DANVILLE — A familiar face will be absent from the this year’s Vermilion County Fair on July 6–10.

Fair president Harold “Herbie” Hadden passed away in February. Daughter Deanna Morton said he continued to help at the 2009 fair, even through illness.

“Last year he was a huge part of it, even being sick,” Morton said.

The Vermilion County Fair Board is dedicating the 2010 fair to Hadden, who was board president for 12 years and on the board for 42 years.

“Personally, it’s going to be a long week,” Morton said of her dad’s absence at the upcoming fair. “But we have a group of people that will make it the best it will be and I have no doubt they will make dad proud.”

Morton, along with her sister Vicki Cunningham, continue to help with the fair by serving as directors on the board. They, with their other sister Debby, were all highly involved in the fair.

“Our summers were spent going to the Vermilion County and Georgetown and other fairs,” Morton said. “It’s been important since I was eight.”

Morton said the fair becomes a way of life for families, and was important to her dad.

“Sometimes it’s hard to put into words,” Morton said. “It’s a part of life for us. It’s great to see people working together for the community, and not just for a small group.”

Morton said it was always the old-fashioned fair tradition that excited her father.

“It was the idea of people coming together to show off their stuff — produce and livestock,” Morton said.

Evelyn Trimmell, secretary of the Vermilion County Fair Board, said Hadden will be missed because of his great help and assistance, but mostly for his personality.

“He’s going to be greatly missed at the fair,” Trimmell said.

Trimmell said the 2010 fair goes forward with some changes planned to make it more economical for families.

Board members reduced daily gate fees from $3 to $2, and a weeklong pass is down from $10 to $8.

She said the reduction is to help encourage attendance and to offset a smaller, yet quality, carnival experience.

“A lot of people will come for a specific grandstand event, but a lot of the people come for the carnival,” Trimmell said.

Trimmell said this year’s carnival will be smaller, with eight rides, but is a family-owned company with integrity that is well run.

She said carnivals book well in advance, trying to plan their schedule based on a route that makes sense and on fairs with solid past attendance numbers.

“That’s the most difficult issue. You have to have a crowd to get a carnival and you have to have a carnival to get a crowd,” Trimmell said. “Your grandstand is important to draw a crowd, but your bottom line is that carnival.”

Sherry Decker, Vermilion County Fair Board treasurer said attendance was 6,000 people at the 2009 five-day fair.

Board members already are working on securing other carnivals for future fairs, but Trimmell said it’s challenging when they change their vendor every year or two. She was confident they will soon find the right carnival for them.

“We’re a small fair and we know that, but we want to be the best small fair in Illinois we can be,” Trimmell said.

Other offerings at the fair this year include multiple horse shows, which are free after gate admission. Also, a 4-H hospitality tent with free fun and educational daily activities. A daily bicycle giveaway also is scheduled.

A sandbox area for kids to play in is new this year and animals of all kinds will be available for view.

Trimmell said, as always, animals will be on the grounds and 4-H shows will be staged, but the beef and swine open that is normally held during the fair was Saturday instead.

The decision to move the beef and swine open was based on saving money for the fair. Premium reimbursement from the state has been slow and reduced from around 65 percent when Trimmell first began with the fair, to now just around 20 percent. The fair pays between $60,000 and $80,000 in premiums to exhibitors annually.

By moving the open show up in the season, it reduces the amount of money the fair pays out in premiums to exhibitors as awards are being paid by sponsors and entry fees since it is a jackpot show. Also, Trimmell said the timing of the show works better for exhibitors’ schedules, which will increase the entries. The show was scheduled the day before the Georgetown Fair Beef Preview, which is today.

Trimmell said there will be no difference to spectators when watching animal judging at the Vermilion County Fair. A 4-H judge will still look over animals and give awards based on those criteria. The only difference will be the lack of a separate fair judge.

“We can’t keep losing money,” Trimmell said. “We’re just a group of citizens in this county that want to keep the fair going … as a result, we’re looking at ways to continue to bring the fair and have kids continue to enjoy the displays and offer inexpensive entertainment for families to have a good time.”

Grandstand events planned this year include the queen, little miss and junior miss pageants, antique tractor pull, truck and tractor pull, demolition derby and stock car races.

A Great American Beer Arena has been brought back again with entertainment each evening there.

“Our basic goal is to promote agriculture in the state,” Trimmell said. “And we try to make it educational, entertaining, fun and interesting to people.”