BELVIDERE — There are three constants at the Boone County Fair: elephant ears as big as your face, the crowning of the fair queen and the Henninger family.

Al, 93, a former board president and now an honorary board director, and his son, John, 73, a former 42-year fair director, were two of five generations of Henningers on hand Wednesday at the concessions office helping to make sure everything was running as it should.

John had no explanation for his family's longtime affinity with the fair other than to say: "Once you get the fair into your blood, it's hard to get it out."

Al's parents, Irving and Bernie Henninger, got involved with the fair decades ago operating a grange food stand when the fair was held at the old county fairgrounds in what is now Spencer Park off Appleton Road.

Al Henninger, who showed cattle and hogs at the fair as a teenager in the 1940s, got involved in organizing the fair in 1957, the same year the fair operations were taken over under the management of Pomona Grange.

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In 1963, the last year the fair was held in Spencer Park, the Grange purchased 84 acres of Illinois 76, now the current home of the fair.

"My wife, Pat, and I have been running concessions and vending operations for 13 years," John said. "Prior to that, my mother ran it for 22 years. So, we have been responsible for making sure everything that is on the grounds is here during the fair. It's a big responsibility."

Clint Henninger, 54, is a fourth generation Henninger who is responsible for marking locations for vendors and concession stands. John said of his son, "If I need a forklift or skid loader, he's my operator."

John's granddaughter, Nicole, who is 24, is the fifth generation. "She was in a severe car accident last year, and she's not been able to participate this year,"

The 153-acre fairgrounds is now one of the largest in Illinois and one of the most attended.

While John can't say for certain what it was that first attracted his grandparents to the fair, he didn't hesitate when asked what keeps him connected to the fair.

"It's just the enjoyment of seeing the community come out here and enjoy themselves," he said. "This fair would not be near as big as it is if it wasn't for the community. The community supports it. It's not just the grange's fair, its the community's fair."

The Henningers also take great pride in how the fair has grown.

John said, "When my dad was president for 20 years, we tried to add a building every other year, which was a costly item, but it has continued to grow through years and we just try to keep it a good, clean fair. And if you do that, everything falls into place."

Farm animals, tractors, midway rides, food trucks, live music, and of course the fair queen and Little Miss pageants all make for standard fair staples. What you wont find, however, at the Boone County Fair is also important to the Henningers.

Al said proudly, "We don't sell booze."

John said, "People come and see everybody having a good time and want to know where the beer tent is. Well, we have none. I believe all these people are having a good time without beer and that's why they are having a good time."

According to the fair's history, the first year of the fair in 1855 (yes, the fair pre-dates the Civil War) drew about 8,000 people over two days.

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John said, "We are real happy when we get to 200,000. Last year, we hit 202,000 and in 2019, we hit 222,000. So, if we can push 180,000 to 200,000 that's a lot of people through the gate in six days."

An attraction that is out of the fair organizers' control is the weather.

"You can put everything together and have everything in the right places and all the people in the right places, but if the weather doesn't help you, you don't have anything," John said. "The weather has to be right for you."

The weather doesn't look to be a problem this year. Outside of a 20% chance of rain Saturday night, the National Weather Service is predicting sunny skies with temperatures ranging from the upper 70s to mid 80s Thursday through Sunday.

When: Gates open from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Thursday - Sunday

Where: Boone County Fairgrounds, 8847 Illinois 76, in Belvidere

Cost: $8; $175 for 25 tickets; $300 for 50 tickets

For more information, call 815-547-4503

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen