Looking Back: 3-4-26

130 Years Ago

February 29, 1896

It is announced that J. A. Willhoite, of Colfax, has bought the interest of Wallace Hemphill in the drug firm of Payne & Hemphill.

Fairbury Chapter, No. 198, O. E. S., conferred the degrees upon the following candidates on Tuesday evening: Mr. and Mrs. Fred E. Thomas, Mrs. E. A. Agard, Mrs. Thomas Scouler, Jr., and H. B. Taylor. A banquet was served following the work.

Married at the residence of the bride's parents, on Thursday evening, February 27, Miss Belle Kelso to Thomas C. Smith, Rev. E. S. Wilson officiating.

Monday evening a McKinley Club was organized at the town hall, with a membership of almost 200.

120 Years Ago

March 2, 1906

Miss Pearl Foster and Mr. J. W. Arthur were united in marriage Wednesday at Pontiac, the pastor of the Presbyterian Church of that city performing the ceremony. The bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Foster, living south of Fairbury and is an estimable young lady with a large circle of friends in this locality. The groom is an enterprising young farmer and they will make their future home on the Glen Moore farm south of Fairbury.

Jo Conklin, brother of Mrs. John Winslow, and who lives at the Winslow home, met with an unfortunate accident Sunday. He was going duck shooting, and had leaned his loaded gun against the porch post. His dog was frisking around on the porch, when he ran into the gun and knocked it over. Conklin saw it falling and grabbed to catch it, seizing the end of the barrel just as the gun exploded. Part of the charge passed thru his right hand tearing the first and second fingers off and mutilating the hand badly. Dr. Otis was called and dressed the hand and Mr. Conklin is getting along as well as can be expected.

About thirty neighbors and friends of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Maryman, living northwest of Weston, gathered at their home Friday afternoon. The time was delightfully spent in social chat, while music furnished by John Wink and Miss Tapke contributed much to the enjoyment of those present. At 4 p.m. a dainty luncheon was served by several of the ladies, after which the guests repaired to the parlor, where Michael Wiar, on behalf of the neighbors, in a few well-chosen words, told of the appreciation and esteem in which the host and hostess were held. Mr. and Mrs. Maryman leave soon for their future home on a farm recently purchased near Butler, Ind.

110 Years Ago

March 3, 1916

The Wing Grain Company, the recently organized farmers' grain concern at that place, has purchased of J. M. Feeley his grain elevator and equipment at that place, paying $7,000 for it, the deed having been filed Wednesday in the office of Circuit Clerk J. G. Whitson at Pontiac.

When Mr. and Mrs. Jess Arthur arrived home Monday evening, February 28 at 8:30 from Colfax, they found their home filled with a merry crowd to remind them the years had rolled around to ten since they were wed. After the surprised ones had became calm, cards and a merry time was enjoyed by all until luncheon was announced to which all did ample justice. A number of pieces of aluminum were presented them after which the guests departed wishing them many more such happy anniversaries.

Following is the menu of the 15 cent supper that will be given at the Presbyterian Church, Thursday evening, March 9, from 5 to 8 o'clock: Chicken Pie, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Bread/Butter/Jelly, Fruit, Cake, Tea/Coffee. Ice Cream or Sherbet, 10 cents extra.

100 Years Ago

March 5, 1926

The horseshoe team, Louie Hirstein and Harry Bach, of which Marvin Craig is manager, issued a challenge to a team from the Legion, which was accepted and the game played at the Legion room Monday night. Jack Biggers and Bob Schmidt were chosen to represent the ex-service men and triumphed over their youthful opponents only by the most painstaking pitching. In the sixteen-man tournament following this contest, the affair was won by Marvin Craig and Ed Yeagle, who defeated Francis Loughran and Frank Phelps in the finals by the close count of 21 to 20.

Last Friday, while his parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. A. Demler, were in Bloomington, four-year-old Dewey Demler started to entertain himself with a gasoline engine. He cranked it up and when it was going good he reached in with his left hand to get the lever to pull it in gear. In doing so he caught his forefinger in a cog and was unable to release it until his brother Sam happened to see him and stopped the engine. The finger was badly mangled and had to be amputated just below the second joint.

Chief of Police Hartley caught Gilbert Eads with a revolver on his person last Saturday evening as the latter came out of the picture show, and locked him up until Monday, when he had a hearing before Justice Bennett, with State's Attorney Neil Kerr prosecuting the case. Eads was fined $50 and costs, the total amounting to around $59. Young Eads is fortunate that he did not get a jail sentence, and should the same thing happen again a more severe sentence will without question be administered.

