PHOTOS: The First Day of The 69th Annual Dubuque County Fair
Below this post is a gallery of images from the first day of The 69th Annual Dubuque County Fair!
County fairs are staples in the Midwest. I've been lucky in my life to experience a couple. Growing up roughly 30 minutes outside of Chicago, town-fests or "Tastes" were the suburban version of the events. They boasted similar-style carnival food, rides, and local eats. But most of them were the length of the city's downtown street, which was usually two or three blocks.
Anyone who has been to the Dubuque County Fair knows it's massive. The 69th Annual Fair's theme this year is "Back in Time 69," paying tribute to Woodstock and all things sixties. This was my first time at the fair, and it was a quiet reminder of why I decided to move to Dubuque. The wealth of warmth from fairgoers was on display throughout the day.
Tuesday was "Free Day," so admission was free. The day was marked by a plethora of events and activities for the family, including axe-throwing, a science show, a costume contest, and more. The opening ceremony took place just after 6pm, with "Twitty and Lynn" — Conway Twitty's grandson, Tre Twitty, and Lorretta Lynn's granddaughter, Tayla Lynn, respectively — taking the grandstand stage at 7pm.
And of course, we can't forget 103.3 WJOD's very own Ken Peiffer DJing the Blain's Stage in the Festival Garden at 8pm following his live broadcast.
It was a banger first day. Take a look at the gallery below to see some sights from opening day of the Dubuque County Fair. I'm already looking forward to trekking out there again Thursday and Friday!
Also take a look at what's on the docket for today (Wednesday, July 27th)!