Grundy County Fair

The Grundy County Fair began more than a century ago, when over 2,000 people gathered on the dirt streets of Mazon for a colt show that quickly grew into an annual community celebration. By 1906 the fair had a permanent home with barns, exhibit halls, a dining hall, and a grandstand for horse racing, livestock shows, baseball games, dances, and vaudeville entertainment. As the years passed, hot-air balloons, early airplanes, and eventually automobile racing became major attractions, leading to the construction of the famed high-banked Mazon Speed Bowl in 1947, where many legendary drivers competed. After 66 years in Mazon, the fair moved in 1971 to its current location north of Morris, adding the modern Grundy County Speedway and continuing its racing tradition. Built through decades of volunteer effort and community pride, the Grundy County Fair has spent over 100 years providing family fun, celebrating agriculture, and remaining a cherished part of American fair and racing history.