My first fair experience was in Anna, Illinois. I was just a tiny tot, but I remember the magnificent fireworks display.

Now, over at the Pulaski County Fair, they had go-kart racing. It took place on a small dirt track. I’ve been told they also had horse races on that track, but I have no personal memory. I only cared about the go-karts. (It wasn’t until years later that go-karting finally came to the fair in Anna.)

But, some of my fondest memories are from the DuQuoin State Fair. My dad loved watching the race cars from the Indy 500. These mighty machines weren’t your run-of-the-mill racers. They were open cockpit and powered by Offenhauser engines.

Dad would take us up to the fairgrounds in DuQuoin. He’d park under a shade tree and pick out a place to enjoy a picnic lunch. Then, we’d walk over to the grandstand and buy our race tickets.

Back then, they didn’t have the racetracks of today. These fellas would mostly race on dirt tracks. (Kinda like the go-kart track at the Pulaski County Fair, only much bigger.)

Dad would buy us a program – which was printed in full color, by the way – and then lead us to our usual seats in the south corner of the grandstand. It was the perfect spot. We were right in the curve of the oval track, and those drivers would go full gun into that curve and cock it so hard the front wheel would come off the ground. They’d be throwing dirt all over the place. Gosh, that was fun!

We saw famous race car drivers like Roger Ward, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, and my dad’s favorite driver, Eddie Sachs.

After the race, we’d walk through the midway and enjoy a tasty treat. Sometimes it was ice cream, sometimes it was one of those big, battered elephant ears.

And then there were the corndogs.

Why do fair corndogs taste so much better than those sold anywhere else? You can say the same about lemon shakeups, too. Deeeee-licious.  

Whenever I eat fair food, it takes me back to those days with my dad.

He took us to the races at the fair five years in a row. But then, he passed away, and we never went back.

Y’know, if you have kids, grandkids, younger siblings, or nieces and nephews, I hope you’ll take ‘em to the fair. You’ll make memories that will last a lifetime.

Who knows, maybe I’ll see you there.  

Be well. Stay well. Thanks for reading.

Francis Pass

PS – The longest Indy 500 was in 2004. Rain delays led to a record-breaking time of 8 hours and 22 minutes. I sure hope somebody gave those drivers some corndogs and lemon shakeups.