Looking Back 3-19-26

130 Years Ago

March 13, 1896

The protracted meetings at the Baptist Church closed Monday evening. These services resulted in thirty-two additions to the church, 29 of which were by baptism.

Frank Wharton and George Tate were introduced to the Woodman goat Thursday evening.

A. L. McKee, of Roberts, was in town Monday. He has almost recovered from his injuries received some time ago when he was kicked in the face by a horse.

Married at the residence of the bride's parents, Wednesday evening, Lotella Gertrude Baily to A. Everett Chambers. Rev. W. G. Connell officiated.

120 Years Ago

March 16, 1906

The spelling bee at the Dominy Memorial Library Tuesday evening drew a fair sized audience. Misses Amie Dell Stein and Nell Carrithers were chosen as captains and they chose up. There were about 20 on a side and Mayor Agard acted as master of ceremonies and gave the words to spell out of an old fashioned spelling book. Some of them stayed but a short time, while others stood the test well. A. E. Chambers was the winner of the contest and received a bunch of carnations for his efforts.

Last Saturday was the tenth wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Chambers and their friends to the number of about sixty, perpetrated a complete surprise upon them. The guests "dropped" in about 7:30 Saturday evening and they took with them a spirit of jollity and also plenty of substantial refreshments. The evening was delightfully spent in playing various games and the company were entertained by selections from John Cunningham's phonograph and recitations by Miss Olivette McKee. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers were recipients of loads of tinware, which will long remind them of one of their happiest anniversaries.

Chas. Cumpston has purchased the J. G. Swing dray line and will personally conduct the business. Mr. Cumpston is an experienced man in this business and can be depended upon to conduct it in a manner first-class.

110 Years Ago

March 17, 1916

William Thompson, who several years ago was an employee of the Blade office, and who is a brother of Fred Thompson of this city, is with uncle Sam's Army on the Mexican border, being a member of Co. F, 12^th Infantry. The company has for some time been stationed at Nogales, Ariz. "Bill," as he was familiarly known, has been promoted recently, being made a corporal. While Bill is still in the army he can't keep away from his first love and is correspondent for his company for the "Outguard," a newsy little paper, published by the men of the Twelfth Infantry.

Three cars filled with parts of the machine to be used in making the big ditch in Yates Township, have arrived at Weston. Another car is delayed somewhere, but will probably arrive soon. The parts, when put together, will constitute a big ditcher known as a drag line. R. P. Phelps, of Davenport, Iowa, who has the contract to make the ditch, will personally superintend the job and is already on the ground. He has four men that are regular employees and these will do most of the work, though occasionally some additional help may be used. A cook will be hired and meals served in a car now being made for that purpose. This car will be drawn from place to place by a team which will also be used to haul coal for the engine. It will require several weeks to put the drag line together, and after ditching is commenced it will take about three months to do the job. Of course, the weather will have some say in the matter.

Wednesday was Mrs. B. W. Danforth's birthday and in honor of the event, Mrs. Ira Brown, the daughter of Mrs. Danforth, perpetrated a surprise upon her mother. When Mrs. Danforth and her daughter returned from a little shopping expedition which Mrs. Brown had arranged, they found a party of ladies who had been invited by Mrs. Brown, gathered at the Danforth home. Following an afternoon pleasantly spent, a luncheon was served. Mrs. Danforth's mother, Mrs. Van Camp, who makes her home with her daughter, and who will be ninety-seven years old next month, was among those present.

100 Years Ago

March 19, 1926

The new well is now down to a depth of 475 feet. At a depth of 520 feet there is supposed to be a very good vein of water, and the possibilities are it will be tested when this vein is reached. If it is thought advisable the well will also be "shot" when this depth is reached in an endeavor to bring in a larger supply. While things are going along nicely at the new well, the pump in the old well developed some trouble and was out of commission for a couple of days. However, Engineer Burns and his assistants got it fixed and it is now running again.

It was a year ago yesterday that the tornado tore a path through the southern part of Illinois, and into parts of Indiana and Missouri, killing 719 people and doing property damage that ran up into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Red Cross relief work closed there yesterday, just one year after the most destructive tornado in American history. Nearly $3,000,000 was raised for the needs of 6,857 families in thirteen communities.

Felix Borio is a patient at the Fairbury Hospital, suffering from a bad case of blood poisoning and his condition has been serious. Mr. Borio is a miner and about two weeks ago while employed at the mines of the Fairbury Coal Company he received a scratch on his knee. He kept on working, using some home remedies on the wound. Last week the injury assumed a more serious nature and he was taken to the hospital.

