Spotlight: Illinois State Fair and Hobo Convention

There are two big events starting on August 13, 2026 for Central Illinois residents to attend. The next couple weeks offer exciting opportunities for those looking to get outside and have some fun. Close to home, the Illinois State Fair makes its yearly appearance in Springfield at the Fairgrounds. The Fair will run from August 13 until August 23. Get ready for fried food and the arrival of Ella’s Fellas. The food is always a main attraction at the Fair. Some of the favorites that will be available this year include Vose’s corndogs, Culler’s fries, elephant ears, and returning after missing the last couple of years Erma’s Cinnamon Rolls. Another fan favorite, located across from the Grandstand at the Commodities Pavilion, is the Pork Patio. The Illinois Pork Producers are hinting that a new beverage will be debuting this year, so be sure to stop by to check it out.

For many the Illinois State Fair means livestock events. The Fair will be bustling this year with proud kids and adults demonstrating their hard work by showing beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, poultry and rabbits.  There will be horse shows in the Coliseum, and rodeo nights and tractor pulls at the Multi-Purpose Arena.

Concerts are also a big draw at the Fair. This year a highlight of these concerts will be the sold-out Ella Langley concert at the Grandstand on August 21. Also, appearing will be Illinois native Bailey Zimmerman on August 14, the Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) on August 22, and many others at the Grandstand and on free entertainment stages across the Fairgrounds.

For those looking to get out of town, a unique activity is taking place beginning August 13, 2026 in Britt, Iowa - the National Hobo Convention. Events include a parade, live entertainment, craft vendors, and the election of the Hobo King and Queen. The Convention lasts from August 13 to August 16 and is organized by the Britt Hobo Days Association. The Association runs the National Hobo Museum, also located in Britt, Iowa, and works to preserve the history of the life and times of the American hobo. The Museum showcases authentic artifacts, paintings, photographs, and the personal collections of many of the more notable American hobos including Steam Train Maury, the Pennsylvania Kid, Connecticut Slim, the Hard Rock Kid, and Frisco Jack.

Hobos were migratory workers who helped supply the labor needs of an expanding country after the Civil War.  They were nomadic and often traveled via freight trains to find work. The hobos developed a specialized system of symbols and signs drawn on fences to inform fellow travelers about safe houses and warn them of hostile locals or police. The hobo movement peaked during the Great Depression in the 1930s as the economic collapse sent massive numbers of desperate people looking for work. Hobos crisscrossed the American countryside using two main paths of survival – the Route 66 highway and the parallel railroad lines - thereby sending them right through the heart of the Midwest and Central Illinois. Many hobos probably stopped and worked at the Illinois State Fair, given its location right on Route 66 and its long history. The Fair has been around for the last 173 years, starting in 1853 in Springfield and then traveling around the state for 40 years until permanently settling in Springfield in 1894.