130 Years Ago
September 2, 1893
At the election held at Forrest on Tuesday the village decided by a vote of 75 to 60 to have an electric light plant.
Water for drinking purposes is getting very scarce in some parts of the county. North of Fairbury a few miles the water in the wells is very low and not fit for use. A great many farmers are hauling all the water they use a distance of five or six miles.
Lucy Page Gaston, the great temperance worker of this district, has been conducting meetings in the churches here in the interests of the different temperance societies.
Last week for the second time "Baldy's Babes" defeated the Giants from Fayette Township, the score this time being 25 to 20. The game was of that class which a health officer would not permit to be put on the market. Farrel, who filled the box for the "Babes" did fairly good work. He throws a ball as crooked as a Democratic office holder. Both sides hit the ball now and then and when they did the fielders made "grandstand" rushes only to have the pesky thing slip through their legs. For the benefit of ball players in general and Will Braun in particular, we have invented a device which will overcome this.
120 Years Ago
September 4, 1903
Lieut. Truman W. Carrithers received notice Monday morning that he had been assigned to duty in the Philippine Islands. He has yet three months to stay in this country as he does not set sail until Dec. 1. Lieut. Carrithers considers himself particularly lucky in being assigned to duty in the Philippines as he will have a chance to see some active service and possibly win a promotion.
The attendance at the fair this year was the largest in years. The weather was exceptionally fine and the people enjoyed themselves. The crowd commenced to come Wednesday and the receipts that day exceeded those of Wednesday of last year by $200. The third day of the fair brought out one of the largest crowds that have ever been seen on the grounds. Early in the morning the crowds commenced to come in buggies and carriages and it was a continual procession until noon.
Weston — Dr. F. L. Crocker will return home about the 10th of Sept. after having spent three months in the mountains of Colorado and will take up his work in partnership with Dr. E. F. Law who has been in charge since the doctor's absence. Dr. Crocker's many friends will be glad to know he has fully recovered.
110 Years Ago
September 5, 1913
The T. P. & W. Railroad have outfitted two of their engines with electric headlights, as provided by law. The first trip of the engines thus equipped was made Tuesday evening and they threw a streak of light ahead that would make Halley's Comet ashamed of itself.
John McGreal, the baritone soloist, is singing at the Bon Ton every night this week.
At the motorcycle races at Hoopeston, Monday, Jean Morrison, of this city, took first in the ten-mile race and first in the 15-mile race.
Walton Bros. Company are showing something new in the way of single buggies. It is electric lighted, the lights being furnished from storage batteries under the seats. The buggy has two side doors and a number of other new features.
The total population of the reformatory at Pontiac last Saturday was 615.
100 Years Ago
August 31, 1923
William Runyon brought to The Blade office this week a peach that would make California fruit growers envious. It measured ten and a half inches in circumference and weighed a half pound. It was grown on the Jacob Cook farm near Cropsey. Mr. Cook had several trees fairly full of the fruit, all of unusual size and delicious flavor.
For some time past Conrad Munz, Jr. has been missing chickens and not until last Friday afternoon did he find out where they were going. Going down through the pasture he saw some boys with gunny sacks and on investigating, Mr. Munz found that the sacks contained several of his chickens. Mr. Munz called Alderman Goembel to the scene and also Police Magistrate Voorhees, who was going by. Mr. Munz did not care to have the boys arrested, but he did think they should be made to pay for their deviltry, so he agreed that if they would cut out some cockleburs in his corn field he would not prosecute them.
About thirty native sons and daughters of Indiana, from Fairbury and vicinity, attended the third annual Hoosier picnic held at Chautauqua Park, Pontiac, Tuesday. Many others had planned to attend but gave it up on account of bad weather. There were nearly three hundred there, however, gathered from all over the county, who enjoyed the day together and the noonday feast which was spread in the pavilion.
90 Years Ago
September 1, 1933
Wilbur Troehler and William Roth gave a shadow party last Friday evening at the Boys' club house. The reception room was gay with streamers of black and white. The entertainers were seen in shadow, back of a white curtain hung across the doorway into the study. Dancing and refreshments were important items on the entertainment program.
Thousands of fish caught in land-locked ponds have been saved by Game Warden John C. McConaha, of Pontiac. He was assisted by a dozen sportsmen seining along the upper reaches of the Vermilion river Monday. The fish taken from there and ponds at Wing were placed in the deeper waters of the Vermilion. The warden also stocked the Smith pond near Saunemin with fish taken from the river, requisition for which has been filed with the State Department of Conservation.
J. E. Carrithers, who has operated the confectionery store in the Keck building, known as the Grey Goose, closed his place of business last evening, after having operated it since December 24 last. We understand the room has been leased by another party. Mr. Carrithers states he proposes to open up again as soon as he can secure a location.
80 Years Ago
September 3, 1943
Cpl. Joe Paternoster, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Paternoster, arrived home Wednesday, after serving 18 months with the United States flying forces. He has received a medical discharge, having suffered a slight paralysis of his left side due to shell shock. Cpl. Paternoster was a tail gunner on a P-17 bomber and in that capacity was on a number of missions that took him over Germany. He not only went over Germany, but was present on several occasions when the Germans bombed England.