90 Years Ago

March 13, 1936

Buford Compton, residing eight miles south of town, lost a valuable mare Wednesday morning when the animal fell into an abandoned well. The well had been covered over with some boards, which broke when the horse walked over them and it fell into the hole. Elisha Bennett of the Fairbury Auto company, was called to the scene with the auto wrecker. He went down into the well and fastened a rope around the animal and it was pulled to the top. However, the horse was so badly injured during its struggles in the well that it died soon after being gotten out.

Mrs. Anna Simpsen celebrated her 22^nd birthday on Saturday, February 29, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Dick Winterland. Mrs. Simpsen is 88 years old but has had not nearly so many anniversaries since she was born a Leap Year baby. Present for her party were Mr. and Mrs. John Simpsen, of Saybrook; Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Simpson, of Anchor,; Mr. and Mrs. William Beecher and daughter, Florence; and William Beecher Sr.

Edward Poense, of near Weston, missed the Second Street railroad crossing on last Friday evening, ran over the steel rails, blew out a tire or two, barely missed the H. H. Phelps garage building (he was headed south) and ran into the gasoline pump in  front of the garage and knocked it down.

80 Years Ago

March 15, 1946

Our neighboring town of Chatsworth was visited by a fire last Saturday that did damage to upwards of $75,000 when the flames gutted the general merchandise store of James Baldwin and the Virginia Theatre operated by Frank W. Kaiser. Both Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Kaiser owned their respective buildings. Also losers in the fire were the Masonic and Eastern Star organizations, who occupied the second floor of the Baldwin building, and Mrs. Viola Luke, who operated a beauty shop in the Kaiser building over the front part of the moving picture show. The rear of this latter building was not occupied.

The drive for the $75,000 Hospital Expansion Fund is nearing the goal, the sum of $72,699.64 having been subscribed up to Wednesday afternoon.

John Nussbaum, who is taking a course in national advertising, is fortunate in getting his training at one of the largest advertising companies in the United Sates, Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, of New York, N. Y., in the assembly department. He is also attending night classes in journalism at Columbia University.

Mrs. Ray Cox is getting around with some difficulty since Monday. She was hanging curtains when the ladder slipped and she sprained her ankle.

70 Years Ago

March 15, 1956

Operation of the Fairbury Rural Fire District begins today. It means that, beginning today, all rural fires should be reported by number. A farmer committee working with the cooperation of the Fairbury Fire Department, assigned numbers to 280 farms some months ago. The job of erecting steel sign posts with reflective numbers attached at each farm in the fire district was completed yesterday. The signs are the property of the Fairbury Fire Department, and should not be moved without permission from the fire chief.

John Enderli, 11-year-old son of Mrs. Herbert Enderli, who was severely injured Jan. 14 in a dynamite explosion which claimed the life of his father, was discharged last week from St. James Hospital in Pontiac, where he had been a patient since the accident. He is resting at his home northwest of Fairbury, where his condition was reported as "strong" by Mrs. Enderli. He has vision from one eye, although he occasionally complains of strong light. The other eye was lost in the explosion.

Louis Shulman was awarded Scouting's highest adult honor Thursday night during the annual recognition dinner of the Corn Belt Council held in Bloomington. Mr. Shulman was presented with the silver beaver award for his service to scouting during the past 12 years.

60 Years Ago

March 17, 1966

Demolition work has started on the abandoned Edison School, sold last August to Clarence "Casey" Herbst of Pontiac for $28,500. During the week, Herbst has had workmen removing the long floor joists from the building, as well as most of the window casements. Reports have it that the salvage value has been surprisingly high to Herbst. Herbst, distributor for Shell Oil products, indicated at the time he bought the building that he expected to erect a service station on the site, fronting on U. S. 24 at the corner of Fourth and Oak Streets. Neighbors protested the plan, but to no avail.

Ezra Steffen suffered an eye injury about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday as he was rolling his lawn at the Steffen farm, one-half mile north and one-half mile east of Cropsey. Steffen was pulling a large roller with his farm tractor and a clothesline caught on the upright muffler, snapped off and smacked his glasses. The glasses shattered and drove several pieces into his left eye, including one hunk the size of a small pea. He was taken to a Sibley doctor and then driven to the Gailey Eye Clinic at Bloomington where glass was taken from the eyeball. No serious harm was done to the pupil.

