Looking Back

130 Years Ago

Oct. 1, 1892

The John A. Logan club of this city has purchased 250 uniforms for its marching club.

At the residence of the bride's mother in this city Tuesday evening, occurred the marriage of Miss Fannie Coomer to Victor Fogle, Rev. C. D. Merit performing the ceremony.

Last Saturday while Will H. Rightsell, in company with Joseph Verkler, was driving a team to a lumber wagon, they ran away just east of town where the wagon road crosses the railroad tracks east of the creek. The tongue broke, throwing the wagon box into the air. Verkler jumped out, but Rightsell remained in the box and was thrown with great violence to the ground, receiving injuries from which he died.

Markets — Hogs, $4 to $4.75; wheat, 60c; oats, 29c; corn, 39c; butter, 15c; eggs, 15c; lard, 8c.

120 Years Ago

October 3, 1902

A new swindle is being worked among the farmers in portions of Illinois and Iowa. The sharpers carry cases containing samples of high grade fence wire and claim to represent a firm in Indiana. They offer wire fencing at a low price, the goods to be sent C.O.D. When the farmer buys the goods he is shown a model of a fine ornamental automatic gate to be sent free with each order if the farmer pays a small sum in advance on the order of fence wire. This generally catches the farmers for sums of $5 and up and the agent is seen no more and the fence wire ordered by the farmer never comes.

There will be a total eclipse of the moon on the night of Oct. 16 beginning at 10:17 p.m. and ending at 3:50 a.m. Oct. 17. It has been four years since there was a total eclipse of the moon.

There will be a basket social at the Avoca M. E. Church on the evening of October 8. Everybody is most cordially invited to be present. A large number of baskets containing lunches will be put up by the ladies for the occasion. A. F. Filley will be the auctioneer. come everybody and have a good time.

110 Years Ago

October 4, 1912

Elizabeth de Barrie Gill, of the Century Lyceum Bureau, Chicago, a renowned harpist, reader and contralto soloist, will present the first number of the Fairbury lecture course at the Methodist Church this evening at 8 o'clock. Mrs. Gill is an artist of rare ability and her program will be an unusual treat to her Fairbury audience. Single admission 50c. Season ticket, five numbers, $1.50 each.

A charming wedding ceremony was solemnized Wednesday afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Sutton, at which time their daughter, Kate Eatherly Sutton, was joined in wedlock to Mr. Rufus C. Huntoon Jr. Rev. W. C. Way, rector of the Episcopal Church at Maywood, Ill., performing the ceremony in the presence of about sixty of the relatives and immediate friends of the contracting parties.

Governor Charles S. Deneen will make a twenty-five minute speech in Fairbury next Wednesday forenoon. The special train bearing Governor Deneen and other state officers will arrive at the depot at 10:25 a.m. The train will remain here for twenty-five minutes and the governor will address the people on the issues of the day. Every voter who can should go to the depot and hear what Governor Deneen has to say.

100 Years Ago

September 29, 1922

Charles Herndon, a farmer residing in Eppards Point township, was fined $20 and costs Tuesday morning by Justice W. E. Baker. Herndon pleaded guilty to a charge of driving on a closed road which was being repaired. The complaint was sworn out by G. D. Butzer, county superintendent of highways.

There will be an all-day community picnic at Cropsey tomorrow and a fine program of entertainment has been prepared for the occasion. There will be speaking by Rev. J. H. Ryan and Frank Gillespie, a baseball game, bucking horse riding, ring and potato races from horseback, a band concert and a free picture show. The picnic will take the place of the old Belle Prairie Fair and everybody is expected to bring their dinner and stay all day.

The farmers Grain Company at Weston was again burglarized Saturday night. Fourteen automobile casings were carried out into the lumber yard but for some unknown reason were not taken away. They tried to open the safe in the office by driving a punch into the combination, but could not remove the punch nor open the safe. Mr. Lehring, the manager, had a man come out from Peoria on Monday who succeeded in removing the punch and opening the safe.

90 Years Ago

September 30, 1932

Tomorrow our neighboring village of Forrest will hold their annual Corn Festival, and plans are all complete to make it the best celebration of the kind ever held there. Primarily it is a day dedicated to "King Corn" but many other prizes will be given outside of those offered for corn. The day's program is being sponsored by the Lions Club and the business and professional men of Forrest. The program starts with a pet parade, and from then on throughout the afternoon and evening there will be contests and amusements for all.

