By Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – The lemon shake-ups are being served and the chickens are being shown. Fair season in Illinois, despite the state’s budget woes, is under way.

James Walsh, vice president of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs, said the two annual state fairs are worthwhile because one in four jobs in Illinois are tired to the farm – as are most of Illinois’ downstate counties.

Fairs are “a promotion of agriculture for young people,” Walsh said. “There’s a focus on livestock, grain, and a lot of family businesses.”

Illinois set aside just over $4 million for county fairs this year and almost $10 million for the two state fairs. The Illinois Department of Agriculture says the state is spending about half of what it spent back in 2000.

Walsh said more than two million people attended a county fair last year. Many of them bought corn dogs, lemon shake-ups, or saw a concert.

“For every dollar the state puts into the county fairs, they return almost three times the amount to the county and the state,” he said.

State money is used for prizes and premiums at county fairs. The beer, the rides, and the concerts are paid for by the county fair boards themselves.

Illinois Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Becky Clark said county fairs pump $170 million into Illinois economy each summer.

Five of Illinois’ 104 county fairs are already in the books for 2017. The Ford County Fair in Melvin begins Sunday. The McLean County Fair begins Aug. 2.