One of Southern Illinois’ most prized attractions will begin this week on August 26th – the DuQuoin State Fair. The 11-day event is a proud Southern Illinois tradition that gives area residents a chance to celebrate the things that make our region such a great place to raise our families. The DuQuoin State Fair is part of a number of tourist attractions that brings in hundreds of thousands of out-of-state visitors to our area. This past year, the economic impact generated by the tourism industry throughout the state increased by billions of dollars, including $291.6 million throughout the 13 counties within our district. In total, tourists visiting 19 counties in Southern Illinois generated nearly $480.5 million in economic impact. Despite what some critics want to believe, the DuQuoin State Fair is vital to Southern Illinois’ economy and I will continue to fight for its funding as long as I am your state senator. Last year, the DuQuoin State Fair took in more money than the state budgeted for and attendance hit 350,000 – an increase of about 20,000 visitors. At the State Fair in Springfield this year, attendance is up more than an estimated 10 percent and fair officials are hopeful that they will see a profit.

Each year, legislators in Springfield go through budget negotiations and fight for things that are important to their area. This year, I was pleased to have helped maintain funding for the DuQuoin State Fair at the same level as last year, about $1.5 million. Although some want to argue that state fairs are a waste of money because they don’t always bring in enough direct fair revenues, I believe they fail to consider the whole argument. The Illinois state fairs indirectly impact the local economy significantly. Fair officials claim that the DuQuoin State Fair has an estimated economic impact of more than $15 million on our area; that’s because the fair draw thousands of out-of-state visitors to our area to enjoy the attractions, which means millions of dollars in revenue is spent at our local stores, gas stations, and hotels. Without the money generated every year by fair, our local economy would be crippled severely and we would have to find a new way to come up with millions of dollars in revenue for our area.

It’s no secret that this has been a tough year for Illinois residents. Like every other state in the nation, we continue to recover from the lingering effects of the national recession. Due to the sluggish economy, a lot of residents have had to cancel or scale back vacations to make ends meet. During these difficult economic – and often uneasy – times, events like the DuQuoin State Fair are important because they give us a chance to get away without actually going away – at a fair price. I encourage all residents to bring their families to the fair and enjoy the sights and sounds throughout this 11-day event.