Champaign County Fair reaches 170

URBANA, Ill. — Fill your summer with memories at the Champaign County Fair, one of the oldest fairs in the Prairie State.

The Champaign Fair is 170 years old and is chock-full of entertainment, action and educational opportunities.

Leading off this year’s fair is Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum superstar Cole Swindell with Michael Ray, and Ashley Cooke for a 7 p.m. performance on July 22.

Swindell just earned his 11th career No. 1 single, a duet with ACM Top New Female Artist of the Year Lainey Wilson, “Never Say Never.”

The powerhouse duet is the follow-up to his multi-week No. 1 “Single Saturday Night.” The two back-to-back top singles are on his just-released fourth album, “Stereotype.”

Swindell, a native of Glenview, Georgia, was the 2015 recipient of Academy of Country Music’s New Artist of the Year Award.

He’s also a prolific writer, writing songs for Craig Campbell, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery and also co-writing hits for Florida Georgia Line and Chris Young.

Michael Ray is a country music singer and songwriter. He was mentored by John Rich of Big & Rich on the singing competition, “The Next: Fame is at Your Doorstep,” which he won, and co-wrote Big & Rich’s 2015 single, “Run Away with You.” His most recent single, “Whiskey and Rain,” was released ahead of his fourth studio album.

Up-and-coming country artist Ashley Cooke released her debut project, “Already Drank That Beer,” featuring tracks written by Cooke and many of Nashville’s hottest songwriters.

The Champaign County Fair’s grandstand also will host nightly entertainment for all ages, beginning with a demolition derby at 6:30 p.m. July 23. Demolition derby classes are compacts, modified, vans and ‘80s bone stock.

Horsepower of the four-legged kind will be featured July 24 with the Illinois Horse Pullers Association’s draft horse pulls at noon and a draft horse and draft pony show at 4 p.m.

The high-flying Cincinnati Circus will thrill the crowd with aerial acrobatics on July 25. Shows are scheduled for noon, 5 and 7 p.m. Harness racing will be the grandstand feature July 26 with a new start time of 6 p.m.

Motorcycle racing returns to the fair at 6 p.m. July 27, coordinated by the Central Illinois Motorcycle Club. The Prairieland Monster Truck Nationals is slated for 7 p.m. July 28.

Return to the roots of car racing by attending the dirt track races July 29 with a 6:30 p.m. start.

The Illinois Tractor Pulling Association-sanctioned pulls are at noon and 5 p.m. on July 30. Classes featured will be Classic, Light Modified, 6850# Pro Farm, Pro Stock Diesel Trucks, 8500# Limited Pro Stock, 9500# Limited Pro Stock, and 9500# Pro Farm.

Beyond the daily grandstand entertainment, the fair remains tied to its early roots that began with the pioneer families of Champaign County bringing their best livestock, grain samples and other farm products to show and compare with their neighbors.

Livestock, agriculture products, arts, textiles, culinary items, horticulture, floriculture, needlework and crafts are a few examples of the judging contests’ entries for visitors to enjoy.

For more information, visit www.champaigncountyfair.cc.