130 Years Ago July 4, 1896 Jacob Von Tobel is taking a three weeks' vacation from the lumber business and is visiting old acquaintances in Iowa. The lumber yard is being ably looked after by his son, Edward. The graduating class had a picnic at the Avoca Church last Friday and enjoyed themselves immensely. The Churchills are building an elegant residence on their lots at the corner of Second and Maple Streets. The marriage of Isaac N. Gardner and Miss Pearl E. Tappin occurred

As settlers moved west from the East Coast into Indiana and Illinois, they soon discovered that farming the vast Midwestern prairies required techniques different from those used in the East. To help educate these pioneer farmers and share practical information, Prairie Farmer magazine was founded in 1841. The magazine is still published today and remains a respected source of agricultural information for Illinois farmers. In 1925, one of the magazine's editors, Clifford Gr

A bid correction was approved by members of the Prairie Central Board of Education during a special July 2 meeting. According to information from Superintendent Brian Quam, the board needed to make a correction to the bids accepted on June 18 and award the HVAC controls to Alpha Controls for the new school, Junior High and Upper Elementary. With the correction, it was recommended by Quam to approve the base bids and seven alternate bids for the new school. The board also corr

Superintendent Brett Ashburn reported to the Fairbury City Council last week that bids are being sent out to resurface Locust Street. Locust Street will be resurfaced from First to Fifth Street later this summer. Brett also said some new umbrellas and chairs have been purchased for the swimming pool. Superintendent Ashburn also revealed that the two new basketball courts have now been completed and are in use. A dedication ceremony will be scheduled in the near future.

130 Years Ago June 27, 1896 Work was commenced this week on the Masonic Hall property preparatory to remodeling the interior. Messrs. Carrithers, Gregg and Conerus have charge of the work. A cement walk is to be laid on the north side of Maple Street between First and Third Streets. I will be in my ice house all day the Fourth to serve the people with ice. —C. L. Mowery Married at the residence of the bride's mother in Fairbury, Wednesday afternoon, Miss Goldie Spence to Mose

Many people have wondered why the Fairbury Blade finally disappeared after serving this area for roughly a century and a half. For generations, the Blade had been one of the most familiar institutions in town. It carried the local news, school activities, sports, weddings, obituaries, advertisements, and the ordinary weekly happenings that told the story of community life. When it vanished in December 2022, many local people felt as if Fairbury had lost an old friend. Earli

The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has named Susan Cavazos, Food Service Director for Prairie Central CUSD #8 in IL, the recipient of the Food Warming Equipment (FWE) Grant, worth up to $25,000 in specialty school foodservice equipment. The grant is among 2026 SNF Equipment Grants available to help school meal programs overcome staffing, budget or operational challenges. The additional funding supports programs working to expand fresh and scratch-made menu options, increas

Carolyn Jackson, Past Grand of Lodge 41 in Seneca and member of the Scholarship Committee for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, presented scholarships to Julianne Woodrey of Chenoa and Karmyn Steidinger of Fairbury, at Livingston Lodge 290 in Fairbury. Julianne will be attending Millikin University, and Karmyn is entering her junior year at Illinois State. Also pictured is Dawn Hurt, Noble Grand of Livingston Lodge and District Deputy Grand Master. Livingston Lodge 290

130 Years Ago June 20, 1896 The new pump at the city well is in position and working smoothly. The supply of water seems ample. Last Wednesday evening, Charlie Fitzgerald, on returning home, found 60 of his friends and relatives assembled at his residence for the purpose of helping him celebrate his birthday. Forrest has become a great baseball center. The nine there is in the habit of wiping up the scenery with any other aggregation that is rash enough to tackle them. They h

Several months ago, I wrote a story describing how pioneer farmers in the Fairbury area harvested corn in the 1840s and stored it in small wooden corn cribs. That article explained how every ear of corn had to be picked by hand, hauled by wagon, and then shoveled into the crib to dry. Farming in those early years was extremely labor-intensive, and even a modest harvest required many long days of work. Since publishing that story, I have learned that the earliest settlers som