Army Pvt. Roger D. Runyon, whose mother, Mrs. Alberta Martin, lives in Fairbury, was assigned to the 3^rd Infantry Division in Germany, Feb. 25. Runyon, an artilleryman in Headquarters Battery, 2^nd Battalion of the division's 41^st Artillery, entered the Army in September 1965, completed basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., and was last assigned at Fort Sill, Okla. The 21-year-old soldier was graduated from Fairbury-Cropsey High School in 1963.

50 Years Ago

March 18, 1976

Dominy Memorial Library Board announced today the purchase of the Jerry Stephens residence on Walnut Street, immediately east of the library, for the purpose of establishing a museum. Funds for the purchase were provided by a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Stafford of Fairbury and Carlsbad, Calif. Work on the museum project has been handled by a committee consisting of Bob Nussbaum, chairman, Frances Lindsay and Dr. D. H. Johnston, from the library board, plus Mrs. Bill Orth, Bea Tetley, Mrs. Jack Billingsley, Mrs. Lloyd Borngasser and Ken Elliott, named by Board President Henry Phillips from the general public. Dominy Library was originally funded by Mrs. Stafford's grandmother, with the building dedicated to the latter's husband, Lorenzo B. Dominy, and to one of their daughters, Hazel, who died in 1901 when about 10 years old. The building was dedicated in 1905.

Kathleen Hoerner of Chenoa gained the rights to the crown of Miss Tri-County in the pageant held in Fairbury Saturday, March 13. Playing her own arrangement of Anton Von Webern's Second Concerto for b-flat clarinet, the 20-year-old Illinois State University music major, earned her way onto the next level of competition, the Miss Illinois State pageant.

There were 38 persons attending a breakfast meeting held Saturday, March 6, at the Cross Roads to organize a Forrest Chamber of Commerce. This committee selected another five members to the board and included Bill Masters, Jerry Bachtold, Michael Hostetter, Donald Fortna and Steve Rieger. At an organizational meeting of the board Bill Masters was named president; Jamie Rieger, vice president; and Donald Fortna, secretary-treasurer. Masters told the group the purpose of the organization was to make our own community a better place to live.

40 Years Ago

March 13, 1986

Three Prairie Central FFA members have given the new consolidated high school its first state championship, winning the meats judging contest March 1 at the University of Illinois. The three-man team of Mike Winterland, Bart Bayston and Daren Metz will represent Illinois in the national contest next November at the Future Farmers of America Convention in Kansas City, Mo. The Prairie Central trio totaled 1,630 points to edge past second place Assumption, which totaled 1,627. Jacksonville placed third with 1,613 points. Forty-three teams took part. In the individual rankings, Winterland placed fourth with 551 points, Bayston placed sixth with 547 points and Metz was 11^th out of the 132 individual competitors with 532 points.

Ron and June Slagel of rural Fairbury announce the engagement of their daughter, Teri Lynn, to Samuel Dean Wenger. He is the son of Nathalia Wenger of rural Fairbury and the late Albert Wenger. The couple is planning a July 5 wedding.

Country Charm Beauty Salon of Fairbury sponsored Laurie DeBolt, student hair stylist, and her niece, Kelly Schieler, model, at the Bloomington Academy of Beauty Culture in their amateur fantasy hair and makeup competition on Feb. 26. Laurie received first place competing against 17 other stylists. Miss DeBolt is the daughter of Rob and Kathy Reavis Debolt, Pontiac, and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. "Bud" Reavis of Fairbury. Kelly is the daughter of Duane and Diane Reavis Schieler, Fairbury. She is a student at PC Junior High. Miss DeBolt has completed 360 hours at the Bloomington Academy of Beauty Culture and is a senior at Pontiac Township High School.

30 Years Ago

March 13, 1996

On Feb. 16, 1996, the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., placed the Fairbury City Hall on the National Register of historic places. This Historic building, built in 1892 of Italianate architecture was placed in nomination at the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council meeting in December. The joint efforts of Thomas L. Brucker, John Tollensdorf, Sr., and the Fairbury Downtown Revitalization and Historic Preservation Committee were all active in completing the necessary research. Fairbury City Hall is the second building in the City to be placed on the National Register, the Thomas Beach house being placed several years ago.

