The office of the secretary and treasurer are in the building near the grandstand at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds and will be open the week before the fair from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10th through Friday, Aug. 14th. Saturday, August 15th the hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon. During this time they will be accepting hand delivered entries, processing those received by mail, selling reserved grandstand seating for the Demo Derby, season tickets, and Mega Passes.
The Mega Pass can be purchased for $65.00 Monday, Aug. 10th through Monday, Aug. 17th. Once the Fair starts, Mega Pass price increases to $75.00 and will need to be purchased from the Carnival. This will let you ride any of the Wilson Family Rides when the Carnival is open during the 2026 Whiteside County Fair.
Reserved grandstand seating for Saturday night’s demolition derby will go on sale Monday, August 10th at 8:00 a.m. in the Secretary’s Office for $10.00 per person. The Demo Derby is the only show that has reserved seating available and is sold on a first-come, first-served basis with a limited number of seats available. Reserved seating may be purchased online beginning Tuesday Aug. 11th at bigtickets.com. Saving seats by using blankets, etc. for general seating is not allowed. Any items used for saving seats will be removed by the fair staff.
There are no entry fees for exhibits in the Departments of Agriculture, Floriculture, Horticulture, Textiles, Culinary and Hobbies. However, adult exhibitors must purchase the $25.00 season membership ticket and junior exhibitors that are 6-11 years of age must purchase a $10.00 season ticket to enter in junior departments. That ticket allows the exhibitor to enter items in any of the departments listed above and provides unlimited admission to the fairgrounds throughout the fair’s five-day run.
Livestock exhibitors are required to pay exhibit fees and should consult the website for details. All exhibitors are urged to refer to the website for details on the requirements to enter the various competitions, which this year offers over $119,000 in premiums, purses and prizes. Entries/Premium information can also be downloaded from the fair website at www.whitesidecountyfair.org in the premium section.
Entries must be done online or in writing, with the applicable fees submitted by the appropriate deadlines as listed on the website. All entries close on Saturday August 15, 2026.
The office will accommodate those wishing to buy season membership tickets, which allows the ticket-holder unlimited admission to the fair. An adult season membership ticket costs $25.00 each, while a child’s weekly pass is $10.00. Tickets for both children and adults may also be purchased at the gate during the fair. Single adult daily admission for the fair is $10.00 for those 12 years and older, and $4.00 for children ages 6 through 11. Children 5 and under are free.
The fair officially starts at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 18th with the Pleasure Horse Show at the Alternative Ag Services Arena” in the infield.
All the information you need to get ready for the Fair is at your fingertips on the website at www.whitesidecountyfair.org. The written inquires can be directed to the Whiteside County Fair, P.O. Box 88, Morrison, IL 61270.