130 Years Ago June 13, 1896 Work has begun on the foundation of the new Walton Bros. Palace of Trade building. The firm has not let the contract to anyone for the building, but will be their own contractors. Dr. Brewer has a young apple tree in his yard that is a phenomenon. It has apples on it about the size of hickory nuts and last week burst into bloom again. The installation of Rev. Charles S. Davies as pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Fairbury took place last Friday

The mention of an electric dirt bike running up and down streets prompted a conversation on these types of bikes during Wednesday’s regular meeting of the Fairbury City Council. Alderman Charlie Hoselton pointed to new state laws which only allow them on streets with bike lanes. “The worst thing is they don’t stop at stop signs,” said Alderman Bruce Weber. Mayor David Slagel feels this is becoming more of a problem because they go so fast. “We need to look at that (law) a lit

The 1889 Blade newspaper published a long article about the history of Fairbury since its founding in 1857, when the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad laid its tracks from Peoria to Indiana. The arrival of the railroad transformed a stretch of prairie into a thriving village almost overnight. Businesses sprang up quickly along Locust Street, homes were built, churches were organized, and before long, the little town had developed the institutions that helped bind the community togeth

130 Years Ago June 6, 1896 Will Masters, of northeast of town, has plowed up 20 acres of fall wheat, which had been a fine stand, but which was ruined by chinch bugs and rust. Charles Schade and Joseph Kessler had a little accident on Sunday night. They had been to church at Cropsey and when they were returning home, the seat of the buggy became detached and fell backward. Joe escaped without injury, but Charles received quite a bump on the back of the head. Fred Burch has a

Early Fairbury had two major hotels, the Livingston House and the Fairbury House. President Ulysses S. Grant stayed in one of these hotels on two occasions in 1871. One hotel was burned down as a victim of the East Side-West Side town feuds. The other hotel burned down after 35 years of operation in one of the most spectacular fires ever witnessed in the young city of Fairbury. The history of these two hotels is closely tied to the early development of the town itself. Thei

Finishing touches are being put on the new D2 memorial basketball courts in Fairbury. Progress is being made on the memorial basketball courts at Fairbury’s Marsh Park to honor the memories of two young men. Members of the Fairbury Council received an update from Street Superintendent Lonnie Rhoads Wednesday night on the “D2” courts. Paint work is nearing completion but the logo still needs to be finished along with a clear coating for protection. “Then there is going to be s

130 Years Ago May 30, 1896 The Fairbury baseball club was reorganized Monday evening. The meeting was called to order by John Moran. Bert Schlaughter was made secretary. Henry Weber was elected president and manager of the club and T. D. Karnes, treasurer. The president and secretary were instructed to see the business men and raise money for the purpose of uniforms. The members are Robert Baird, Isaac Addis, Will Braun, Louis Weber, James Baird, Ralph Harris, Bert Slaughter,

For more than a century, thousands of Fairbury Fair visitors crowded around the racetrack to watch powerful horses thunder down the homestretch while drivers urged them toward the finish line. Long before carnival rides and automobile races became fair attractions, horse racing was the undisputed star of the Fairbury Fair. Even today, many older Fairbury residents who remember those races recall them with great nostalgia and wish they were still part of the fair. The Fairbur

Prairie Central High School graduate Will Skala will begin a career as a laborer with Vissering Construction. A signing event was held this month at PC High School in Fairbury. “We are excited to see all that he will accomplish in this new opportunity and wish him continued success as he starts this next chapter,” said PCHS Principal Wade Czerwonka.

Traditional end of year recognitions took place during the regular May meeting of the Prairie Central Board of Education. Retiring staff members Dawn Steidigner, Becky Hansen, Tammy Hoffman, Jonnita Vogel, Mike Goodwin, Kyle Miller, Brad Kilkullen, Rhonda Lamberth and Kim Kovach were honored for their service to the district. Board President John Wilken applauded all they have done for the kids, calling it a “job well done.” “I’m sure there were sacrifices for your families,”