T. J. Posey, son of Tom and Pam Posey of Fairbury, and a member of Illinois Wesleyan's basketball team, will play in Roanoke, VA this weekend for the National title. A senior at IWU, Posey is a 1991 graduate of Prairie Central High School. The Titan's advanced by winning the sectional title in Roanoke last weekend. A starting guard, Posey has played in 85 straight games for the Titans and leads the team with 110 assists. The team is presently 27-2 and the 27 wins represent the most in school history.

March 28 is the opening date set for The Stage of Fairbury. The store was bought by Specialty Retailers, Inc. of Houston, TX from Szold's of Peoria in October 1995, known for 128 years as Walton's. Stage Store Manager, Jack Sinnott, who was also the manager of Walton's, said he has completed the interviewing processes, and will hire 50 people for the opening of the store. There will be 20 to 25 employees on a full time basis, he said. The store covers about 11,000 square feet, with a full line of fashions for the entire family, including shoes, accessories, jewelry, cosmetics and fragrances. The upstairs will remain unused, and has not been leased out, said Sinnott.

20 Years Ago

March 15, 2006

Janet Kilgus of Fairbury was recently selected to receive the 2006 Illinois Education Association Mary Lou and Keith Hauge Award. This award is presented annually to an IEA retired member in good standing for at least two years who has made outstanding contributions to the IEA-NEA Retired Organization. Retired chapter leaders and retired members nominate IEA-R members. Kilgus was presented this award at the Illinois Education Association's Representative Assembly March 9-11 in Rosemont. After retiring as a math teacher for 33 years at Parkside Junior High School in Normal in May of 2003, Kilgus has continued to be active in IEA.

Josh Smith, an eighth grader at Prairie Central Junior High School, earned all-state honors by finishing sixth in the 95-pound weight class at the 2006 Illinois Elementary School Association's Wrestling State Finals. After losing his first match on Friday evening, Smith gamely battled his way back through the consolation bracket on Saturday, winning three matches before falling just short in the fifth place medal match. Smith became the first Prairie Central Jr. High wrestler to win a medal in Hawk grapplers with 21 pins. He was both regional and sectional champion and was voted "Most Valuable Wrestler" for 2005-2006 by is teammates. Josh is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Duane Smith of Forrest.

Many people love the taste of chocolate, and a gift of chocolates is a sure hit whatever the occasion. That is what prompted Julie Burkhalter of Chatsworth to start her own business, "Julie's Sweet Tooth." That was just a year ago, and since that time Burkhalter has been molding chocolate creations for every occasion, including holidays, weddings, bridal showers, anniversaries, birthdays, graduation, retirement celebrations and just about anything else you can think of. The chocolate creations come in either white chocolate or regular chocolate and also feature many colors.

10 Years Ago

March 16, 2016

Prairie Central Junior high Wrestling Coach Joe Cliffe has been selected by the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) to serve as the Grand Marshal for the 2016 IESA State Wrestling Tournament Grand March at the event's state championships. The Grand March was on Saturday, March 12, at Northern Illinois University's Convocation Center in DeKalb. Coach Cliffe has served as Head Wrestling Coach at Prairie Central Junior High School for the past five years. He served as head coach at the high school level for the precious 33 years (four at Georgetown, 14 at Plano and 15 at Prairie Central), coaching 509 dual meet victories and 11 individual state champions.

Virginia Lee of Chatsworth will celebrate her 90^th birthday on March 21. A card shower is planned in her honor. She was born in Chicago on March 21, 1926. Her husband, Walt Lee, died June 29, 1998. Her children are Ann (Loren) Ulitzsch, Normal; Linda Bawulski, Normal; Connie (Dutch) Dohman, Chatsworth; and Kelly (Jed) Diller, Chatsworth. She also has eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Lee is retired from the Chatsworth and Prairie Central School Districts where she was the cafeteria head cook.

The Prairie Central Junior High scholastic bowl team recently competed in the Livingston County Tournament, winning the tournament outright with a 6-0 record for the day. Team members include Marrisa Lanz, Christian Taylor, Alaina Daugherity, Collin Fogarty, Ashlyn Kratochvil, Ainsley Kratochvil, Sheldon Riedel, Trenton Nicholas, Elise Dotterer, Elizabeth Barth, Hannah Norris, Nicholas Fever, Addie Raber, Parker Mashburn, Carson Bounds, Katie Elbert and Grace Eisenmann. The team is coached by Scott Saffer and Amber Hays.

(Looking Back is sponsored each week by Duffy-Pils Memorial Homes)