Workmen this week, under the supervision of Street Commissioner Andrew Hlavas, have been busy removing the ornamental light posts from the center of Locust street in the business section, this system having been discontinued since the new lighting system was put in operation last week. The posts could hardly be called "ornamental" anymore, as they were badly in need of paint and leaned in diverse directions. With the removal of the posts from the center of the street there is some talk now of doing away with the parking of cars in the center of the street and parking them at an angle at the curb on each side. This would give twice the parking space we now have.

Van Hearn, whose eyeball was cut by the beak of a bird in flight, is improving. There will be no injury to the sight.

80 Years Ago

October 2, 1942

An account of the wedding of Silas Schmidtgall and Mrs. Ernest Murray was sent to The Blade and published in the September 18 issue. Mr. Schmidtgall called The Blade to say he is not married and there was no foundation for the announcement of September 18.

Winter slipped a cog over the weekend and came tearing in on us with a heavy snow and freeze that did much damage, and now the old "wayback whenners" are scratching their heads and wondering when we ever had so heavy a snow so early in the season. It was a real snow and would have been an inch and a half to two inches deep had not some of it melted. Last Friday's snow (September 25) marked the earliest time in 58 years, so the government weather bureaus state, for snow to fall. The previous record was October 3, twenty years ago.

Wing — The Misses Verna Harms, Betty Brown, Willis Harms, Willis Maurer, Maurice Zimmerman and Herman Harms motored to Camp Crowder, Mo., where they spent the week-end with Pvts. Harold Harms and Verne Saunders.

70 Years Ago

October 2, 1952

Word has just been received by the Hatchery Department that the five highest entries of any breed or breeds owned by any one breeder in all national Egg Laying contests were Honegger entries. They were in competition with birds from some of the world's best breeders.

Howard Bess, who played his high school football for Fairbury from 1942 through 1945, is listed on a Wheaton College news release as a candidate for the center position on the crusader team. Bess, who won his letter last year, is a junior.

Master Sergeant John M. Friedman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Friedman of Fairbury, has been awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in connection with military operations against an enemy of the United States in Korea. The presentation was made by Lieutenant Colonel Oak E. DeBerg, commanding officer of the 34th Engineer Combat Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington. M/Sgt. Friedman entered the service on January 5, 1951. He received his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and in May 1951 he was shipped to Korea.

Bob Nussbaum, who is associated with his father, Walter C. Nussbaum, and uncle, Oscar Nussbaum, at Nussbaum Bros. Plumbing and Heating, has received word that he has passed the tests necessary to become a registered master plumber.

60 Years Ago

October 4, 1962

It has been announced by J. Russell Coulter, president of the TP&W, that a new station in Fairbury will be constructed before the end of 1962. The building will be of modern architectural design, with colored sculptured steel panels and will enhance the beauty of the area. The new building will have air conditioning, controlled heat and will be functional. There will be concrete walkways with stone flower boxes on each side of the entrance way and the area will be graveled for parking.

Wendell Eugene Baxter, 31, of Enid, Okla., has been hired as the new administrator of Fairbury Hospital. He is presently assistant manager of Enid General Hospital. A. P. Loomis, board member, has been serving as acting administrator since Kenneth Hawthorne completed his duties as administrator. Roy E. Taylor, hospital board president, said Baxter has had experiences in all branches of hospital work and worked with the woman's auxiliary at the Enid hospital.

Miss Delores Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ivan E. Brown of Fairbury, has been assigned to Skyliner flights from Kansas City, Mo., following her graduation from the Trans World Airlines flight hostess school in that city. Prior to joining the airline, Miss Brown was a teacher in Crystal Lake, Ill. She is a graduate of the F-S-W high school and Illinois State Normal University.

50 Years Ago

October 5, 1972

A steering committee composed of five area mayors, four county board members, representatives of three fire protection districts and four funeral homes, along with a seven-member executive committee, were appointed Monday night during a meeting at Fairbury Community Hospital to map a plan for maintaining ambulance service after January 1 of next year. That's the date that six funeral homes in the eastern half of Livingston county have announced they will discontinue the service because of recent and pending regulations.

