Looking Back 8-13-25

130 Years Ago

August 10, 1895

Mr. Highland, of Indiana, has purchased the Pursley livery barn in the east end of town. He traded Indiana land for it.

Several young men, Harry Streeper, Bert Slaughter, M. Jacobs, Chris Amsler, Kirk Potter, Ed Von Tobel and Claude Clemens, made a century run on their bicycles Sunday, taking the route by way of Gilman, Paxton, Gibson City and home by way of Forrest. Chris Welser started out and got as far as a little south of Onarga when he ran into Von Tobel and Streeper ran into him, smashing the rim of his wheel. He came home on the cars.

Cropsey — Carpenters began work on the new school house Monday.

Wing — Those young men who run horses Sunday evening, leaving the church with a whoop and hurrah, do not meet the approbation of the law-abiding citizens. Last Sunday evening ladies and all footmen had to leave the road or risk being run over.

120 Years Ago

August 11, 1905

There must be big money in the saloon business in Fairbury. Another one will soon be opened in the Klondyke Hotel building and will be operated by a man named Singer from Forrest. This will make the seventh saloon for Fairbury.

C. B. Camp this week sold the A. D. Marshall farm northeast of town to Chris Zimmerman for $125 per acre. Mr. Marshall bought this farm six years ago for $57.50 per acre.

The receiver's sale of the Black Diamond Coal Mine, west of Fairbury, was held yesterday afternoon, W. H. Johnson being the purchaser at his bid of $4,500.

John, the young son of Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Mowry, fell out of a swing Monday and broke his left arm just above the elbow joint. Dr. Otis reduced the fracture.

110 Years Ago

August 13, 1915

A farewell party was given Miss Katherine Loughran on Wednesday evening by a number of her young friends. Miss Loughran leaves today for Chicago, where she will enter the Mercy Hospital to become a trained nurse.

T. E. Holland, of Low Point, drove over in his automobile Monday and spent the first of the week here. Mrs. Holland and children, who have been visiting at the Eddy home here, accompanied him home.

W. B. Patton in "The Good Samaritan" will open the fair week attractions at the Central Opera House on Tuesday, August 31.

A man giving his name as Walter Smith visited Fairbury this week and as a result two of our business firms are out eighteen dollars. John Woods of The Woods Restaurant being "stung" for twelve dollars, and Hartley Brothers getting the other six dollars of worthless paper. "Smith" signed the name of Gera Goodale, residing northeast of Fairbury, to the checks.

100 Years Ago

August 14, 1925

Zirkle Bros., whose restaurant was burned out July third, will open for business tomorrow in their new location in the old Fairbury Bank building. The building has been redecorated and remodeled throughout and presents a most attractive appearance. The fixtures for the restaurant arrived Wednesday from Chicago, being brought here on a large truck. They are neat in appearance and up-to-date in every respect.

Complimentary to Misses Eileen and Irene Powers, Miss Fern Monroe entertained twenty young ladies at dinner followed by dancing, Monday evening at her home in this city. A color scheme of pink was prettily carried out in the decorations of snapdragons and gladiolas. Miss Marjorie Rathbun, of Pontiac, was the only out of town guest.

A motor bus line is to be operated through Fairbury over Route No. 8. Michael Fahy, of Toluca, state representative in the Illinois Legislature from this district, proposes to operate the line along the Corn Belt trail from El Paso to Gilman through Gridley, Chenoa, Fairbury, Forrest, Chatsworth and Piper City. He now operates a line from El Paso to Peoria. He has applied to the Illinois Commerce Commission for a certificate of convenience for such a line.

90 Years Ago

August 9, 1935

Those in charge of erecting the local waterworks plant came in for a lot of criticism at the regular meeting of the city council on Wednesday evening, Mayor Franzen especially wanting to know what was wrong, and stating several times that something must be wrong. Mayor Franzen called attention to the fact that while 50% of the funds allotted for the supervision of the building of the plant were spent, the plant itself was only ten percent completed. He said that he and several of the aldermen had visited the plant and very little activity was to be seen.

