Storm Halts Lake County Fair, but Not 4-H Judging
Published: Friday, August 21, 2026
The 174th Lake County Fair was held last week, despite a powerful storm midday Tuesday that knocked over six trees, pulled up a tent from its stakes and cut power to the fairgrounds in Crown Point. After a lengthy pause, 4-H judging continued into the evening. As night fell, 4-H'ers showed sheep with the aid of auxiliary lighting.
David Monix, fair board president, was standing near the beef barn on Tuesday as the derecho blew through. He saw a tent fly into the air. The tent was covering a petting zoo.
"I was watching it," he said. "I thought of the animals right away. I saw some cowboy hats running around and the workers that bring the petting zoo—they were trying to hold the tent down and trying to protect the animals. It got so bad that they gave up and ran for shelter themselves.
"Then, once the storm passed, we all went over there. Me and E.J. Hein, who is our past president, his son, Michael Hein, (we) got the animals loaded in the trailer. Kangaroo, llama, camels, everything. They were all safe; no one got injured."
The tent was destroyed, so the company that runs the petting zoo wanted to leave. However, fair officials found a place for them in the dairy barn, which had extra space available. The Missouri-based company decided to stay.
Amy Hein, general livestock superintendent, said the storm hit while 4-H'ers were showing rabbits.
"We stopped the rabbit show," she said. "We all sought shelter. And after we all realized we were all alive and well, we resumed the rabbit show. We decided we were going to do what we could with the sheep show Tuesday night. Literally, I backed my mom's car up here and we finished the sheep show under the headlights of vehicles."
The next day, a local excavating company donated some generators to power the show barn. Those generators provided electricity for the goat, swine and beef shows on Wednesday.
The fair was closed to the public from Tuesday night through Thursday while utility crews worked to restore power. Grandstand shows were cancelled. The midway rides and vendors were all shut down.
Even while the fair was closed, the 4-H livestock shows didn't skip a beat. All the ribbons and awards were passed out. The 4-H'ers were allowed on the fairgrounds so they could take care of their animals. Shows were livestreamed on social media.
"We did the sheep show, hog show and beef show on schedule," Monix said. "Right after the beef show was over, we restored power. The county lit up this grid to give us power."
On Wednesday, several 4-H'ers helped with cleanup at the heavily-wooded fairgrounds. They were raking leaves and picking up branches. Monix said six "very big" trees were lost, but there was very little damage from tree branches falling. No one was hurt.
To encourage fairgoers to come back, the fair offered free admission on Saturday and Sunday. Prices for wristbands were offered at a discount.
"We thought of our concession vendors," Monix said. "They struggled. This is their livelihood. Same with our carnival. So, we (the fair board) got together this morning and decided the right thing to do was to open the gates."
Monix grew up on a farm and showed animals at the fair in the 1970s. This is his second year as president. He also serves as the 4-H beef superintendent.
Before the storm knocked out power, the fair was off to a great start, according to Monix. The first weekend saw record livestock numbers for open shows, including beef, swine and dairy.
By Saturday, the fair was back in business. All the rides and concessions were open, and a demolition derby that night brought a crowd to the fairgrounds.
Four-H'ers and the local community gathered for the annual livestock auction. Numbers were not available at press time, but several individual records were set.
The 4-H'ers were praised for enduring very difficult circumstances and finding a way to show their livestock. Sponsors stepped up to provide meals for the 4-H'ers.
"We have showed with generators or pickup truck lights. We ate every meal. We have handed out every ribbon," Hein told the crowd prior to the auction. "And they (the 4-H'ers) have not missed a beat. Everybody should be super proud of all these kids coming through here tonight."
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