Looking Back: 9-2-26

130 Years Ago

August 29, 1896

The twentieth annual fair of the Fairbury Union Agricultural Board will take place September 21 to 25. This year there are to be two political days upon which the crowd will be addressed by prominent speakers. On Wednesday the republicans will predominate, and Thursday will be Democratic Day.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Merit and children started overland Wednesday by team and buggy for a visit with friends and relatives at Minonk.

Mrs. L. B. Dominy, Mr. and Mrs. Elhanan Morris and Mrs. Jas. Kirby are among those who started Sunday for Waynesburg, Pa., to be present at the centennial anniversary of that place. Most of the party came from there years ago.

Vera Babcock's pony, “Nellie,” took a star part as “Queen Bess” in the presentation of ”In Old Kentucky,” by the Maudie Phelps Company at the opera house Wednesday evening. Like all the other members of the company Nellie did her part with great success.

120 Years Ago

August 31, 1906

Messrs. Frank Ford and son, George, landed in New York, Tuesday, from the old world. Frank came across on one boat and George on another, Frank having charge of their importation of horses and George of the sheep. Mr. Ford brought his horses direct thru from New York by express, arriving here Wednesday evening on the Wabash. Two big express cars were used to carry the importation. The importation consisted of six Percheron stallions, seven Belgian stallions, one English shire stallion, two Hackney stallions, two Hackney mares, one Welsh stallion and two Welsh mares. The horses are all in splendid condition and stood the trip well, as did Mr. Ford. They are a splendid lot of horses throughout and the many people who have seen them say they never looked at a finer lot.

Chas. Ellis, the magician, was greeted with a large audience at the Central Opera House Friday evening and his entertainment was as good, if not better, than anything that has been seen here in this line. His magic is of the quality that mystifies and he did many marvelous turns, which despite the apparent open manner in which they were done, proved very mystifying to the audience. The moving pictures shown were new and added much to the entertainment. Bert Thompson rendered the vocal solos in connection with the illustrated songs in a very pleasing manner.

T. A. Beach is perhaps the most cautious as well as conscientious automobilist in the city and this very fact was the cause of his getting a shock the other day. He was gliding smoothly along one of the side streets with his auto full of ladies when he chanced to meet a team that appeared to be a little fractious. Mr. Beach fixed his eye on the team and calmly steered his auto into a telegraph pole. The machine stopped but some of the passengers kept right on. No damage to the team, but the auto received a three dollar shock.

110 Years Ago

September 1, 1916

Frank Carson, of Lodemia, came into town yesterday to see the circus and he not only saw the circus but was presented with a new pair of trousers while in town. Mr. Carson was crossing Main Street just after the circus parade, when a car belonging to a Mr. Meeker of near Colfax, came along. Mr. Carson did not see the car and Mr. Meeker could not stop it, and the result was that the car hit the former gentleman. Mr. Carson was hit by the bumpers on the car and was dragged several feet with a part of his anatomy trailing on the pavement. He was not injured, but the north part of his trousers were torn out and his shirt was muddied as the street was just sprinkled. Mr. Meeker took Mr. Carson into a clothing store and presented him with a new pair of trousers.

Barney Smith had the misfortune to lose about 100 shocks of oats by fire Monday, and it was only by the hardest kind of work that more shocks did not go up in smoke. The fire was discovered by the threshing gang that was threshing at the home of Harlow King that day. They saw the smoke rolling up and left their work to find out where it came from. It was a hard fight to get the fire subdued and it was only the fact that the wind carried the fire away from the field that they were able to overcome it. It is not known how the fire started. The land farmed by Mr. Smith is owned by B. F. Barnes.

A band of gypsies landed in town Thursday and they were traveling in style. They had an automobile and it carried a Minnesota number. The women of the outfit at once got busy “telling fortunes.” Their stay here was not a very long or a pleasant one as the officers were soon on their trail and they were requested to move on, which they did. Mr. Brooks, manager of the Sanitary Grocery recognized the bunch as the same ones who visited Clinton recently, and while there robbed several citizens.