90 Years Ago

February 28, 1936

Miss Grace Schertz, instructor in the first grade, Edison School, is still on the job in spite of a broken arm. Monday after school Miss Schertz, who resides southeast of town, went home and after putting her car in the garage, started to pull the door shut, when she slipped on a piece of ice and fell, her elbow striking a piece of concrete. With her arm in a sling Miss Schertz took up her duties the next morning.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Garber were guests of honor at a party last evening given by their children, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schmidt and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bennett, at the Schmidt home, in celebration of the 40^th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Garber. The guests were members of the Friendship and Jolly Dozen Clubs, making five tables of pinochle. The ruby represents the fortieth anniversary and in keeping the decorations and serving were in red. The gift from their children was a basket of red carnations.

Perry J. Keck, of this city, was in Chicago, Tuesday evening, where he was the guest of honor at a banquet at the Drake Hotel, given by the officers of the Continental Insurance Company. During the evening Mr. Keck was presented with a "long service" gold watch fob in recognition of his twenty-five years service with the company. This fob stamps him as one of the company's "old guard."

80 Years Ago

March 1, 1946

Louis Heins is minus one wheel and tire from his Hudson car since early last Thursday morning. Mr. and Mrs. Heins had company until rather late last Wednesday night, and as it was late, Mr. Heins thought he would just leave the car parked in the street where it was. When he got up the next morning  the wheel and tire were gone, the thieves having jacked up the wheel and taken it off. One nice thing about it was the thieves left the hubcap and placed the nuts which they had unscrewed in it.

W. B. Decker of this city, holds a record that is probably not equaled by any other man in the United States, and that is that for over 70 years he has been a member of the Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons. He celebrated his 91^st birthday last November, but is still a frequent visitor at masonic gatherings. Mr. Decker received his entered apprentice degree in Masonry in the Columbus Lodge, No. 98, A. F. and A. M., at Chatham, N. Y., November 19, 1871, shortly after his 21^st birthday. Tarbolton lodge has two other members who have passed the 50-year mark in membership. They are G. A. Sutton, who was made a Mason in 1889, and H. W. Pence, who was made a Mason in 1894.

Charles Addis and Don Barnes, who recently purchased the West End Cities Service Station, are expanding their quarters. They are taking over several feet on the east, giving them a 75-foot frontage on Locust Street, to be used as an office and show room. That part of the building to the rear of their present quarters, used by the Honegger Mills for storage purposes, is also being taken over to give them more space for their mechanical work. Mr. Addis and Mr. Barnes have changed the name of the firm to the A. & B. Sales and Service, and they will handle the new Kaiser and Frazer cars, having just taken over the agency.

70 Years Ago

March 1, 1956

Chris Gerber was one man who wasn't taking chances with pick-pockets during the community sale here Tuesday. Any would-be thief who dipped his hand into Chris' pocket would have probably taken it out fast, and minus a few fingers to boot. Inside one of his overall pockets Chris had a tiny black and white puppy.

A. O. Convis suffered a broken leg as a result of a fall at his home Sunday morning. He had risen from a chair with the intention of getting some reading material when he fell. Tuesday evening he was reported "not so good" but on Wednesday morning his condition was improved.

From not being able to play a note to established performers in 16 months. That's the story of two personable brothers, Lloyd and Irvin Bachtold. The Bachtold's play the guitar and sing. Those who love to listen to them are everyone who comes within earshot. The brothers are now known in dozens of towns in the vicinity and to listeners of a nearby radio station as "The Starlight Boys." They have reached a position where program directors for various entertainment shows come to them instead of they having to seek out a billing. They have a well-filled date book. After a winter of practicing, spring rolled around, and with the first thaw came the boys' first offer to appear in public. Mrs. Laberta Betz asked them to sing at an American Legion Auxiliary meeting. Following close on the heels of that appearance came what is most often called in the show business world as "the big break." The brothers entered a talent show at Forrest and came home with second prize.

