![Plans being made for year-round use of state fairgrounds Plans being made for year-round use of state fairgrounds](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/img-State-Fair-Plan-B-0813211-fak5bY-1024x768.jpeg)
Plans being made for year-round use of state fairgrounds
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – The state of Illinois is teaming up with the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln to develop a master plan for year-round use of state fairgrounds facilities in Springfield and Du Quoin.
Gov. JB Pritzker and Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II made that announcement Friday, along with John Stremsterfer, president and CEO of the foundation.
“Today, we honor the legacy of paving an even better path forward for these fairgrounds for generations to come,” Pritzker said during a news conference early Friday morning outside the Department of Agriculture building next to the Springfield fairgrounds. “That’s our intention. That’s what our state fair advisory board is tasked with.”
The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield in 1854, according to the fair’s own website. For several years afterwards it moved to a number of different communities before settling at its permanent location on the capital city’s north side in 1894.
Like other state fairs, it serves as a kind of harvest festival and a celebration of the state’s agriculture industry, which Costello describes as Illinois’ largest industry that contributes about $19 billion annually to the state’s economy.
In 1923, a group of businessmen in the southern Illinois town of Du Quoin, in Perry County, launched a competing fair in an effort to attract visitors specifically from that region. It was later acquired by the state and has been operated by the state since 1986.
The larger state fair in Springfield typically draws more than half a million visitors during its two-week operation, while the Du Quoin fair has been drawing about 100,000 in recent years.
Both fair sites also host other events occasionally throughout the year, but Stremsterfer, who grew up just blocks away from the Springfield fairgrounds, said the idea is to turn them into year-round venues.
“It’s such a great asset for the people in the state of Illinois. I think we all want to be proud of everything that in the state, but especially the property that we’re all responsible for our citizens,” he said. “And I think nothing exemplifies that more than the State Fairgrounds.”
That announcement came on the second day of the 2021 state fair after many of the opening-day events, including a Grandstand concert by rock musician Sammy Hagar, had to be canceled due to a violent storm that swept across central Illinois Thursday. That storm resulted in significant flooding in Gibson City, a town of about 3,000 people roughly 100 miles northeast of Springfield.
But Pritzker, along with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, made up for lost time Friday by attending several events at the fair.
Among them was a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the start of a new attraction at the fair that is still under development, the “Route 66 Experience” that will commemorate the nation’s first transcontinental highway, which stretched from Chicago to southern California.
The project is planned as a walking tour that will feature exhibits representing many of the towns and attractions in Illinois that travelers on the roadway would have seen, from Chicago to the Chain of Rocks Bridge just north of St. Louis. The project is expected to be completed by 2026, in time to mark the 100th anniversary of the highway.
“I think about Route 66. I think about how it was built to create opportunity,” Stratton said during the ceremony. “But that wasn’t always available to everyone. I think about Black people like those in my family who traveled Route 66 but had to carry a Green Book with them because, due to Jim Crow, they could not stop where they wanted to eat, get a cool refreshing beverage, or to get some lodging or get gas for their cars.”
She said the project will foster “conversation about the Mother Road, about the challenges that have been presented, but also the opportunities that were presented.”
Pritzker and Stratton also attended a ribbon cutting ceremony to open Conservation World, a 30-acre park staffed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that features a large aquarium stocked with sport fish that are popular in Illinois, several educational programs and an outdoor amphitheater with live music.
The fair runs through Aug. 22. Additional details can be found at the fair’s website, Illinois.gov/statefair.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
![kathyheadley2021 Kathy Headley](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/kathyheadley2021-869x1024.jpg)
Temps were hot, but golfers were cool
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . The weekend of June 22/23 started with temps in the 90s, a high humidity both days and the threat of rain loomed throughout the weekend as well. This is not unusual for the third week…
![reporter 6-27-24 ol parade shriners Shriners entertain the crowd at last year's Oak Lawn Independence Day Parade. (File photo)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/reporter-6-27-24-ol-parade-shriners-1024x698.jpg)
Oak Lawn Fourth of July festivities
Spread the loveCelebrate Independence Day at the Village of Oak Lawn’s annual Fourth of July Parade at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 29! This cherished community event brings together families, friends, and neighbors to honor the spirit of freedom and patriotism. Parade will step off at 95th Street and Lacrosse and head west on 95th…
![regional 6-24-24 sd230 safety director Mary Pat Carr](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/regional-6-24-24-sd230-safety-director-659x1024.jpg)
District 230 names Director of Safety and Security
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education approved Dr. Mary Pat Carr as the district’s first Director of Security. She will move from her current position as Assistant Principal of Activities at Stagg High School to the Administrative Center on July 1. Her duties as Director of Safety…
![3 The Worth Public Library, 6917 W. 111th St., hosted its annual celebration on June 1 to bring patrons of all ages out to sign up for its summer reading program. (Supplied photos)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3-1024x771.jpg)
Worth Public Library kicks off summer reading program
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Patrons at the Worth Public Library welcomed in the summer season earlier this month. The library, 6917 W. 111th St., hosted its annual celebration on June 1 to bring patrons of all ages out to sign up for its summer reading program. “We love any excuse to celebrate reading with…
