130 Years Ago
August 18, 1894
The Reynolds Bros. Circus showed here Tuesday and gave a good performance. At the circus about twenty of the Fairbury boys were called out of the crowd and ran once around the circle, the winning boy to have a free ticket. The way those kids lit out and humped themselves was one of the features of the show. George Parsons was the winner.
A youngish man named Wilson came to town a couple of weeks ago with a bicycle. He sold chances on the bicycle and was going to raffle it off. The number of persons who had use for a bicycle were many and the money rolled in merrily. He collected about $90, rode away on the bicycle and hasn't been seen since.
George Sage, who works for Henry Hornbeck, was riding a mule Wednesday when the animal fell, breaking Mr. Sage's collarbone.
There has hardly ever been so much oats raised in this part of Illinois as there is this year. The acreage was large and the yield enormous. Fifty-five to sixty bushels per acre is a common report.
120 Years Ago
August 19, 1904
Fred E. Thomas, who for the past ten years has conducted the Thomas House, closed down that well known hostelry Saturday evening. It remained closed for three days when J. P. Haughan purchased the furniture and leased the hotel for three years.
Miss Goldanna Cook entertained about forty young people at her pleasant home south of town Tuesday in honor of Hazel Cook and Hulbert Thornton, it being their birthday.
Miss Ada Virgin purchased a horse while in Chicago last week and drove it home, her uncle, Charles Virgin, accompanying her.
Phil Wade and family are now located in the home they recently purchased on South Fifth Street.
110 Years Ago
August 21, 1914
At a called meeting of the city council Thursday afternoon an ordinance was passed requiring all houses in Fairbury to be numbered. This means that Fairbury will eventually have free mail delivery.
During the rain storm on Wednesday afternoon lightning struck the steeple on the Presbyterian Church and riddled one side of it.
Wiley Sparks had his arm broken above the elbow Tuesday morning. He was assisting in the shelling corn at the J. C. Meis home and oiling the sheller just previous to starting. By mistake the sheller started and Sparks' arm was caught in the belt, breaking it.
A deal was closed Tuesday whereby Harry Bloom comes into possession of H. K. Meyer's interest in the Fairbury Bakery, and the firm name is now Alexander & Bloom. The new member of the firm has for some time been in the employ of John Beckley.
100 Years Ago
August 15, 1924
Miss Edith Bartlett and Mrs. M. L. Welch, are entertaining at a one o'clock luncheon today at the Bartlett home. Places will be arranged for seventy-six guests. Following the luncheon, tables will be placed for those who wish to play bridge. Great bunches of wild flowers will be used in decorating.
Joe Adam hived a swarm of bees Tuesday that was so large it took a ten-frame hive and two supers to accommodate them. This same stand had sent out two swarms early in June, and since that time has filled five supers with honey, which means 140 pounds. They are a particularly fine strain of Italian bees.
Sunday afternoon on North First Street a Ford car tore a fender off of another car in passing. Those who witnessed it said it looked like a deliberate act rather than an accident. The car from which the fender was torn was on the wrong side of the street.
The village board of Forrest has closed a five year contract with the Central Illinois Public Service company to light the streets of the village on an all night basis. The contract calls for an annual charge of $19 per lamp. Heretofore only main street has been lighted all night.
90 Years Ago
August 17, 1934
The English picnic will be held this year on Sunday, Sept. 2, at Marsh Park. All Englishmen, Englishwomen and their descendants are invited and urged to attend this annual event. A good program is being prepared. This is the third year of the organization of this picnic and many local people look forward to its coming.
The free pavement dance Saturday night was well attended. George Harris, manager of the dance, said there were 120 square dancers, and at 12:20 a.m. when the orchestra played its last number, there were still 39 couples dancing.
Fairbury's new Gamble Store, owned and operated by Herman Huber, was opened to the public Saturday. The stock consists in part of automobile supplies featuring tires and batteries, paint, radios and household necessities. Mr. Huber's store is one of 975 Gamble stores now operating in the middle-west.
