Lake County Fairgrounds

84th Annual Lake County Fair  July 25-29, 2012

Grayslake, Illinois 847.680.7200

About us

The Lake County Fairgrounds, operated by the Lake County Fair Association, is the home of the historic Lake County Fair and other quality year-round events.

The Lake County Fair Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Fair Association manages and produces the annual Fair and manages the daily operations of the Fairgrounds. The Association is self-supporting and does not fall under the auspices of any county or state governmental body. The Association consists of annual members, including a nine-member board of directors. Directors are elected annually by and from the Association. Surplus revenues generated by the Fair and other activities are re-invested into the annual fair and maintenance and development of the facility. Click here to learn more about our membership program.

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Our History

The Lake County Fair has existed for over 150 years. The official Lake County Fair Association started as a county institution in April of 1928. A poultry show was added two years later, followed by a home economics department. In 1935-36, a livestock department was added with a horse show and was followed by additional livestock shows. The Fair was chartered in 1938 as an educational organization. The charter was brought up to date in 1940 and was changed to a county fair and an educational organization in 1970. The Fair started out as an agricultural fair, but has added many other classes such as painting, ceramics, horse shows, antique shows, truck and ractor pulls, and culinary divisions throughout the years.
 
The Lake County Fair held its first fair in Antioch and has since moved to various places in the county. Previous locations include Gurnee, Waukegan, Libertyville and Wauconda High School. In 1954 the Fair Board purchased land from Mr. Beemsterboer at the corner of Hwy. 45 and Hwy. 120 in Grayslake. That location was the home of the Lake County Fair until 2008. In 2008 the Lake County Fair moved to the new fairgrounds at the intersection of Peterson and Midlothian Roads in Grayslake.