![regional 6-24-24 UFC Gym Orland Mall fire3 Fire hoses line the parking lot outside of the UFC Gym last Thursday. (Supplied photos)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/regional-6-24-24-UFC-Gym-Orland-Mall-fire3-1024x739.jpg)
Fire knocks out Orland’s UFC Gym
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A fire last Thursday afternoon practically destroyed an Orland Park gym and knocked out neighboring businesses, as well. Orland Park firefighters received a call at 2:31 p.m. June 20 for a reported fire in the UFC Gym located at 66 Orland Square Drive Unit C. Multiple 911 calls were received for a…
![reporter 6-24-24 cr fire chief retires Retiring Chicago Ridge Fire Chief William Bonnar (at left) is congratulated by Mayor Jack Lind, who also presented him with a proclamation, at the June 18 Village Board meeting. (Photo by Dermot Connolly)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/reporter-6-24-24-cr-fire-chief-retires-1024x764.jpg)
Chicago Ridge Fire Chief Bonnar retires
Spread the loveStarted his 50-year career as Orland Park cadet By Dermot Connolly Chicago Ridge Fire Chief William Bonnar officially announced his retirement from a nearly 50-year career at the June 18 Village Board meeting. Mayor Jack Lind made the announcement “with great regret,” joking that “he doesn’t have the age to retire but he…
![basketball stock basketball stock](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/stock-basketball-e1719502937287.jpg)
Stagg tabs Allee Hernandez to guide girls hoops
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Allee Hernandez has accrued many years of basketball experience as a player and as an assistant coach. She will soon embark on a new experience as a head coach at Stagg, where she will be the Chargers first new head coach in 16 seasons. She succeeds Bill Turner, who…
![1 Shepard High School, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Palos Heights, was chosen as a Yearbook Excellence Contest recipient from Walsworth Publishing Company, a family-owned printing company based out of Marceline, Missouri. (Supplied photo)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-1024x576.jpg)
Shepard’s yearbook wins national recognition
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Shepard High School students have worked tirelessly to create a yearbook for this academic year that was nationally recognized. The high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Palos Heights, was chosen as a Yearbook Excellence Contest recipient from Walsworth Publishing Company, a family-owned printing company based out of Marceline, Missouri.…
![reporter 6-24-24 dean faulk mugshot Dean J. Faulk](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/reporter-6-24-24-dean-faulk-mugshot.bmp)
Hickory Hills man charged in grandfather’s murder
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam A 32-year-old Hickory Hills man has been charged with first-degree murder in the June 21 death of his 90-year-old grandfather. Dean J. Faulk was charged on June 22 with the June 21 murder of Dean L. Faulk. Police said they responded to a call at 9:45 a.m. June 21 at…
![1 On June 8, Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave., hosted its second annual Summer Reading Challenge Kick-Off event themed, Read, Renew, Repeat. (Supplied photos)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-1-1024x683.jpg)
Orland Park Public Library kicks off summer
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Summer is nearly here and the Orland Park Public Library is ready for it. On June 8, the library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave., hosted its second annual Summer Reading Challenge Kick-Off event themed, Read, Renew, Repeat. “There are multiple interpretations to this theme,” Jackie Boyd, Communications Manager at the Orland…
Neighbors
![ABBIE MURPHY Abbey Murphy, a Mother McAuley grad and University of Minnesota hockey player, was named to the Olympic team. University of Minnesota photo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ABBIE-MURPHY-1024x576.jpg)
Murphy joins Schofield on U.S. women’s hockey team
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Abbey Murphy lists Kendall Coyne Schofield as her sports role model. Now, she will be a teammate of Schofield on the biggest stage for women’s hockey. Team USA Hockey announced its Olympic roster over the weekend and two-time medal winner Schofield, a native of Palos Heights and a Sandburg…
![4 Richards High School Principal Dr. Mike Jacobson and several staff members at the high school, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn, walked for 24 hours on a treadmill to raise money for student scholarships starting bright and early on New Year's Day. (Supplied photos)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4-683x1024.jpg)
Richards principal walks 24 hours for a cause
Spread the loveRaises $20,000 for student scholarships By Kelly White Most people spend New Year’s Day relaxing. Richards High School Principal Dr. Mike Jacobson spent it on the treadmill. For the second year in a row, Jacobson inspired generous donations of more than $20,000 on New Year’s Day by walking 24 hours on a treadmill…
![LOGO District 230 board members and students have their photo taken in front of the district’s new logo. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/LOGO-1024x768.jpg)
Students help design new District 230 logo
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva District 230 has a new logo. Students Tina Alkayed (Sandburg), Nycholas Golla (Stagg) and Trinity Walker (Andrew) teamed with Director of Communications Carla Erdey and Five Star Design branding specialist Laura Gilarski to work on the logo, which was unveiled at the Dec. 16 board meeting at Sandburg. “It’s a…
![GSWNH_FightFor15Sign_123121 A fast-food restaurant worker affixes a Fight for $15 sign to a window at a McDonald’s in the city. --Photo courtesy of FightFor15.org](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GSWNH_FightFor15Sign_123121-1024x683.jpg)
New laws taking effect
Spread the loveStatewide jump in minimum wage ‘just a start’ By Bob Bong and Peter Hancock Capitol News Illinois Minimum-wage workers across Illinois will see a boost in their hourly pay to $12 per hour starting Jan. 1, while tenants in affordable housing units will be allowed to keep pets. Those are just some…
![GSWNH_OLSThreeKings_123121 GSWNH_OLSThreeKings_123121](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GSWNH_OLSThreeKings_123121-768x1024.jpg)
Three Wise Men at Snows
Spread the love Portraying the Three Wise Men at the Christmas pageant at Our Lady of the Snows School this year were Yarely Garibay, Noah Rosas and Amira Cepeda. The three eighth graders were part of “Las Posadas” a nine-night depiction of Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay and where Jesus Christ…
- « Previous
- 1
- …
- 323
- 324
- 325