It hasn’t been easy in recent years for members of the Vandalia Fair Board to continually provide events for the town to come together and enjoy one another.
But that won’t stop it …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous website, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
![The Vandalia Fair Board continues to try and provide locals with events to attend and bring the community together. Once again, the Family Summer Palooza is upon them and kicks off 10 a.m. Saturday. [Submitted photo]](https://epsilon.creativecirclecdn.com/mexicoledger/original/20220706-133746-Palooza%20Shot%20-%20Cutline%20in%20File.jpg)
It hasn’t been easy in recent years for members of the Vandalia Fair Board to continually provide events for the town to come together and enjoy one another.
But that won’t stop it from carrying on and its good works are set to continue on Saturday at the Vandalia Fairgrounds when the newest version of the Family Summer Palooza is set to take place once again.
Events are scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to past 7 p.m. when Push performs to wrap up the night.
Fair board treasurer Dustin Maiden said that the board still tries to hold a “free game,” at least since they really can’t afford to do much for Vandalia anymore.
“We try to do an event once a month,” Maiden said. “We don’t have members on the fair board – there is only like seven of us. Everything cost so high, and we try to figure out the costs. A regular carnival right now, and we checked a few years, is about $20,000-$30,000.
“We will make money on the food and whatever our vendors donate since we aren’t charging them.”
Last year’s event got cancelled due to the excessive rains that hit the area and early prospects do not indicate an encore of those atmospheric conditions.
“We ended up having a fish fry and a couple of them played cornhole underneath the pavilions,” Maiden said. “Everything else we had to cancel. It was a complete downpour. It had rained a week straight and it rained two days up to the event, so we called it that morning.”
The day will begin with Car-Cruise-In and will feature multiple one-hour increments of activities such as the opening of a bounce house and vendors being available to the public (11 a.m.), a cornhole tournament (1 p.m.), kids games and the Tri-County saddle club horse show (2 p.m.), fish fry and 50/50 drawing (4 p.m.), a kids egg drop (5 p.m.) and a mud pig catch (6:30 p.m.).
Maiden said vendors from all across the region are expected to provide various distractions and points of interest for those in attendance and some of those featured include Sunday Afternoon Bakery, Color Street Nails, Fidgets, Stacey’s Custom Tees, Exclusive Handiwork, Custom Tumblers, Farmasi, Mom & Me Creations and many more.
For those who would like to support the Fair Board and maybe become a member they are asked to contact Maiden or Nancy Jennings by visiting the Vandalia Area Fair Facebook page and send a communication through direct messaging.
