11 Artists You May Have Forgotten Played the Allegan County Fair

I can't believe it's already that time of year again: fair season! There is no fair in southwest Michigan that is more fun than the Allegan County Fair. Having grown up in Allegan myself, I know firsthand just how much that city prides itself on its fair.

Growing up I'd always heard that even the fair's parade is legendary. Although I couldn't confirm the numbers, I was always told that the Allegan County Fair Parade is one of the largest in the state.

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Now that it's September and the signage for the fair has gone up, the whole Allegan community is buzzing with excitement! However, not only does Allegan have a reputation for an amazing county fair and large parade to go with, the fair in Allegan is also known for bringing in some outstanding entertainment!

Though it has lessened over the years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and budget restraints, at one time the Allegan County Fair was the place to catch some of the hottest shows.

When I was growing up in Allegan in the '90s I remember several years where cross-town traffic was a nightmare due to fair concert traffic. For example, when Garth Brooks performed at the county fair in 1991 traffic clogged up M-89 completely across town-- all the way from the fairgrounds out to Corky's Drive-In headed towards Otsego! Carhops from Corky's even ran out to serve cars while they were stopped in front of the drive-in.

These days the fair doesn't bring in quite as many big names as it used to but this year's performers include comedian Gabriel Iglesias, Sam Hunt, Jimmie Allen, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. This year the Allegan County Fair kicks off on Friday, September 9. Check out a schedule and list of events here.