Royce Carter, 14-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Carter, received a severe electric shock yesterday afternoon while he and several companions were playing on top of the large pile of shale at the mine of the Co-operative Coal Company located a short distance south of this city. The city truck happened to be nearby and young Carter was placed in the truck and hurried to a physician's office, and later to his home. He was resting comfortably last evening.
80 Years Ago
August 18, 1944
Will Sullivan recently received a letter from his nephew, Eddie Fordyce, of Gilman, who is with the U. S. forces in Australia. Among other things the writer stated that he was walking along a street in a city in Australia, when he looked down and saw a Fairbury Blade some other soldier from this section of the state had evidently dropped. He said he was not familiar with all the names in The Blade, but that he really gave it a going over.
One afternoon of fair week Percy James was taking his mother home from the fair. She remarked that she had spent over a year of her life at the Fairbury Fair. This career started with the first fair and has included each one since then, numbering over sixty fair meets. And her children have attended as many fairs as they have lived years here, for the whole family always went and the children didn't have to be old enough to walk, either.
Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Mayhew received a message on Thursday, August 10, from the War Department stating that their nephew, 2nd Lt. Ralph W. Gould, navigator on a B-24, had been missing over China since July 23. On Sunday, August 13, they received from Lt. Gould himself, a letter written August 3, stating that he was safe in China after walking for 11 days. On Monday, August 14, they received a second letter written by him on August 5 saying he was back at his base in India, was a little tired and nervous and hoped for a short rest before flying again and told them not to worry. Lt. Gould has made his home with the Mayhews for many years, attended Forrest Grade School and was a graduate of F. T. H. S. His many friends as well as relatives are happy to learn of his safety.
70 Years Ago
August 19, 1954
Kenneth Winterland is in Brokaw Hospital, Normal, with a broken neck following an automobile accident at 3 a.m. Saturday. Clyde Koehl, of Fairbury, and Dean Harms, of Colfax, were released Monday from the Fairbury Hospital, where they were treated for facial cuts, and the former for a cut on the top of his head. Winterland, formerly of Fairbury and now of Chatsworth, was at the wheel of the southbound car when it missed the curve a mile north of Weston. The car rolled to a stop in a field at the east side of the road. Winterland was taken to Brokaw Hospital Saturday noon. In traction now, he is expected to remain a patient there for 3 months.
John Wade and William Weber, two directors of the Fairbury Fair, will be interviewed on the Jack Prowell Sports Show at 6:45 on Monday evening over WCIA Channel Three, Champaign. The two local men will answer questions and give information on the 78th annual fair which opens here Tuesday morning.
Momentous questions of state and nation, to say nothing of local affairs, will have to go unsolved for a couple of weeks. The cause of this regrettable situation is that the Grey Goose is closed, while the proprietor, Joe Carrithers, is on a two weeks' vacation. Mr. Carrithers, with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Allaire, of Chicago, left Saturday for Colorado. They will spend a few days at the home of his brother, Fred Carrithers, at Manitou, and will also visit in Denver and other points in Colorado. Forty years ago Mr. Carrithers homesteaded a ranch near Grover, Colo., and he will also visit there for a day or two.
60 Years Ago
August 20, 1964
Bob Causey has been named manager of Oak Motors Sales and Appliances, Inc., it was announced this week by C. W. Hicks, who holds the franchise of the Fairbury Oldsmobile and Rambler Agency. Causey took over management of the firm last Friday noon, succeeding Chuck West, who had earlier announced his resignation to move to a similar post in Decatur. Since January 1947, Causey has been a member of the Hicks organization, starting with them as a gas station attendant at East Peoria. He later was named station manager, and in 1954 was promoted to supervisor of all Hicksatomic stations.
Fairbury's irritating mystery phone caller struck again Tuesday afternoon, after nearly three months of inaction. Once more, Fairbury grocer Dave Steffen was a victim. He told the Blade that the caller had represented herself as being from his store, and had phoned Anna E. Miller and claimed that she "owed Dave $26 and a bag of flour!" Mrs. Miller was in a high state of indignation when she got to Steffen a few minutes later. Steffen said he explained that she was the victim of an "un-funny joke, which had been pulled on a number of other persons earlier this spring."
Riding on the crest of a $25,000 summer-long improvement program, the Fairbury Fair opens Tuesday for the 89th renewal. The improvement program includes a new all-steel, insulated Floral Hall, additional bleachers, new water mains to the race track infield, new in-field restroom and the purchase of real estate. Booked for the five-day program are a wide array of entertainment events to supplement the traditional judging in livestock, agricultural and commercial displays. Thursday night the greatest variety show ever assembled in Fairbury will be the grand-stand attraction. Heading the show is Myron Floren, accordion star from the Lawrence Welk show.
50 Years Ago
August 22, 1974
Alvin Oyer of Forrest is under observation in Fairbury Hospital following a crash Monday morning near Logansport, Ind., which demolished the truck he was driving for Pittsburgh international Corp. of Fairbury. Oyer was eastbound with a rush order of steel tubing consigned to General Tire in Logansport when he lost control of the semi-truck and trailer at what is described as a "bad spot" on the highway. The tractor was reportedly totaled, while the trailer may be salvaged. The load was reported a total loss as the bundles of tube "were bent like bananas as they hit trees, while bundles broke open and were scattered over a wide area.
Fairbury's Seventh street will be closed starting Monday in the area from Pine Street south to Timber Ridge drive to permit construction of a new bridge over Indian Creek. Work had been scheduled to start last week, but was postponed until next Monday because of the Fairbury Fair, according to George Caviezel, county superintendent of highways, who told the contractor, Burnell Watson, "they'll shoot us both if we close that road during fair week!"
Miss Rebecca Lynn Rathbun of rural Fairbury and Thomas A. Whitfill of Fairbury, formerly of Forrest, were married Saturday, August 17, 1974 at 1 p.m., in St. John the Baptist Catholic Church of Fairbury. Father Charles Clifford officiated at the double ring ceremony. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Duane Rathbun of rural Fairbury and Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Meyer of Fairbury. The bride was a 1974 graduate of Fairbury-Cropsey High School and is a secretary at Pittsburgh-International Corp. The bridegroom was a 1973 graduate of Fairbury-Cropsey High School and is employed at Aldron Leasing.
40 Years Ago
August 16, 1984
Bids for construction of a three-bay ambulance garage and a maintenance shed will be received at Fairbury Hospital at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11. Final plans for the structure were approved Tuesday noon by the directors of South East Livingston County Ambulance Service (SELCAS), which operates the agency with volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians and drivers. Costs of the structure will be shared jointly by SELCAS and the hospital. The new building will be located at the north end of the hospital and will have a common wall with the laundry.
Fairbury firemen received mutual aid assistance from Chenoa, Pontiac, Colfax, Anchor and Cropsey firefighters Tuesday afternoon to battle an intense blaze that gutted a barn on land farmed by Harold Haab, southwest of town. The concrete based building which was finished with a wooden second story and a metal roof was a complete loss. Fairbury Fire Chief Keith Klitzing said between 40 and 50 firefighters were called to the scene, many of them shuttling water to the site from Pittsburgh International, Myers Crop Service, Edwards Soil Service and the City of Fairbury water tower. Klitzing also expressed his appreciation to the farmers in the area who brought water wagons to the scene. Approximately 35,000 gallons of water were poured on the blaze.
Fairburian Warren Moulton, who is off this week to begin music studies at Stephens College in Missouri, got the thrill of a lifetime Monday night, a backstage meeting with tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Moulton shook hands with the world-famous Pavarotti following a concert at Poplar Creek in Suburban Chicago, and after some clever shenanigans by Moulton to work his way backstage.
30 Years Ago
August 17, 1994
She was 25 minutes late for her appointment with the Blade editor, but Mary McReynolds had an excuse. "I would have been here sooner but for the space ship that landed in my yard. They wanted to borrow parts from my car," McReynolds lied. But that's okay. McReynolds, after all, was recently awarded a trophy at Pontiac's Heritage Day for winning second place in the Biggest Liar contest. McReynolds said she has a lot of relatives in Fairbury "who don't know whether to be proud of me (for the award) or not." Those relatives include husband James, daughters Autumn, 7, and Amber, 3, mom Linda Sapp, Dad Ernie Sapp (even though she says her real dad is Ross Perot), sister Cindy Sapp, grandma Kathryn Glover, uncle Dick Glover, mom-in-law Barb McReynolds, nephews Danny and David Sapp and niece Nikki Sapp.