100 Years Ago

September 3, 1926

T. J. Patterson, who has resided three miles east of town for a number of years, this week purchased the W. C. Drennen residence property on West Chestnut Street, and will occupy the same as soon as vacated by Mr. and Mrs. Drennen, which will be in the next two months. The price was around $3,500.

The Blade on Tuesday finished the moving of their plant onto the main floor of The Blade building. It was quite an undertaking and while we are all moved, we are far from being settled. However, the state of getting things placed where they belong will come about gradually. We are pretty well satisfied with getting the office moved and getting The Blade to our subscribers on time, while the change was being made. The Blade now occupies the entire main floor of their building, the office being located on the corner of Locust and Third Streets; the composing room just south of the office, with the stock room next to the composing room. The press room is located in the south end of the building.

N. J. Claudon, the Ford dealer, sees so many cars of that make that they all look alike to him. Yesterday afternoon he came out of the post office, jumped into a Ford coupe and drove away. A few minutes later, J. W. Gish, a traveling salesman from Chicago, came out of H. B. Bedell's news stand and started to jump into his car, but it wasn't there. After looking for his car for some time Mr. Gish decided it was stolen, and so reported it to the police. In the meantime Mr. Claudon discovered his mistake and was taking it back to where he got it when Mr. Gish came along and received his lost Lizzie with open arms and the apologies of Mr. Claudon.

90 Years Ago

August 28, 1936

The city council met in special session Tuesday evening, and after discussing the Main Street improvement project decided to use crushed brick as an aggregate in the concrete to be used between the slab and gutter. The crushed brick will take the place of gravel. In accordance with their decision the council had two loads of the brick hauled out to the Estep rock crusher, where it was found that the crusher would reduce them to the required size. The crusher has been put to work in earnest and the crushed brick is now being distributed along Main Street, ready to go into the mixer. The block from Second to Third Streets will be the first to go in. The next two blocks east will then be finished following which the block between First and Second Streets will be put in.

A T. P. & W. freight engine and tender were all but buried under an avalanche of coal at the chutes east of town on Sunday night. And the tragedy of it all was that it would not have happened if someone in the train crew had had a knife. The train was one that passes eastward through here every night shortly after 11 o'clock. Sunday night it stopped at the chutes east of town to get coal as usual. The loading device is operated by a rope that hangs down from the coal chute. When the tender was full of coal the fireman sought to shut off the flow by releasing the rope, only to find that the rope was caught. As the coal continued to come out it fell on the rope holding it more securely. With the rope being held more firmly with every ton of coal that poured out of the chute and with the tender and the engine being piled high with the fuel, the train crew commenced to ask each other for a knife to cut the rope, but no one had a knife and the coal kept right on piling up. Finally after some 40 or 50 tons had run out the coal became clogged in the chute and stopped. By that time the tender and a part of the engine were pretty well covered and it was impossible for the train to proceed. After a couple hours' labor on the crew's part the engine and tender were dug out. It was after two o'clock when the train again got on its way.

80 Years Ago

August 30, 1946

The Imperial Shows, the carnival that occupied the midway at the fair last week, made arrangements before leaving for Fisher, where they are showing this week, to winter at the Fairbury Fair grounds. During the winter months they will repair and repaint their equipment and also during the winter new rides and shows will be added, according to William Gullette, the owner and manager of the shows. The Imperial Shows were the cleanest carnival that has ever occupied the local midway. They had no questionable shows and no skin games. Mr. Gullette in speaking of his carnival said it was a pretty hard matter to keep carnivals free of undesirable shows and concessions, but so long as he had anything to do with the Imperial shows they would be kept clean.

Robert Friedman, aged 17, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Friedman, of this city, is in the Fairbury Hospital with burns on one of his hands and both legs, the burns being caused by gasoline exploding. Robert's brother, Harold, is employed by Joe Broquard, near Forrest, and Robert went out there Sunday to help Harold clean up the motor on the latter's car. A can of gasoline was being used to get the oil and dirt off, and during the cleaning process some of it came in contact with a live wire from the battery. The gasoline exploded and Robert's clothing caught fire. Some of the gasoline also got on his left hand. He rolled on the ground to smother out the flames and beat what was left with his hands to extinguish them. In addition to his left hand being burned, one of his legs was burned about the knee and the other one from the knee to the toes.

Virgil Samples, J. M. Pletz and Jack Szold, of Peoria, arrived on a visit at the Walton Store on Monday evening in time for the store's annual picnic, which was held at the store, where a fried chicken supper was served. Miss Leona Roth, one of the store force, who is soon to become a bride, was accorded special honors. Two mahogany end tables, a gift from the group, will be a part of her new home furnishings that will recall memories of the happy event.

70 Years Ago

August 30, 1956

Fairbury was a stopping place Friday for one of the country's more illustrious “Knights of the Road.” Footloose and fancy free, Leonard (Knute) Hoflus drifted into town about 8 a.m. Wearing a well-pressed salt and pepper suit, a 150-year-old beaver hat, an easy going smile and a four-inch beard. Calling himself the “Poet Nauseate,” Hoflus has made being a hobo his profession of the past 37 years. He has walked into all of the 48 states, made a side trip to Europe and has associated himself with some of the more prominent men of the country, his most recent engagements having been with Gov. Laushe of Ohio, and ex-president Herbert Hoover. Hoflus is what you would call a character, but he has his reasons. “I like to travel,” says the 65-year-old hobo baron, “and if you go faster than a walk, you miss the scenery.”

Vandals smashed the windows and windshield of a car belonging to Mrs. William Campbell on the night of Aug. 18, while she was working at the Fairbury Hospital as a nurses aid. The vandal also tore the battery cable loose. Mrs. Campbell's father, M. E. Tarpy, has offered a reward for information regarding the vandalism. There have been cases of thefts from cars parked behind the Fairbury Hospital at night. Large yard lights were recently installed in an attempt to curb the marauders.

Attendance figures released this week by the Fair Association show that over 18,000 persons paid their way into the fairgrounds during the 81^st annual fair completed Saturday. This was about 500 more than the estimated attendance paid a year ago. Including those who obtained entrance to the grounds on workers and exhibitors passes, total attendance was well over 20,000. General admissions to the grandstand during all sessions totaled 7,921 with reserved grandstand tickets totaling 3,815 and box seats 932. Ranked in the order of their popularity as reflected in the attendance at each, the evening entertainment programs lined up this way: stock car races Saturday night, stock car races Friday night, auto thrill show, Grand Ole Opry and musical revue. From this, one could assume that automobiles are here to stay.

60 Years Ago

September 1, 1966

An aerialist performing on a pole 30 feet above a moving sports car received a fractured pelvis Wednesday night at the Fairbury Fair when the apparatus broke and plunged her to the racetrack.

Billed as Countess Maritella, she was in the second of four scheduled performances when a snap broke, releasing a guy-wire on the left side of the car-mounted pole. Her driver-husband received lacerations on his right hand as he attempted to hold the pole in its descent. Both performers were rushed to Fairbury Hospital by the Cook Ambulance where they were treated but declined to be admitted. X-rays Thursday morning at the hospital reportedly revealed the presence of the pelvic fracture.

J. C. Ebach, Fairbury real estate broker, has purchased the Arthur Sterrenberg farm and subdivision, consisting of approximately 100 acres at the northeast edge of Pontiac. Sterrenberg, a Chatsworth native, acquired the tract about three years ago and subsequently sold several acres for the site of the new Pontiac Senior High school. He also platted the area and laid out streets. The tract is bounded by state Route 116 on the south, and Indiana avenue on the north. The new high school fronts on this avenue. Both the high school and Community Grade School District 429's Washington building borders the 100 acres on the west. The Christian Church of Pontiac is erecting a new edifice on the extreme northeast corner.

A total of 1,337 pupils, the most ever, is enrolled in the six attendance centers of Fairbury-Cropsey Community Unit Schools, which on Monday began full-time classes. A tally by Supt. Les Miller shows 107 in the Kindergarten building in Fairbury, 209 in Isaac Walton, 368 in Westview, 131 in Cropsey grade school, 192 in Lincoln Junior high and 323 in the high school. That totals 1,330 students, and seven more are enrolled in special education classes.