60 Years Ago

March 3, 1966

Except for the traditional "hangovers," unwanted merchandise that here and there dotted the edges of Locust and adjoining streets on Wednesday morning awaiting shipment to the dump, Fairbury yesterday was little the worse for wear after the 15^th annual community sale had brought another record crowd for a bigger-than-ever-sale. More than 2,000 individual items lined Locust Street, some proved worthless in the eyes of bidders and some worth as much as $115. That was the figure on a piece of farm equipment. A team of 16 auctioneers cried the sale, which manager Dan Schlipf said brought more than 4,000 persons to town. The sale was held under clear skies and in pleasant weather.

After 48 years as a "fixture" on Main Street in Cropsey, Lyle E. "Pick" Abbey has sold his building and will retire. And it all started as an accident – that nearly-50-year career as a butcher. As a mere school boy, age 14, he took his first and what proved to be his only job, helping in the butcher shop owned and operated by "Obe" Culver. Abbey says his first job began in the summer of 1918. When Culver didn't show up for work on the morning of Sept. 5, 1929, young Abbey went to his house and found him dead, sitting in his chair, where he lived alone. Abby continued the shop, and for many years served sandwiches to school kids and the public. Through his entire career, he has spent at least 12 hours per day in his shop, except for Sundays, when it was a mere six. Abby's shop has been purchased by the Citizen's Bank of Cropsey, who plan to raze it and build an addition to their present structure.

50 Years Ago

March 4, 1976

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Geselman will hold an open house at the Fairbury Dairy Queen this Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, to officially mark the start of their new business. Actually, the Dairy Queen has been open for a few weeks with the Geselmans holding off on an open house celebration until this weekend. The following contractors and suppliers worked on the erection of the building: Melvin Zimmerman Construction, general contractor; Mr. Timber, lumber and building supplies; Klitzing Welding and Machine; National Bank of Fairbury; Maurer and Roth, plumbing, heating, cooling and wiring; Kafer Tiling and Ditching; and Pontiac Savings and Loan.

Bryan Steidinger, Senior All Conference Guard from FSW High School, has been selected to play in the Second Illinois Coaches Association All Star football game. Bryan is a member of the East All Star Team. Bryan is the first player from our conference or this area to be given this honor. In choosing the All-Star Team, the State of Illinois is divided in half and the Illinois Coaches Association chooses 44 players for each team. However, only eight players are chosen from schools in Class 1A. This means that Bryan was selected as one of only eight players from 118 Class 1A schools in the entire state. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Wayne Steidinger of rural Strawn.

While most people will die from exposure within five minutes if they're dumped into water near the freezing mark, a Fairbury native, Randy Hallock, spent a recent Sunday diving as deep as 45 feet in water near that temperature in an ice-covered quarry near Danville. He is one of the 16 members of the McLean County Underwater Search and Recovery team, and once a month they gather for a practice exercise, with the winter dives always being under ice if they can find it. Hallock has been a member of the team for two years, and started training three years ago when he began SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) lessons in the Bloomington YMCA pool. The son of Elmer Hallock of Fairbury and a 1968 graduate of Fairbury-Cropsey High School, Randy is a small engine mechanic at Bloomington Battery.

40 Years Ago

February 27, 1986

Ray Huber, son of Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Huber, 514 S. Third, Fairbury, has been promoted to specialist III in the data processing department at State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company home office in Bloomington. A 1975 graduate of Fairbury-Cropsey High School, Huber received a bachelor's degree in finance from Illinois State University, Normal, in 1981, and an associate's degree in data processing technology from Illinois Central College, East Peoria, in 1984. He joined State Farm in 1984 as a specialist II.

Karen and David Margherio were the lucky winners of a washing machine in a drawing celebrating the 40^th anniversary of Dave's Supermarket. Owner Dave Steffen and Sales Rep. Larry Little from Proctor and Gamble Co. awarded the washer to the Margherios. Sponsored by Whirlpool and Proctor and Gamble, the promotion was such a success that Dave's will have another washer available during March.

After reportedly spending three days in a tree in the southeast part of Fairbury, a cat was rescued by two Fairbury firemen and has since taken up residence in City Hall. City Clerk Patty Tetley says, "It's an obvious trained house pet, and I've called several homes in the area where it was treed, but no one claims him." As for the ordeal in the tree, Lt. Sam Hedrick of the Fairbury Police Department remarked that "I have yet to see the skeleton of a cat in a tree."