In 58 years of selling tickets at the Fairbury Fair, Elmer Hallock remembers only one time when a potential danger lurked at the fairground gates. "We were told one time that a group from Peoria were going to hold us up," said Hallock, of the incident. We had State Troopers and people from the Sheriff's Department posted all around. "Course, they never did. I always believe that anybody sticks a gun in your stomach, (and demands money), I'll ask them, 'Where you want me to put it?'" This year, the fair board pays tribute to Hallock by dedicating the fair book to him.
Roger and Debbie Bachtold of Fairbury are the parents of a boy, Marcus Lee Bachtold, born at 9:24 a.m. Aug. 4, 1994. He weighed 9 pounds 4 ounces and was 20½ inches long. He has two brothers, RJ, 4 years, and Luke, 16 months. Grandparents are Ivan and Maxine Stoller of Ft. Myers, FL and Roger and Shirlene Bachtold of Fairbury.
20 Years Ago
August 18, 2004
Al Slagel of Vissering appeared at the Prairie Central School Board meeting Monday night to explain the reconstruction of the former Chenoa High School into an elementary school. He said all grades will be on the main floor. The big locker room will be used for storage and a cafeteria will be constructed. The upper rooms will also be used for storage. The district will use the Chenoa Elementary School this year while the high school is remodeled.
Bill and Frances Brown of Fairbury will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an open reception form 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21 at the First Baptist Church of Fairbury. Brown and the former Frances Hines were married Aug. 28, 1954 at the parsonage of the First United Methodist Church, Fairbury. They are parents of Brenda Varvel of Zephyrhills, Fla.; Bonnie Maurer of Kewanee; Barbara Dohman of Chatsworth; and Kristi Sloan of Plano. They have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Brown retired from truck driving in 1986 after 31 years of service. Mrs. Brown worked as a CNA before retiring.
Dorothy Ziegenhorn will celebrate her 90th birthday on Tuesday, Aug. 24. An open house is planned at Indian Creek Country Club on Aug. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. She lived and worked in Bloomington at Roland's Biansi & Brack Shop for many years and moved back to Fairbury when she retired.
10 Years Ago
August 20, 2014
Area resident Bill Fugate now has his own day in Illinois. Fugate received a proclamation signed by Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois State Fair declaring Sunday, Aug. 10 as Bill Fugate Day in the state. The document notes “Fugate's positive impact on our state.” Ten individuals were spotlighted each day of the fair through the Illinois State Fair Museum Foundation. The Illinoisan of the Day program honors individuals who exemplify the qualities and characteristics associated with Illinois: integrity, dependability, sense of community and strong ethics. Fugate is a past president of the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs and has served as the organization's secretary and treasurer for the past 15 years. He was also secretary of the Fairbury Fair for more than 30 years.
On Saturday, July 26, the winning ticket was drawn for the annual SELCAS Golf Cart Raffle. The winners were Warren and Kathy Bachtold of rural Cropsey. For the last four years, SELCAS has been having golf cart raffles to help finance their new building project. Over all these years, all of the golf carts have been purchased new from Weber Auto Body in Fairbury. The 2014 Raffle was another successful event with the proceeds again going toward the new building fund.
Dr. Charlene Aaron has opened her new business, Aaron Elder Care Consulting LLC. She will make house calls to older adults to assess their needs, answer questions about their self-management of health conditions and make recommendations to help them remain independent in their homes. Dr. Aaron has practiced nursing for 36 years and specializes in geriatric nursing care.
Harley Honegger of Fairbury, formerly of Forrest, will celebrate his 90th birthday with an open house on Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Forrest American Legion Hall. He was born Aug. 20, 1924 in rural Forrest, the seventh of 13 children to Walter and Elizabeth Moser Honegger. He married Lorraine Coleman on June 25, 1946. He has three children, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Mr. Honegger was a farmer until his retirement in 1986.
Commenti