Who remembers the old fairgrounds off Veterans Parkway? Back in 1955, the McLean County Farm Bureau purchased Emile Philip Schandein’s 78-acre farm for $60,000. Located at the southwest corner of Illinois Route 9 and Hershey Road and just east of what would become Veterans Parkway, this old farm then served as the home of the McLean County Fair for more than 40 years.The city eventually grew eastward to first reach and then encircle what was called Farm Bureau Field. What was once a rural location had become plagued by congestion and parking issues, forcing the Farm Bureau to look for a new fairgrounds home elsewhere. They eventually selected the current site on the western edge of Bloomington-Normal. The last county fair held at the location shown here was 1996.
