Mark your calendar for county fairs, picnics and more this month

Here's a list of county fairs, homecomings and picnics going on in July in Southern Illinois:

July 10-15 — Jersey County Fair.

Fair begins 9 a.m. Tuesday. Jersey County Fairgrounds Grandstand, 300 Veterans Memorial Parkway, Jerseyville. The event features grandstand entertainment, 4-H shows, carnival rides, games and fair food. Carnival rides begin Tuesday and continue through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. A free petting zoo starts Tuesday evening from 6 to 10 p.m. Parade at 6 p.m. Tuesday. For full schedule and grandstand ticket prices, go online to www.jerseycountyfair.com.

July 14 — 'Words and Wheels' Car Show.

3 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Central Park, Bethalto. First 25 cars get dash plaques. Event features 50/50, raffles, door and attendance prizes. Presented by the Bethalto Public Library.

July 13-14 — Maryville Firemen’s Homecoming.

5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Firemen's Park, 300 N. Donk, Maryville. Parade at 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

July 13-14 — Lebanon Firemen's Picnic 2018.

4 p.m. to 1 a.m Friday and Saturday. Lebanon Emerald Mound Fire Department, 760 N. Monroe St., Lebanon. Live music, carnival rides, games, food vendors. Parade at 6 p.m. both nights.

July 14-15 — Contemporary Indian Art Show.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site near Collinsville. Show and sale of fine art by Native American artists.

July 14-21 — Clinton County Fair.

Fairgrounds, Carlyle. Tractor and truck pulls, queen pageant, rodeo, antique tractor pull and more. Concessions, vendors, and carnival rides, 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Parade at 6 p.m. on Monday. For a full schedule of events, go online to clintoncofair.org

July 16-22 — Randolph County Fair.

Fairgrounds, Sparta.

July 19-21 — St. Jacob Homecoming.

Rides 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 5 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, 5 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday. St. Jacob. Family Night is Thursday. Event features live music, rides, games, raffles, food and more. Outside alcohol and coolers not permitted. For more information, see the St. Jacob Homecoming Facebook page.

July 22-29 — Monroe County Fair.

Sunday through the following Sunday. Monroe County Fairgrounds, 4177 Illinois Route 156, Waterloo. Fair exhibits, carnival rides, tractor pulls, annual Fair Queen Pageant and Little Miss contest and more.

July 24-29 — Madison County Fair.

Lindendale Park, 2025 Park Hill Drive, Highland. Product displays, livestock, arts and crafts, carnival rides, food, live music. Parking fees and admission costs for some events. www.madcofair.com

July 27-28 — Smithton Homecoming Picnic.

Friday-Saturday. Turner Park, Smithton. Parade at 5 p.m. Saturday. Event features live music, carnival rides, “famous” fried fish and games.

July 27-29 — Heritage Days.

8 a.m. to dusk Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. American Farm Heritage Museum, 1395 Museum Ave., Greenville. Heritage Days features train rides, antique tractors, tractor pulls, working displays, daily tractor parades, farm life, quilting demonstrations, live music and more. Car cruise on Sunday. Admission $7 per person, per day, children under 12 admitted free. Weekend armband is $10. www.americanfarmheritagemuseum.com or 618-664-9733.

Here's a preview of future festival calendars coming up later in the summer. It is not a complete list. If you have an event coming up, email it to lifestyle@bnd.com.

August

Aug. 3-5 — Mascoutah Homecoming. Friday-Sunday. Scheve Park, Mascoutah. The event features carnival rides, music and parades at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. mascoutahhomecoming.org.

Aug. 4 — Belleville Peace Festival. 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday. 19 Public Square, Belleville. An event featuring entertainers, vendors, organizations, volunteers and performers for peace.

Aug. 11 — Venedy Picnic and Homecoming. Food stands open at 2 p.m. Saturday. Brockschmidt Park, N. Mill Road, Venedy. Event features music, attendance prizes and raffle, food, bingo and kids' games.

Aug. 17-19 — 'Centralia Balloon Fest.' Foundation Park, Centralia. Balloon races, fireworks, live music, food. Admission $3 per day.

Aug. 18 — The Germantown Bierfest. 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday. Schoendienst Park, Germantown. Featuring food, rides, music and cash raffle.

Aug. 24-25 — Waterloo Homecoming. Friday and Saturday. Downtown Waterloo. Featuring live music, carnival rides, games, food and drink. Parade at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Aug. 24-26 — Midwest ‘Salute to the Arts’ 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Moody Park Fairview Heights. Artists, kids activities, music, food.

September

Sept. 1-2 — Millstadt Homecoming. Park opens 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Liederkranz Park, 301 N. Jefferson, Millstadt. Parades on both days at 5 p.m.

Sept. 21-22 — 38th Annual Belleville Oktoberfest. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Downtown Belleville. A traditional German festival.

Sept. 29 — 18th Annual St. Clare Oktoberfest. 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday. Third and Cherry Streets, O'Fallon. The outdoor festival features food, drinks, live music, games, pony rides, inflatables, bingo, raffle and more. 5k run/walk at 4 p.m. German dinner 4 to 7 p.m. Free admission. www.stclarechurch.org/ofest or 618-632-3562.

October

Oct. 5-6 — 35th annual Belleville Chili Cook-Off. Hosted by the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce.

Oct. 14 — Maeystown Oktoberfest. 9 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Maeystown. Event features arts, crafts, antiques and food.

This story was originally published July 3, 2018 at 12:10 PM.