30 Years Ago

March 28, 1996

Two area men are credited with saving the life of an elderly El Paso woman last Thursday night, when they dragged her from her burning home. Eighty-year-old Norma Mikel is still listed in critical condition at the burn unit of Springfield Memorial Medical Center, suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. Russell Snearly and Craig Crutcher, both of Fairbury, were attending the visitation of a family member at the Froelich Funeral Home in El Paso when the fire occurred. Though reluctant to accept the role of 'hero' both men responded by racing to the residence and pulling the injured Mikel to the safety of the yard, where they helped administer first aid as El Paso Fire Chief David Punke began CPR.

Prairie Central High School took the right steps at achieving the new goal of playing at Peoria's Carver Arena by knocking out top-seed Ridgeview, 55-50, in the championship game of the Class A Iroquois West Regional on Friday. The contest was everything a fan could want in a basketball game, especially since it was close from start to finish. No team was able to get a double-digit lead. Prairie Central (17-10) will head home for sectional play. The Hawks will face Paxton-Buckley-Loda in Wednesday's semifinal of the PCHS Sectional.

Timeless Temptations opened recently at 125½ W. Locust Street, Fairbury, by owners Psyche L. Williams and Frances Toohill. The business has been relocated from the former Forrest location, where it was operated by Toohill. The two women are neighbors in Forrest, and decided to open the antiques and collectibles shop together at the new location. Williams, originally from the Chicago area, says she operated an antiques store there for three years. The shop will also feature gifts and 'collectible' furniture.

20 Years Ago

March 1, 2006

Charlene Aaron of Pontiac, a Fairbury native and a graduate student at Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University, has been named the first recipient of the William E. and Nancy Froelich Award for Excellence in Long Term Care. The award honors students and faculty at Mennonite College of Nursing who are actively engaged in research and practice to improve the healthcare and comfort of patients in long term care settings. The award, which provides the recipient with funding to support further education or research, is made possible through the William E. and Nancy Froelich Endowment for Long Term Care.

Herbert and Joyleane Miller of Fairbury will celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary with an open house on Sunday, March 5 at the VFW in Fairbury. Their sons and families will host the event from 2 to 5 p.m. Miller and the former Joyleane Richie were married on March 4, 1956 at the Methodist Church in Campus. Rev. John I. Osborn Officiated. Attendants were Ruth Bittner of Fairbury and the late John Richie. They are the parents of Gene (Terri) Miller, Marvin Miller and Randall (Julie) Miller. They also have seven grandchildren. He is a retired farmer.

The Prairie Central Junior High wrestling team, with 18 wrestlers entered, competed in the Morris Shabbona IESA Regional tournament on Saturday, Feb. 25. When the competition ended, five Hawk wrestlers emerged as qualifiers to advance to the Braidwood Reed-Custer Sectional tournament on March 4. Qualifying for sectional competition for Prairie Central were Regional champions Josh Smith (95 lbs.) with a 3-0 record and Matt Hewitt (215 lbs.) who pinned his way to the title at 2-0. Also qualifying were runner-ups Johnny Rudin (90 lbs.) and Riley Parmenter (215 lbs.) The final qualifier for the Hawks was Tyler Rhoda (80 lbs.) who finished fourth.

10 Years Ago

March 2, 2016

The Fairbury Community Food Pantry has received a $2,500 donation from America's Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund and directed by a local farmer of Livingston County. The farmer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said “I think our local pantry does really good work. Ninety percent of us take for granted that there will be food on the table, and I know from my experiences at the pantry and at church, that there are people in our own community who need help. We live in the bread basket of America and to know there are hungry people living right next to us goes against everything I stand for as a farmer.”

The Russell Consulting Group, headquartered in Panora, Iowa, has added local Fairbury resident Robert Rinkenberger to their consulting staff. Rinkenberger was Executive Vice President at Citizens State Bank of Cropsey from 2000 to 2012, and Branch Manager and Personal Banker for the Fairbury Cropsey Community Bank until 2013, at which time he retired from the Banking industry. Prior to that Rinkenberger had been Senior Vice President at the Cissna Park State Bank from 1991 to 2000, specializing in all areas of agricultural lending. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1978 with a degree in Agricultural Economics.

Keith and Lois Coleman will celebrate 60 years of marriage on March 11. Keith Coleman and Lois Perkins were married at the McDowell Methodist Church on March 11, 1956. They have three daughters, Becky (Todd) Webster, Fairbury; Connie (Jim) Gentes, Good Hope; and Angela Wenger, Fairbury. They also have seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

(Looking Back is sponsored each week on Fairbury News by Duffy-Pils Memorial Home)