Illinois State Fair

General fair information is available here

If you have ever considered competing at the Illinois State Fair, they have just issued their premium books. Premium books contain the guidelines for various competitions.

There is one deadline of June 2nd for category N-1: Illinois Blue Ribbon Contest. This is a live cooking contest, where you submit your recipe now. If your recipe is accepted, then you submit your entry and arrive the day of the event with all ingredients and utensils to make your product. When I last saw it, they had a organist playing music as you cooked. The judges evaluate your preparation methods and final product; which you place in a display that you are responsible for decorating. I haven’t read the rules, so there may be some diversions. The competitions are:

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14
1:00 P.M. MAIN DISH USING BEEF
MONDAY, AUGUST 15
9:00 A. M. and 1:00 P.M. BAKED DESSERTS USING DAIRY PRODUCTS
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16
9:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. YEAST BREADS
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17
9:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. BAKE A CAKE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18
9:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. PIES
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19
9:00 A.M. MAIN DISH USING CHICKEN
1:00 P.M. MAIN DISH USING PORK
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20
GRAND CHAMPION CONTEST
9:00 A.M.BAKED DESSERTS USING DAIRY FOOD, YEAST BREADS, CAKES
AND PIES
1:00 P.M. BEEF, CHICKEN AND PORK

Class N is the regular Culinary competitions which you have until July 15th to enter.

Please note the specific instructions for the product and how it is presented. The judges have many products to review and use deviations from the rules to immediately disqualify any contender. So if they ask for a white Chinet plate, the paper plate leftover from your garden party, though lovely, will not do.

If you are considering competing and want information, then please ask here or otherwise contact me.

Regards,

Cathy -

Simply because it's closer, I always go to the Wisconsin State Fair when I want a state fair fix. [And it's closer still to where you live, of course.] Aside from being a resident and eligible to compete, what advantages does Springfield have over West Allis?

Giovanna

So Cathy, are you going to enter your famous limpa bread this year?

The Illinois State Fair vs. the Wisconsin State Fair ...

Illinois has a lot more ag exhibits.
Wisconsin has better food booths in general.
Illinois is more rurally geares.
Wisconsin seems to have more bands and entertainment.
Illinois has better parking.
Wisconsin sells discount tickets all year long.

I just got a letter in the mail from the Illinois State Fair. I submitted four recipes for their 2005 Illinois State Fair Blue Ribbon Culinary Contest. This is where you prepare your recipe on site with a 2.5 hour limit to prepare your recipe.

I will be in two competitions:

Monday August 15th at 1 PM, I will make a Floral Custard Pie for the 'Baked Desserts Using Dairy' competition. My alternative recipe which was rejected was Oma's Cheesecake.

Thursday August 18th at 1 PM, I will make a Ritz Cracker Mock Apple Pie for the Pie competition. I had also submitted a Cranberry Pie, though I see the judges do have a sense of humor in selecting the pie I suggested.

If I win first prize in either competition, then I am invited back for the Grand Championship competition on August 20th. Win or lose, I will report on what indeed happened.

If you do come, then you know where to find me.

Regards,

Butter Cow being led by Butter 4-H Boy



Detail of Butter Dog squaring off with Butter Cat

Thank you Cathy. I was hoping to see the butter creatures.

Cathy2 wrote:I just got a letter in the mail from the Illinois State Fair. I submitted four recipes for their 2005 Illinois State Fair Blue Ribbon Culinary Contest. This is where you prepare your recipe on site with a 2.5 hour limit to prepare your recipe.

I will be in two competitions:

Monday August 15th at 1 PM, I will make a Floral Custard Pie for the 'Baked Desserts Using Dairy' competition. My alternative recipe which was rejected was Oma's Cheesecake.

Thursday August 18th at 1 PM, I will make a Ritz Cracker Mock Apple Pie for the Pie competition. I had also submitted a Cranberry Pie, though I see the judges do have a sense of humor in selecting the pie I suggested.

If I win first prize in either competition, then I am invited back for the Grand Championship competition on August 20th. Win or lose, I will report on what indeed happened.

If you do come, then you know where to find me.

Regards,

How'd ya do??

Let's put more wow in the butter cow

So the butter cow at the Illinois State Fair this year is accompanied by Abraham Lincoln.

Yawn.

I know that fairgoers love the cow. I know that because I was inundated with angry callers when I suggested two years ago that the greasy bovine be retired. I said the cow’s pasture in the Dairy Building had become a requisite stop for fairgoers — not so much for the wow of the cow as much as a quick place to cool off before hitting more food stands.

...

But I wish the Illinois fair was more adventurous, more daring, more fun in the way the cow is presented. Having Abe in the Dairy Building this year is a bit different than past years, but, then again, it’s his 200 birthday. He’s all over Springfield in 2009. The choice was predictable.

...

Let’s take a look at the Iowa State Fair, running this year from Aug. 13 to 23.

That fair has had a butter cow since the early 1900s. But it’s not just the same old Bossie. The cow is part of a bigger masterpiece.

...

In 2004, the Hawkeye State’s moo-horse was joined by a birthday cake and an Iowa barn in honor of that fair’s 150th year. In 1997, Elvis Presley came to life in yellow fat. In 1996, Bossie was accompanied by a rendition of Grant Wood’s famous painting, “American Gothic.”

...

But why doesn’t the Illinois State Fair enhance its butter cow — like Iowa does — with touches of pop culture, the arts, sports, science or entertainment? Let’s lift the old girl out of mediocrity and make her a truly compelling reason to visit the fair, not a convenient sideshow in a cool building.