80 years at the Illinois State Fair

JERSEYVILLE, Ill. — For history enthusiast Connor Ashlock, the fondest memories from his youth involve raising a few heifers and cows. Now, he spends a few days each summer serving as an assistant dairy superintendent at the Illinois State Fair alongside his father, Gilbert, better known as Gib. The role carries on a family tradition that began with Connor’s grandfather, Edward “Shorty” Ashlock.

“The earliest reference we have for my grandfather coming to the Illinois State Fair (was) in 1946 and judging by some of the ribbons that he (earned), he actually didn’t do too bad,” Connor said.

After returning from World War II, Shorty began showing dairy cattle, often traveling to shows in cattle cars on the railroad while also working as a truck driver, farmer and cattle hoof trimmer.

“Our connection to the dairy cattle was just the people,” Gib said. “Every weekend we’d go somewhere to trim feet during the summer. Every weekend we were going somewhere.”

Gib’s start in the dairy industry came young with the gift of a heifer in the 1960s from his uncle, Dr. Lee Harrison, who farmed on the side while serving as a doctor in Missouri. The family’s philosophy, Connor said, has always been simple: you do not pay family, you help family.

So giving it was, in the form of a heifer calf. By the 1970s, he was helping others in the dairy industry.

“I showed for various people in the ‘70s just (saying), ‘Hey, I want to go to the state fair,’” Gib said. “Then others would say, ‘Well, come help us. We’ll give you a place to sleep and eat.’ So that’s what I did.”

Eventually, Gib was invited to serve as an assistant dairy superintendent. Years later, Connor followed in his footsteps. Now, three generations of Ashlocks have helped stall exhibitors, worked with veterinarians, ensured registrations are up-to-date, checked in exhibitors and helped with the transition of digitalizing the Illinois State Fair.

“When I came on as an assistant superintendent in my college years, I started to make friends,” Connor said. “(These) folks across the board came from all over Illinois, so much so that they make the fair now for me. The concept of community became really apparent to me.”

The Jersey County Fair was also important to Connor.

“I never missed a (county) fair,” Connor said. “I was there every day.”

He has now been on the county fair board for nearly 10 years, while his dad is coming up on almost 50 years.

“How I became so attached to the dairy community was really largely thanks to the efforts of county fairs,” Connor said.

It was so important that he wrote a 75-page paper on the development of fairs when he was working on his master’s degree in agriculture leadership and communication. After careers ranging from funeral service to agriculture, Connor is now studying secondary history education.

“I am looking forward to those opportunities that are afforded to me by having the summers off to be able to invest more time in the ag fair community,” Connor said. “The path to maybe getting a small hobby farm going in the next few years isn’t as far off as I think it is.”

Connor never knew his grandfather, Shorty, who passed away before he was born, and Gib stopped raising heifers when Connor was about 6. Still, some of Connor’s most fond memories are with the heifers and his grandmother, Dorothy.

“My grandma Dorothy was my absolute best friend,” Connor said. “We spent a lot of time with her down at the farm. We’d go down to the barn, together we fed the cattle, and to be honest, I probably have as many memories as I do because I was just such a nuisance.”

Those memories and stories from his family instilled a passion and love for history.

“We’re proud of our heritage, proud of our roots,” Connor said. “It didn’t matter what we were doing. My grandmother was always communicating stories to me. The family tradition, oral tradition, she passed down family history stories to me, and so that really ingrained a sense of heritage in me.”

From raising favorite heifers at another area farm that turned into great cows, like Remy, an EX-91 Holstein cow, to Gib being honored for 50 years of Holstein Association membership recently, the Ashlock family has built a legacy at the Illinois State Fair.

“My connection to the dairy community is not as defined so much by cattle anymore, as much as it is by the friendships that I have in the community,” Connor said.

Gib agreed.

“Cow people stick together,” Gib said. “It’s just a family.”