The family of Mrs. Julia Denniger held a reunion on Sunday in celebration of her 85th birthday at her home, where Mrs. Blanche Ward served to Mrs. Denniger and her children, a fine chicken dinner.
M. J. Shoop, who has been farming north of Chenoa for a number of years, has leased the L. E. Dirks farm, north of Fairbury, and will move there as soon as it is vacated next year by the present tenant, Julius Gahwiler.
A fire that was discovered Monday evening did damage of several hundred dollars to the front of the building occupied by Blessman & Berry, insurance agents. The fire was caused by an overheated transformer connected to a neon sign. The large front window was broken by the heat and glass in the door was broken so that firemen could enter.
70 Years Ago
September 3, 1953
The fire department was called to the Sanitary Cleaners Saturday noon to extinguish a small blaze which had started on the sill of a window on the east side of the building. A carelessly discarded cigarette, and the extreme dryness of nearby grass, was suspected as the cause. Damage was confined to the sill.
The new Standard Oil Station on Oak Street is expected to open Saturday. The station was built by John Mapel, and will be operated by Carl Rapp. Mr. Rapp was formerly manager of the Lodemia Elevator. The station is at the location formerly occupied by the Bungalow.
Because of the 100 degree temperature yesterday, the Fairbury-Cropsey schools were dismissed in the afternoon, according to R. C. Todd, unit superintendent, who said that the schools would be closed again this afternoon if the severe heat continues. Yesterday was the first day a full day of school was scheduled this year.
Fairbury fair patrons took advantage of a good thing during the fair, when 1,800 persons had their chests X-rayed at the mobile unit sponsored by the Livingston County Tuberculosis Association. Mrs. Pearl Allen, executive secretary, reports that this figure is especially good considering that only 5,799 people were X-rayed at the state fair.
60 Years Ago
September 5, 1963
A prediction that farmers of this community one day will sit in their homes and feed financial and farm-record data by telephone into a computer at the University of Illinois or some other service center, was made Tuesday noon by Allan Mueller, speaker at the 1963 Livingston County Farm Management tour. "And in a few minutes," continued Mueller, an agricultural economist at the University, "the answers will come rolling back into printer devices located in the patron's home." His topic was "Space Age Farm Family Record Keeping" and he drew the analogy of the horse versus the tractor, pointing out that in the early days of the tractor, they were too expensive for general use, but eventually became commonplace. Today, he said, the electronic computer is too expensive except in big industry, but in the future, it will be used generously on farms.
A 25-year-old German beauty arrived here Friday. Gisela Heppner, a registered nurse for the past four years in Hamburg, Germany, will be staying with her brother and family, Mr. and Mrs. Gerhard Heppner of Fairbury. She begins work at Fairbury Hospital in two weeks. Miss Heppner has observed that Fairbury is larger than she expected, the whole U.S.A. is bigger than she visualized, and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago was really an eye opener. Her biggest problem at present is the English language. She is tackling this situation and already has added at least 1,000 new words to her vocabulary.
50 Years Ago
September 6 1973
Stoller and Maurer Construction Company of Fairbury was the low bidder for the proposed coronary intensive care unit at Fairbury Hospital, submitting a figure of $334,357 to the hospital's board Thursday night. The only other bid was $348,200 for C. Iber and Sons of Peoria. Although the low bid was some 20 percent above the estimate by the hospital's architects, Stoller and Maurer are being sent a letter of intent by the planning firm, Midland Architects of Burlington, Iowa. The project is still waiting approval by the Comprehensive State Health Planning Agency.
When the smoke cleared from the election, feminine faces dominated the officer seats in the 1973-74 Fairbury-Cropsey High School band. Officers elected were Debbie Traub, president; Debbie Hulse, vice president; Joan Runyon, secretary; and Vicki Holland, treasurer. First order of business this week was when the officers presented the idea of the band entering a float in the Homecoming parade, an idea that was greeted with wide support from the members.
Six Fairbury youths spent a good portion of their Labor Day holiday out pounding the streets trying to help those stricken with Muscular Dystrophy during the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon. Dennis Tredennick, Steve Johnston, Scott Rigsby, Dale Rigsby and Mark and Mary Jo Hoffman canvassed the town Monday after having seen part of the Telethon and "getting the spirit." The six collected $217 in two to three hours. "We probably could have had closer to $1,000," said Tredennick Tuesday, "but we got stopped by the police, who threatened to throw us in jail. And that was right after one of the policemen had donated to the cause!"
40 Years Ago
September 1, 1983
For the 100th time (or is it 101?), Debold Householder, who turned 100 in March, attended the Fairbury Fair. He first came as a babe in arms, and later was a long-time worker at the exposition, which this year dedicated the premium list to him.
