train over 1,000 Chinese military personnel. The tie between the
Illinois State Fair and the U.S. Army is strong and dates back almost a
century. This is one of the reasons why each year at the fair, we take a day to
honor our veterans, not just of the Army, but of all branches of the military.
Without their service and dedication to our country the fair we all love and
know may not exist. This year, Veterans Day at the Illinois State Fair will be
Sunday, August 16th. All veterans, current service members, and their immediate
family receive free entry into fair. The fun does not stop there though. On the
Lincoln stage, beginning at 10am, there will be various activities in honor of
our veterans. These activities run until 3pm and include a luncheon at 1pm. The
Veterans Day festivities will end with a parade at 4pm. The parade starts at
gate 3 and will end at the goat barn and will conclude the schedule of events
for the Veterans Day celebration, but it does not have to conclude your fun at
the fair. The fairgrounds will be open until 11pm for you to enjoy all the fair
has to offer. See a detailed list of the Veteran’s Day activities below!
****All activities take place at
Lincoln Stage except the Parade****
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Helping Our
Hometown Heroes benefits fair
10:30 a.m. - 11:30
a.m. Memorial Service
11:30 a.m. - 12:00
p.m. Special Performance - Sound Celebration
12:00
p.m. Official
Program
1:00
p.m.
Lunch served
1:00 p.m. - 3:00
p.m. Musical Entertainment - Patt Holt
Singers
3:30
p.m.
Parade line up at Gate 3 near the Fire Station
4:00
p.m.
Parade begins
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