CultureChicago
Giardiniera, live music and neighborhood pride at Armitage County Fair
The September 26–27 festival paired a serious music bill with contests that invited Chicago to laugh at itself.
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A giardiniera-eating contest is a convincing way to establish where your county fair takes place. On Sunday at Armitage County Fair, spectators crowded around a narrow table lined with cups, turning a small stretch of pavement into an attraction of its own.
The September 26–27 event occupied Armitage between California and Humboldt. Presented by Middle Brow and the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce, the fair's program combined neighborhood restaurants and makers with competitions, family activities and live music. Giardiniera eating sat alongside categories including lookalike contests and Chicago tattoos. Participation was built into the premise.
There was a substantial music bill, too. The published schedule paired Saturday bookings including Sen Morimoto and Ariel Zetina with a La Luz closing slot. Sunday's program included Glyders and hazel city before Damon Locks' DJ set and Sun Ra Arkestra. Those bookings gave music fans a reason to plan around the evening as well as stop by during the day.
Food vendors listed by the fair included Giant, Le Bouchon, Bang Bang Pie and Pretty Cool Ice Cream. Together with the music, they gave the weekend a distinctly local cast. By Sunday afternoon, people filled the street between rows of white tents, while the contest drew its own concentrated audience.
The fair's most persuasive idea was allowing those attractions to coexist. You could come for a band, a neighborhood restaurant or the spectacle of people eating giardiniera competitively. Each was a valid way into the same gathering.