McHenry County Monopoly board game arrives as finished product

When Dr. Whitney Behm’s practice at City Square Dental in Woodstock decided to sponsor the McHenry County Fair’s new Monopoly board game, it was continuing a tradition of support of the fair and its activities, office manager Julianne Brunken said.

With Behm having been involved in the fair growing up and now sponsoring several awards given out at the event, the game gave the practice another opportunity to contribute, Brunken said.

“Dr. Behm even as a youth was involved in the 4H Club and grew up in Woodstock,” Brunken said. “Once she took over the practice, it was one of the things we wanted to support.”

City Square Dental is one of 90 sponsors of the new McHenry County Fair Monopoly board, called “McHenry County Fair-opoly,” which, after months of work, arrived as a finished product last Thursday, the fair’s general office manager Diane Hellyer said.

Created by Late For The Sky Productions Co., which specializes in custom-made Monopoly boards, the board highlights a number of attractions at the fair, as well as businesses and organizations from around McHenry County.

Many of the properties on the board are attractions at the fair, such as the sheep barn or dairy barn, Hellyer said. A few are also businesses in the county.

Other sponsors might appear on one of the game’s cards or tokens, Hellyer said. American Community Bank and Trust is on the game’s money.

“It’s touching a lot of people in a lot of different ways. It’s multiple generations coming together.”

—  McHenry County Fair's General Office Manager Diane Hellyer on the fair's new Monopoly board game

The board is meant to help commemorate the fair’s 75th anniversary, Hellyer said. As part of that, the game’s box and instruction guide includes photos from the fair over the years, some dating back to the very beginning.

The fair received a total of 1,493 copies of the game, with about 180 having been presold, Hellyer said. They are going to sell for $30 a piece. As a result, pictures of the board are not being made public to allow those who purchase it to see it as a surprise.

Some have already bought a couple – one to have unopened and another to play, Hellyer said. Others are using it as a chance to connect with their grandparents, or grandchildren, for example.

“It’s touching a lot of people in a lot of different ways,” Hellyer said. “It’s multiple generations coming together.”

Originally pitched in February, the board sought to have a number of sponsors to help cover its costs. Hellyer said based on how expensive it would be, if they didn’t have 90% of the sponsorships filled, they couldn’t do it.

However, interest was much higher than expected, and the spots for the board were sold out in just a couple days.

“We were having to tell people no, which was tough,” Hellyer said. “We did not expect it to sell out. It was a pleasant surprise.”

To help promote the board, the fair is planning to hold a tournament in July with the game, Hellyer said. The winners will go to compete in a sort of final game at the fair itself in August.

At City Square Dental, their office is planning to potentially raffle off some of the boards as well, Brunken said.

“We’ve got to get people interested,” Brunken said. “It’s an important part of our community that’s still prevalent. We do a lot with agriculture in the classroom. To us it’s important on all levels.”

This year’s fair will be held from Aug. 1-6, according to the fair’s website.