So great was the success of the first reunion of the Tri-Gammas, held last summer at the Legion chateau, that it was at once agreed to make the affair an annual one. This year the reunion will be held in Maule Fugate's timber on Saturday evening, August 17. Responses to the meeting notice came in promptly and there will be as many if not more present this year as last, several who could not make the grade last year will either find or make themselves able to do so at the present meeting. E. V. Carrithers and Carl Goudy will be among those to gladden the gathering this time, and possibly William A. Sype and Elvin Crouch – all these scattered far and wide.

Frank Haner, residing just east of town on the Walter Nussbaum farm, has had the misfortune to lose six milk cows the past week, their value being appraised at from $55 to $100 each. The cows are said to have died from eating grass upon which poison had accidentally been applied. The T. P. & W. Railroad has been poisoning weeds along their right of way the past week or so and the first of this week they were in this vicinity.

80 Years Ago

August 10, 1945

Fifty-eight years ago tonight occurred the Chatsworth wreck, the worst wreck in railroad history, in which 80 people were killed and scores injured. It was an excursion train to Niagara Falls, N. Y. E. F. Adams, of Blackstone, this county, was the only one of the 26 who boarded the train at Fairbury, who was killed. The Blade of August 19, 1887, says the small bridge was set afire when section men during the afternoon had burned some grass along the railroad tracks.

The city clock is taking a summer vacation, starting last week. Hundreds of people look up at it every day only to find the hands at the same points on the dial as they were the last time they looked at it. The trouble with the city timepiece is that the coil in the electric apparatus went to the bad. This particular part was sent in for repairs and has not come back. In the mean time, people continue to look up at the clock whether it does them any good or not. The clock was presented to the city in 1912 by the late Isaac and J. W. Walton, and started ticking off the time on December 12 of that year. In September, 1941, the city clock, which had been operated by a system of weights since it was installed, was changed over to operate electrically.

In the running race at the fair grounds last Thursday Jockey Howard Page, of Kankakee, fell from his mount and received a badly sprained ankle. The Fair Association looked after his hospital bill and Friday afternoon the hat was passed among the crowd at the fair and the nice sum of $111.02 was given the jockey to help him along until he gets on his feet again. Jockey Page was thrown when the saddle on his mount slipped.

70 Years Ago

August 11, 1955

Corn borers are already taking their toll in cornfields in this area, according to Warren Wessels, Fairbury-Cropsey vo-ag teacher. Many stalks are already broken with indications that the second brood will cause more damage.

Fairbury has been charged with polluting, said Mayor Roy E. Taylor at last Wednesday's city council meeting.

A double-ring ceremony Saturday in St. Rose's Church at Strawn, united in marriage Miss Elaine Stiver of Fairbury and Gerald R. Kuntz, of Strawn.

Another section of four-lane Route 66 was opened Tuesday.

60 Years Ago

August 12, 1965

A Fairbury native, Hubert A. Saunders, 59, was one of the two survivors of the Titan II missile explosion Monday afternoon in Searcy, Ark. A total of 53 other civilian workmen in the underground silo were killed, victims of suffocation as they piled up along stairs leading up the side of the concrete walls. Saunders is a native of Fairbury, and moved from here about 15 years ago. He has a brother, Robert Elhanan Saunders, who resides in Eureka. They were the sons of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert Saunders of Fairbury. He has two cousins in Fairbury, Marshall Fitzgerald and Mrs. Inez Huffman.

They were only selling a bell and a building, but they brought out quite a crowd Saturday afternoon at the corner of Oak and Fourth Streets. When the noise had settled, the bell, which for years called students to study at Walton Wchool, had brought a top bid of $350, and the building, the now abandoned Edison School, had commanded $28,500 in a spirited bidding duel between two firms. The successful bidder was Clarence Herbst of Pontiac, who outlasted Harvey Traub and Henry Phillips, bidding for their legal firm of Hanley, Phillips and Traub. Col. J. C. Ebach cried the sale, for the school authorities, and his first bid on the building was $7,500.

The Apostolic Christian Church congregation of Fairbury will hold services Sunday in their new building a year and five weeks after construction was begun on what is the largest religious building in Livingston County. Ground was broken on July 9, 1964 and construction on the four-acre site, located immediately north of Fairview Haven on North Fourth Street, has been rapid since then. The church, of one-story construction throughout contains 16,000 square feet of floor space. The building is finished with Indiana limestone. The sanctuary, measuring 50 x 80 feet, has a seating capacity of 528 persons.

