One of the casualties of the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic was the Heart of Illinois Fair. This is the first time in 70 years that there hasn’t been a fair at Expo Gardens in July here in Peoria.
I documented the fair here on MBIP for the last six years. So I thought I’d post some photos and memories from The Heart of Illinois Fair from 2014 to 2019 and we can have a little celebration by looking backwards.
Hopefully it will return in 2021 after this foul year is over!
Here’s some images from the HOI Fair from waaaay back in the day. That last photo is udderly fabulous! Check out more vintage HOI Fair photos at this link.
These are the title graphics from the 2014-2019 MBIP posts. They’re very colorful, shiny and sparkly!
Okay, let’s enter Expo Gardens and revisit the last six years of the HOI Fair!
My first stop at the fair is always the legendary Beer Garden.
There’s always a crowd of fun people behind the bar and in front of it! There’s also live music which you can see highlighted if you keep on scrolling down.
There’s always a tasty selection of food to be had at the fair. Everything from corn dogs to bbq chicken legs to cotton candy, popcorn, cinnamon buns, grilled steak and of course a funnel cake for dessert!
The midway has fun and sometimes challenging games to play and win prizes while doing so.
There’s also colorful and exciting rides on the midway.
As I mentioned earlier, the HOI Fair features live music at the Beer Garden and in The Opera House.
The live bands from top to bottom are: New Legacy, Ace Frehley, Southern Cross, Eliminator and The Blank Stairs.
It’s always fun to see old friends at the fair and mingle with new acquaintences.
