Who are your Illinois State Fair leaders? ISF Manager Kevin Gordon is quick to point out that he works with a great team of people, many of whom have worked and volunteered in their corner of the fair for years.

The fair is also advised by an official Illinois State Fair Advisory Board. These folks were primarily recommended last year by former Illinois Department of Agriculture director Philip Nelson and appointed by the Governor’s office, says Becky Clark, IDOA head of communications. They are strictly volunteers serving two-year terms. It’s also important to note they serve in an advisory capacity, and do not have final decision-making ability.

“At the end of the day, goal is to involve more people in Illinois agriculture,” says Becky Clark, IDOA.

The board met last month to discuss changes and ideas for the fair, Clark says. She notes that the idea to expand junior exhibitor ages originally came from the Advisory Board. “We took those ideas to 4-H and FFA, and they worked with it and did what they could,” she explains. Part of the catch in the plan is that 4-H membership ends at 19, and so does their insurance. To allow kids up to 21 to show, FFA stepped up and said they could join Collegiate FFA or their local FFA Alumni organization.

“It was a compromise to get the job done,” Clark says. “At the end of the day, we did the best we could. We will continue to look at it and see if we can make improvements.”

Here’s a look at the board members:

• Mike Ammann, Madison County
• Marla Behrends, Livingston County
• Allen Entwistle, Sangamon County
• Bill Fugate, Livingston County
• Mike Martz, DeKalb County
• Gary McConnell, Christian County
• Duane Noland, Macon County
• George Obernagle III, Monroe County
• Doug Parrett, Champaign County
• Bill Range, Monroe County
• Ray Ropp, McLean County
• Sue Schafer, Christian County
• Tami Craig Schilling, Washington County
• John Slayton, Sangamon County
• Rod Stoll, Champaign County
• Brad Temple, LaSalle County
• Patricia Walker, Sangamon County
• Paul Walker, McLean County