50 Years Ago

August 14, 1975

Premier pork prodigy in the state of Illinois is Fairbury's Ray Hankes, who won the Illinois Pork Producers Cookout crown Sunday at the Illinois State Fair. Ray, who operates a farm producing 4,000 head of market hogs annually in partnership with his brother-in-law, Bill Fugate, advanced to the state fair after winning the Livingston County title 10 days ago at the 4-H Fair in Pontiac. Sunday in Springfield, Hankes, who at 28 has a doctor's degree in meat science and is a former faculty member at the University of Illinois, wowed 'em all with his "Spirit of 76 Revolutionary Pork Loin." Gov. Dan Walker pronounced it "very good" after the judges made their decision, which was based not only on the elegant taste, but also on his showmanship, which included a tri-cornered hat, frilled blouse and antique cutlery and table setting. Ray advances to the national finals next March in Indianapolis.

A $1 million law suit against Livingston County, the sheriff's office and Deputy Patrick Linskey on behalf of the estate of Fairburian Rennon Elliott has been settled out of court for $125,000. Elliott, the former Fairbury street superintendent, died April 8, 1974, a little more than one year after he was critically injured in an auto crash with a vehicle driven by Linskey. The crash occurred on March 31, 1973. The fiery crash three miles west of Fairbury on U.S. 24 between two westbound autos resulted in critical – and it turned out, fatal – injuries to Elliott.

Farmer Ted Williams, known far and wide for his practical jokes, sprung another one on his neighbors when he planted a row of tobacco plants along side the roadway in his sweet corn patch this summer. Last week when the tobacco began to leaf out, Ted came along and labeled each of the dozen plants, just as the seed corn men do, with the name of a well-known tobacco brand, some of it cigars, some cigarettes and some the chewing kind. He called them Camel, Dutch Master, Winston, Old Gold, Virginia Slims, Chesterfield, Marvel, 20 Grand, White Owl, Lucky Strike and Beechnut.

40 Years Ago

August 8, 1985

Four ears on a stalk! Not once, but several times! Bob Maurer, one of Fairbury's distinguished agricultural personalities, found two stalks with four ears, within about eight feet of each other Saturday morning in a field on the William Fehr farm at the city's north limits. And he says, Bob Perkins also has some. Many of the adjacent stalks had three ears, and most of them had two in the Fehr field. Maurer, 16 years Vo-Ag teacher at Fairbury High School and then 29 years as head of the farm department at National Bank of Fairbury, said he's never seen four ears on a stalk before.

A $1,600 donation toward a new Trauma vehicle for South East Livingston County Ambulance Service was received this week by Roger Braun, ambulance coordinator at Fairbury Hospital. Braun said the gift was from members of the Apostolic Christian Church in Forrest. SELCAS directors have been delaying an order for a needed trauma unit because of funding, since they just erected a new garage which was needed even more urgently.

The new Prairie Central High School will spread its fame abroad when its first representative arrives in Europe this month. Jennipher Trowbridge, daughter of Gary and Dorrie Trowbridge, of Fairbury, leaves Aug. 20 to spend 10½ months near Lyon, France in the home of Mme. Coron, director of the School of Commerce. The trip is under the auspices of the American Intercultural Exchange for honor students who choose which country they wish to visit. Jennipher has been an honor student at F-C High, a cheerleader for two years, in Flag Corps her freshman year and was named as the band's outstanding sophomore.

30 Years Ago

August 9, 1995

The Blade has received notification of three awards it has earned in the Illinois Press Association's 1995 Better Newspaper Contest. Judy Knauer, former editor of the weekly paper, has been recognized for headline writing, education reporting and for her in-depth coverage of the possible siting of an incinerator at Forrest. As the IPA does not divulge winning places in advance of its annual awards luncheon, The Blade will not know where it placed in each winning category until Friday, Sept. 15.

