By Shawn Brennan
The 171st Allegan County Fair kicked off on Friday, September 8, with country music headliner Jake Owen and opening act, country musician Jameson Rodgers.
Saturday brought an unexpected disappointment when rapper Nelly was a no-show due to being stuck on a runway after appearing at the Video Music Awards, but he made it up to fans by rescheduling and performing on Thursday.
Here’s what Executive Director Saree Miller had to say:
“The Allegan County Fair wrapped up another successful year Saturday, Sept 16th. We had an unfortunate night with Nelly’s show having to reschedule but we were happy to book him later in the week and keep comedian Steve Trevino on the same night. Steve Trevino met approximately 400 people at a meet and greet beside the stage to make up for any inconvenience his fans had experienced.
Monday brought a rain day and cancelled the Parade. The decision was made to cancel due to the track was very wet and dangerous for people and horses. Several calls came in from people in the parade cancelling prior to our decision. This was a challenging year, but we had some really great days with a full midway and grandstand shows. The last Saturday it sprinkled slightly off and on during the evening but the rain held out and the Demo Derby was packed so we had a great finale for the Fair.”
The Youth Livestock Sale had a new sales record of $751,301.00.
The Allegan County Fair’s attendance is estimated at 316,930 for 2023.