Kane County Reporter

On Aug. 8, Sen. Dave Syverson presented the Boone County Fair board with a resolution honoring the fair's 60-year anniversary. 

"The Boone County Fair is the best fair in the State and is truly a family-friendly event," Syverson said in a Facebook post. "Special thanks to all the board members and volunteers who make the fair the positive experience it is."

Sen. Dave Syverson was first elected to the Senate in 1993. He is a lifelong resident of Illinois. In the Senate, he is Spokesperson for the Insurance Committee, the Health and Human Services Committee, and the Appropriations (Health and Human Services) Committee, and is a member of the Public Health, Behavioral, and Mental Health, Licensed Activities, and Local Government committees. In addition, he serves as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Hospital Transformation Committee and the Medicaid Reform Committee. He is also a member of the Government Forecasting and Accountability Commission.

The 2023 Boone County Fair runs through Aug. 13, but has a long history – dating back to 1957. The fair started with the Boone County Pomona Grange, which took over the operation of the fair in 1957, and the Pomona Grange could have ended the fair in 1963, but according to the fair’s history page, “..the Taylor sisters came forward with a reasonable offer to sell the Pomona Grange 84 acres on Route 76 about a mile north of Belvidere. A few Grange members came forward and offered their farms as collateral so the purchase of the land could be made.” The last fair at Spencer Park was in 1963, but the fair returned at what is still its current location, 8847 IL-76, in Belvidere.

This year’s Boone County Fair brings Tracy Byrd as the headliner for a concert on Saturday, Aug.12 and there’s plenty to explore and enjoy if you can’t get your hands on those tickets. There’s the daily carnival, entertainment and grandstand shows, an antique tractor display, horse shows and much more. Four-wheeler races, a swine costume competition, and more are on the docket over the course of the weekend.

This is not the first time that Sen. Syverson has supported the Boone County Fair. In 2019, he donated his legislator pay raise to the county fair. In the press release announcing that move, he said: “I am happy, however, that this money can go back to the community. I chose the Boone County Fair because it has such a far-reaching impact on the lives of so many. The fair brings joy to the thousands, provides opportunities for local businesses and gives so many 4-H and FFA students the chance to showcase their skills and handiwork. We need to do all we can to help keep our county fairs going strong.”