Space Age Pioneers 4-H Club is the recipient of $50 from the McLean County Corn Growers Association, thanks to the efforts of club members. A display of the many uses of corn, that began as a class project at Chenoa Grade School, became a McLean County 4-H Fair project. An alumnus of the club, Mike Erdman, treasurer of the Corn Growers, saw the display and favored the club with a $50 check for their corn promotion. Club members are Diana and Brian Vercler, Dean and Sara Atkins, Laura Vercler and Meredith Schaumburg.

An informal open house from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13 will celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of Norman and Karen Harms of rural Fairbury. Harms and Karen Ryan were married on Aug. 22, 1970 at the United Methodist Church in Fairbury. Richard Ummel and Diane Harms Mulkey served as their attendants. Norman is a dairy and grain farmer and Karen is a fist grade teacher at Westview Elementary in Fairbury. Hosting the party are their three children, Angie, Ryan and Rebecca.

20 Years Ago

Aug. 10, 2005

Wednesday was a perfect day for catching fish at Kilgus Pond south of Fairbury, as several young fishermen found out. The youth fishing clinic was sponsored by Dominy Memorial Library, and featured a fishing how-to's and safety program by Herb Dreier form the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Following a couple hours of good fishing, those attending were treated to lunch.

Wolfgang (Jim) Roloff, an AFS student from Germany who spent the 1969-70 school year at Fairbury-Cropsey, visited Fairbury last week, along with his wife, Hona. The couple reside in Moenchengladbach, Germany, and were touring the United States, mainly the west coast area. They flew into Chicago and traveled to Washburn to visit with Margaret Fagot. Roloff had lived with Margaret and LeRoy Fagot during his stay here. According to Roloff, who was back here five years ago, Fairbury hasn't changed much.

Paul and Carol Hoffman of Fairbury will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary with a mass at 9:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fairbury on Aug. 14. A reception, hosted by their children, will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 14 at the Walton Centre, Fairbury. Hoffman and the former Carol Smith were married Aug. 14, 1965 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Bloomington. They have three children and three grandchildren. He is a retired farmer and she is a retired teacher from Prairie Central High School.

10 Years Ago

August 12, 2015

The Prairie Central Education Association sponsored a very successful blood drive July 22 with 79 units collected and many people reaching milestones as donors. Brandon Hepner of Lexington was a first-time donor. Others reaching milestones were Jeanette Franklin and Barb Gregory, both of Fairbury, one gallon; Tom Hojnacki, Fairbury, three gallons; Jeremy Leman, Strawn, and MaryAnn Stork, Fairbury, both four gallons; Justin Sanchez, Fairbury, five gallons; Martin Steidinger, Fairbury, six gallons; Valla Broquard, Fairbury, seven gallons; Dick Barsema and Sue Walter, both of Fairbury, nine gallons; Craig Ziller and Steven Slagel of Fairbury, and Fred Kilcullen, Chenoa, 10 gallons; Rich Stoller, Fairbury 15 gallons; and Gary Huston, Fairbury, 19 gallons.

A ribbon cutting was held recently at McWhorter Bedding at 712 W. Walnut in Fairbury. Owned and operated by Corey and Kim McWhorter, McWhorter Bedding manufactures and sells custom truck and cabin mattresses, student housing mattresses, residential, RV and boat mattresses, a size and type for everyone's need. Attending the ribbon cutting were Chamber of Commerce member Mark Trainor, Chamber Executive Secretary Rebekah Fehr, Corey and Kim McWhorter and employees Trent Hoffman and Stephen Marthey.

The Willis Clan is a family like you have never seen. Parents Brenda and Toby and their 12 home-schooled children are a family of musicians, dancers, athletes, artists and writers living in Nashville, Tenn. In 2013-2014, The Willis Clan shared their joy of entertainment in their TV series, every week on GAC (Great American Country Network) call “The Willis Clan.” This proved to be only the launchpad for some amazing things to come. As contestants on the NBC TV series, “American's Got Talent,” The Willis Clan found themselves through to Radio City Music Hall as one of the season's most popular artists. In addition, the packed summer calendar of fair and festival dates found them crisscrossing the country. The Willis Clan will be performing in front of the grandstand at the Fairbury Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.

"Looking Back" is sponsored each week by Duffy-Pils Memorial Home.