50 Years Ago

September 2, 1976

A gamble paid off, and several tried and true attractions reached new highs, as the 100^th Fairbury Fair posted its best attendance records in recent years. While coming nowhere near the turn-of-the-century totals when as many as 10,000 people came by buggy, wagon and train to throng the grounds on a single day when the populace thirsted for entertainment, amusement and amazement, the 100^th renewal was encouraging to the board of directors. Attendance last week jumped about 4,000. Single admission tickets for the week totaled 14,325 adults and 2,448 children, up from 10,908 and 2,105 last year. The figures do not include season and exhibitor tickets which add a substantial, but unknown daily quantity, and of course workers' passes must be figured in daily attendance, but again in an unknown quantity. At the grandstand Thursday night, with Loretta Lynn, queen of Country and Western music,  performing, 3,196 paid admission, compared to 1,531 for Grandpa Jones a year ago. And that was the gamble which paid off. The board paid the most they ever had for any attraction, and made money.

Everybody loves a pig, even when he's greasy and objecting strenuously but worth $10 to the youngster who can catch him and put him in the pen. In fact, most of the nine pigs which youngsters in two age groups sought at the Fairbury Fair, were worth more than that, for the winners had the option of keeping the pig, which in most cases was worth about $40 on the market. Since most of the winners were farm boys, they kept the pigs, to feed out for market and perhaps get $100. Not bad for a greasy 10 minutes.

First day attendance at Fairbury-Cropsey schools totaled 1,161 pupils, according to Evelyn Jenkins, secretary to Dr. Calvin Jackson, superintendent. Enrollment at the junior-senior high complex was identical to the projected 582, while Westview Elementary School tabulated 579.

40 Years Ago

August 28, 1986

Enrollment in the Prairie Central School system this fall has crept past 1,700 students, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday morning by school officials. An unofficial count shows 1,737 students enrolled for classes as  school begins. Only Prairie Central High School of the five attendance centers in the school district shows a decline in enrollment this fall, and that is just a very slight fall. PCHS has 482 students as classes get underway. Last spring the enrollment was 490. At the junior high school in Forrest, principal Leeon Carrico reports 249 students, almost evenly divided between seventh and eighth graders with 125 and 124 respectively. At Westview, the office reports 557 students, Chatsworth reports 217 students and Meadowbrook School in Forrest reports 232 students enrolled.

Recognized for decades as the nation's leading authority on school law. Dr. Lee O. Garber, 86, was buried Tuesday morning in Graceland Cemetery at Fairbury following rites at the Duffy-Pils Memorial home. Dr. Garber died at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, 1986 at Evenglow Lodge in Pontiac where he had resided the past 18 months since selling his Fairbury residence. After his retirement in 1966 from the University of Pennsylvania where he taught for 17 years and was head of the School of Education, he and Mrs. Garber made plans to move to Fairbury, where he had graduated from high school 50 years earlier. A year later, they moved into the new home they built here. Dr. Garber wrote a total of 63 books and monographs, most of them on school law.

Fairburian Tim McGuire has been named Most Valuable Player in the Amateur Softball Association state major fast-pitch tournament after leading his Bloomington Beer Nuts team to the state title Monday night in Bloomington. McGuire, who is recognized as one of the top pitchers in Illinois softball circles, tossed a no-hitter in the championship contest Monday night as Beer Nuts defeated Pinckneyville 4-0. McGuire's gem came after Pinckneyville had beaten Tim and Beer Nuts 1-0 on an unearned run earlier Monday in the double-elimination tourney. McGuire put together some impressive statistics on his way to the MVP award. In 33 innings over the weekend, he allowed just one earned run – that a solo home run late in a Beer Nuts win Friday night – and yielded just eight base hits.

30 Years Ago

August 28, 1996

If today you see Fairbury's newest fire truck being driven on the wrong side of the area's streets and highways, never mind; just dodge or duck. But don't bother to call the police, for they've already been alerted. It's not necessarily going to happen, but if it does, it could be from force of habit, for the man at the wheel will be from “Down Under” – Australia, where they drive on the left side of the road. He is Phillip Leslie, Manager of Special Vehicles for Mercedes Benz, Australia. He's scheduled to arrive in Fairbury Wednesday afternoon, coming directly from the International Association of Fire Chiefs just-ended convention in Kansas City. There, he was intrigued by literature depicting Fairbury's new truck, the “Big Dog,” just delivered in May and arrangements were immediately made to bring him to Fairbury to see it and to drive it.

