Du Quoin Fair ticket sales 4,319 ahead of last year
"All the $30 seats to Foreigner have been sold--we have $25 seats left-- and our ticket sales as of Tuesday were 4,319 ahead of last year," Du Quoin State Manager Shannon Woodworth said.
"All of the vendor space in what we call the Super Block has been rented," he continued. "The space rental office has had to turn people away," he said.
"I have to tell you, I am really getting excited about this year's fair," said Woodworth.
"The Foreigner show, Kenny Rogers and Travis Tritt are all selling well," he said.
It was a leap of faith for the fair to pare back the free shows in the grandstand and restore ticket sales in some instances. Fairgoers seem to be on board with Woodworth's goal of making this the "peoples fair" while trying to generate a reasonable amount of revenue.
"The number of entries in the parade is much larger," he said, looking forward to celebrating 25-year staff member Jeannine Baxter's role as Grand Marshal.
Home show and livestock show exhibitors got an entry deadline extension to Friday, Aug. 1 as the fair staff issued a wake-up call to exhibitors that's its time to get your home show and livestock entries together.
The special events staff is working out of the main grandstand office while renovations continue in the Exhibition Hall. Contractors will sweep up and park their tools during the fair's 10-day run so home show exhibitors can have the hall back during the fair.
The fair got more good news on Friday when Illinois Lottery director Michael Jones told Woodworth the lottery will be a substantial sponsor for this year's fair.
While the lottery is not sponsoring free shows it will subsidize much of cost of free entertainment on the grounds. "They came down and we had a great meeting," Woodworth said.
Even the Marching Salukis band are returning to the fair and will perform at 3:30 p.m. on the grounds as part of SIU day on Tuesday, Aug. 26. The location has not yet been announced.
The grounds are being groomed. Carpenters and painters are doing a modest amount of restoration to the historic barns on the near north side of the grounds, all part of putting out the welcome mat.