Fairbury retailers will stage a flea market and sidewalk sale Saturday, Sept. 10 on Locust Street in downtown Fairbury. The flea market, a first time event in the community, is sponsored through the retailers by the Association of Commerce. Chairman Jerry Fairclough said the flea market will offer buyers a selection of antiques and collectibles. In addition, a number of Fairbury retailers will be offering bargain prices to coincide with the flea market. Food and beverages and plenty of free parking will also be available.
It didn't last long, but a severe thunderstorm with terrific lightning, torrential rain and hail and very high winds wreaked havoc in Fairbury starting at 1:20 a.m. Friday. Most of the downed trees and power lines were south of the business district and in the area of the Fairbury Fairgrounds, where three tents went down and the roof of a cattle tent, vacant because the beef animals were tied out for the night, was shredded but did not go down. The infield flag was shredded too, but still bravely fluttering at daylight. Fairbury's south side was without electricity for up to four hours while four CIPS crews labored to restore service. Most serious was a 7,200-volt primary, cut when a large limb was split from a tree on South Second Street.
30 Years Ago
September 2, 1993
When Kay Bazzell was 15 years old, she attended the Fairbury Fair and developed a crush on the operator of the Tilt-a-whirl, Jim Lester, who was 22 at the time. Last Tuesday, the couple was back on the Fairbury fair grounds, as the 117th annual fair was about to begin. They were back at the Tilt-a-Whirl, too. With a crowd watching. And a preacher. As the sun began to settle, Kay, now 30, and Jim, 37, stood under the canopy of the ride where they met. Before a crowd of 40 seated guests and a further 20 or so curious onlookers, the couple exchanged wedding vows. After the ceremony, instead of running down church steps and dodging rice, the couple broke through a gate of streamers, got settled into their decorated Tilt-a-Whirl chair and were pelted with bird seed as the ride moved slowly around and around.
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Fairbury Fair featured a horse-pull with seven teams pulling the cement block laden sled. Belgians and Percherons began by pulling their own weight, and the winning team pulled 4,000 lbs. over their weight of 3,690 or a total of 7,690 lbs. in the winning pull. The winning team was owned by Bill Edwards of Crawfordsville, Ind.; second went to the team owned by Rick Gilbert of Marinsville, Ill.; and third went to Raymond Wilkens of Petersburg. The winners split a purse of $1,500. Roland Gilbert, 70, of Martinsville, said he had the winning team during the last horse pull at the Fairbury Fair back in the late 1950s. The man, who has been "pulling horses for 52 years" said the purse back then was $60 to $80 for the winners.
20 Years Ago
September 3, 2003
Livingston County Coroner Michael P. Burke has announced his new Chief Deputy Coroner and realignment of the chief deputy's duties. The position has been vacant since April of 2003 when Richard L. Ores resigned for health reasons. Julie K. Runyon, a Fairbury resident, has been chosen to fill the position of Chief Deputy Coroner of Livingston County. Runyon has been a deputy coroner since June of 1995, and has been an integral part of the coroner's office.
Fairbury Odd Fellow and Rebekah organizations recently recognized four local college students who received $500 to $1,000 state scholarships. Scholarship recipients are Samantha Beal, Stacy Doran, Chris Metz and Tara Doran.
The Fairbury Lions Club received several awards during the zone meeting on Aug. 27. The club received four certificates for sponsoring four new members the past year; a framed certificate and a banner patch for being a 3-star 100 percent club. The award was given for the club's increase in membership, fund raising efforts and many community service projects, along with the club's attendance of the Lions Club District events. The Fairbury club was the only club from among seven in the district to receive this award.
10 Years Ago
September 4, 2013
Retired Fairbury Police Chief Jack Wiser has announced that he will be entering the Republican Primary for Sheriff of Livingston County. He joins two others who have already announced their candidacy, Marvin Rutledge, a former sheriff of Livingston County, and Dwight Police Officer Mark Scott. Wiser has served in the law enforcement field for 25 years. He served as Fairbury's Chief of Police for 13 years until his recent retirement. Wiser began his career as a Livingston County Sheriff's Department deputy in 1988. He then was hired by the City of Fairbury as a patrolman, a position he held for five years. He was then promoted to Fairbury's first full time detective before being appointed Chief of Police.
Eli Petersen of Fairbury won grand champion swine showman honors at the 2013 Illinois State Fair. He is a 10-year member of Prairie Farmers 4-H Club and the son of Mike and Kimberly Petersen of Cropsey.
Construction could finally begin on the new Brian J. Munz Public Safety Complex. To speed up construction, SELCAS has offered to forgo a credit which leaves the city and the construction company to negotiate a difference of about $7,000. According to SELCAS coordinator Jim Hargitt, there had been an offer from Tarter Construction for credits on the smaller footings for the building. There is a difference of opinion between the city and Tarter over $14,000 to $15,000. Part of that would be the credit to the city and the other part to SELCAS.
(Looking Back from Kari Kamrath is sponsored each week by Duffy-Pils Memorial Homes with locations in Fairbury, Chenoa and Colfax)
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