The “Home of Friendly People” is the greeting on the sign that welcomes you to town and it is proven true when you get a hello as you are walking down the street.
Fairfield is a charming, quintessential American small town. It is anchored by a Town Square with an 1890’s Courthouse that hosts open air concerts and farmers markets in the summer and festivals in the fall. Main Street and the other shopping districts are lined with unique, locally-owned stores, restaurants and businesses ready to serve you. Please visit our Shopping & Dining pages to learn more.
Fairfield is also home to many local, seasonal and sporting events that bring guests to town. Please see the list of events below and our Trip Ideas to plan you trip.
Fairfield Area Events
Wayne County Agricultural Fair - July
The Wayne County Agricultural Fair happens every summer. The fair showcases farm animals, 4-H projects, photography, arts and crafts, quilts, produce and baked goods. Enjoy carnival rides, taffy, cotton candy and much more on the midway. Grandstand events every night feature Tractor Pull, Demolition derby, horse races and more. Free grounds entry. The Wayne County Fair take place just minutes from The Victorian on Main.
Festival Season - August - October
Seasons start to change and fall colors are on display. August through October is Festival Season in Southern Illinois. Fairfield and the surrounding communities host many local & seasonal events - the Fall Fun Fest in Fairfield, Wayne City Bean Days, Geff Frontier Days, Johnsonville Community Days, the Centralia Hot Air Balloon Fest, the Cisne Reunion just to name a few. The Victorian on Main is centrally located to all of these events.
Arts & Crafts Community
From the Fairfield PaintOut, an annual event that brings artists to town to paint local subjects Plein Air and showcase the finished works at a juried show, to local photography competitions, to the crafts and quilts displayed at the Wayne County Fair, Fairfield is a community that celebrates arts and crafts.
The city also boasts several murals, providing a great opportunity for guests to spend an afternoon on an Art Walk. First stop is Freedom Park on Main Street in downtown Fairfield. There you will see a mural titled Love Thou Thy Land created by David and Cheryl Harl. This 78 x 21 mural was inspired by the by the poet Alfred Tennyson and depicts a blend of small town America and the history of Fairfield including several historical buildings, businesses and landmarks. Look closely and you might see The Victorian on Main.
While in the downtown area, take a peek in some of the alleyways and you will be delighted to see an every expanding collection of murals created by our fabulous local artists. Large scale painted florals gardens, butterfly wings, social commentary on the price of modern art and more will great you on your walk.
Finally, head over to the Fairfield Post office where you can see a small mural titled Old Settlers by William Samuel Schwartz. Schwartz painted this mural for the Fairfield post office in 1936, under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The US Department of the Treasury commissioned US Post Office Murals from 1934 to 1943 to boost the morale of the American people suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Murals depicted life in America, uplifting subjects, and scenes of daily activities that people knew and loved. If you look closely at this painting, you will see that Schwartz actually included a Post Office in this paining.
Sporting Events & Activities
Fairfield is home to several sporting events & activities. Frontier Community College, an Illinois Eastern College, is home of The Bobcats with Baseball, Softball and Volleyball teams. The Fairfield Mules are active in all High School sporting events and the Carter Athletic Academy offers 10,000 square feet of indoor athletic training space.
Holiday Celebrations
The end of the year is magical at The Victorian on Main. We start decorating for the Holidays in early November. At last count, we have 22 Christmas trees of various sizes throughout the Inn. Each room of the Inn features a tree that complements the decor of that room. The grand staircase is wrapped in greenery, mistletoe hangs in inconspicuous corners and holiday treats are offered to our guests. Fairfield celebrates the season with an annual holiday parade, a festival of lights display in the park and holiday decor on Main Street.