In a news release, Darryl Tinges, President of the Board of the Boys and Girls Club, announced the resignation of John Jones, the Executive Director of the Fairbury club, effective Monday, Aug. 19. Jones served as Executive Director during a critical time as the Prairie Central club was established as an independent operating entity. The board is in contact with the Regional Office for the Boys & Girls Club and they are providing assistance toward filling this vacancy. The offering of fall activities will be provided as planned with the assistance of primarily volunteer help. Working with the Regional Office, a new Executive Director is expected to be hired prior to the start of the winter activity schedule. The Fairbury based club was formerly operated as an extension of the Boys & Girls Club-Livingston County. As of March 1, 1995 it has operated an an independent unit serving the Prairie Central area.

Twenty-eight students have signed-up for Prairie Central's boys' golf team. Thirteen-year coach Jerry Freadhoff has three returning letterman: seniors Matt Rambo and Steve Frobish, and sophomore Matt Aupperle. The Hawks finished fifth in the Corn Belt Conference last year, and won the Dwight Regional. They finished the season 8-8.

20 Years Ago

August 30, 2006

The Fairbury City Council met the city's new police officer candidate before unanimously approving his hire at its meeting Wednesday. Police Chief Jack Wiser introduced Michael Foster as the candidate for the department's eighth officer. Foster, 25, then gave a brief statement on his background and training. Foster, who currently resides in Watseka, grew up in Washington, Ill., and studied law enforcement in college before getting an internship with the Peoria Police Department.

The Boys and Girls Club of Prairie Central has named Abbie Moore as the new Athletic/Unit Director for Fairbury/Chenoa, who will oversee all day-to-day operations of the units as well as the sports programming. Moore will administer the athletic program and the after school program at the Fairbury unit. A 2007 recreation management graduate of Illinois State University, Moore brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the position. She is skilled in after school programming, scheduling, promotion, special events, coaching and sports including basketball, volleyball, softball, as well as archery, rifle and outdoor recreation.

A long-time employee of the Prairie Central Cooperative at Weston was injured when he fell from equipment that shifted while he was working on top of a grain elevator on Wednesday morning. George Craig, of Lexington, fell approximately 15 feet when the equipment shifted, according to Alliance General Manager Michael Sulzberger. Sulzberger said rescue workers at the site carried Craig down to where the Pontiac Fire Department tower ladder was waiting at approximately 85-90 feet in the air and he then was loaded onto the ladder and taken down to an ambulance. He was admitted to the hospital overnight and was further checked for any injuries Thursday morning. The equipment, which shifted, has been brought down to the ground.

10 Years Ago

August 31, 2016

The microfilm reader at Dominy Memorial Library in Fairbury is starting to break down. It no longer prints and the archived text is hard to read. Instead of replacing it with a new machine, head librarian Debbie Oakland and the library board are looking at a cost-effective alternative that would allow anyone to freely browse and search the archives – which start in 1871 – anywhere internet access is available. The idea is to send microfilm reels to a company in Rolling Meadows called Imaging Office Systems, who send the archives to BMI Imaging in California for digitizing. Once the library receives copyright permission to digitize the Blade, the library would like it to be a free service to customers.

The 28^th annual Threshermen's Reunion is going green. There will be plenty of green farm equipment on display since John Deere is the featured brand this year. Like many companies, Deere has seen many changes in its products and services since it was founded in 1837. According to www.deere.com, Blacksmith and inventor John Deere came up with an idea which would change the face of agriculture. His blacksmith shop and a piece of discarded steel resulted in the creation of the plow. In addition to the John Deere lineup, the reunion will also have some old Prairie tractors on display. Prairie tractors were large machines designed to break the centuries-old sod in the Midwest and were intended to replace steam traction engines. Most of the machines were built in the early 1900s and weighed six tons or more. The back wheels were almost eight feet high.

Looking Back on Fairbury News is sponsored by Duffy-Pils Memorial Homes.