Last week's editions of four area newspapers, The Chenoa Clipper and Lexington Unit Journal, The LeRoy Journal, The Gibson City Courier and The Bement Times, were printed in Fairbury by The Blade's parent company, Cornbelt Press Inc., after a press breakdown Wednesday noon at The Kramer Publishing company's plant at Gibson City. The situation reversed a similar mechanical failure of three months earlier when the Fairbury plant suffered an electrical failure late on press day, and Gibson City came to the rescue. A total of five press runs were effected in three hours and 15 minutes, ending at 8:30 Wednesday.

Cropsey Methodist Church was the setting for the October 1, 1972 wedding, which united in marriage Miss Mary Smith and Randall Zimmerman, both of Fairbury. Rev. L. O. Brookman officiated. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy L. Smith and the bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Zimmerman of Fairbury. A wedding reception for family and friends was held at the church. When the couple return from a wedding trip, they will make their home at rural route 2, Forrest.

40 Years Ago

September 30, 1982

An errant fishing lure cast by a Fairbury-Cropsey High School physical education student last Friday interrupted electrical service just outside the west edge of Fairbury for 1½ hours. Instructor Randy Clifton had his classes completing a unit on fishing, which included some lecture material at the high school, with three days of fishing at Lyle Honegger's pond just west of the city on U. S. 24. About 10:30 a.m., a lure cast by one of the students became wrapped around electrical wires. It sounded like three cherry bombs going off all at once," Honegger recounted later.

An open house celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Loren French will be held at the Indian Creek Country Club on Oct. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. A family dinner in their honor will be held following the reception. Loren and Dorothy Spencer were married Sept. 26, 1932. They have six children, 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Members of the National Newspaper Association, which consists of 5,100 publications, elected Jim Roberts of Fairbury as vice-president during their 97th annual convention last week in Phoenix, Ariz. Under NNA bylaws, the vice-president automatically ascends to the presidency the following year. Roberts is the publisher of The Fairbury Blade and nine other newspapers in the Cornbelt Press group.

30 Years Ago

October 1, 1992

A 1988 Chevrolet Corvette, which burst into flames Sunday evening just as the driver pulled up to the southbound stop sign on Seventh street for the U. S. 24 crossing, is a total loss. The car, a convertible, is owned by Bob Verdun, an Odell native who is the superintendent of the Argenta-Oreana unit school system. He had been in Fairbury for a day of golfing with his long-time friend, Denny Righter, who later told The Blade, "We had just been out to eat and I was right behind Bob when he pulled up to the stop sign. Suddenly flames were just flying out of the car, and so was Bob."

Homecoming King and Queen for Prairie Central High School's 1992 festivities are Corey Schieler and Allison Young. Other seniors in the homecoming court were Chris Salrin, Dana Lanz, Mike Elliott, Carrie Cabbage, Jason Rieger, Erica Mygatt, Mike Thompson and Jodi Bell.

On Sept. 15, the doors to Art Fosdick Poultry at 226 E. Locust St., Fairbury, closed, bringing to end an era of the family poultry business that began at 125 W. Locust St. in 1933, when Ernest Fosdick opened a chicken hatchery. "He (Ernest) started the business in 1928 in Renssaelaer, Ind., then went to Watseka and then to Fairbury," said Franklin Fosdick.

20 Years Ago

October 2, 2002

The Prairie Central Marching Hawks competed at the Washington Panther Invitational on Saturday and had outstanding performances in both parade and field show. The band received first place trophies for best drum major, color guard, drum line and best band in parade competition. In field show, the band placed third and the percussion section received a first place trophy. The band received a monetary award for highest total points in both parade and field show in Class AA.

Prairie Central High School Principal, Dan Schmitt, has announced that Johnathan Roth has been named a Commended Student in the 2003 National Merit Scholarship Program. Roth is one of approximately 34,000 commended students throughout the nation. Although they will not continue in the 2003 competition for merit scholarship awards, commended students placed among the top five percent of more than one million students who entered the 2003 competition by taking the 2001 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

The Prairie Central eighth grade baseball team will play in the IESA Class AA State Tournament at Peoria this week after defeating Danville North Ridge 9-4 in the sectional championship at Forrest Saturday. The Hawks (14-7), will face Teutopolis (19-3) , in quarterfinal action. The winner advances to the semifinals.

10 Years Ago

October 3, 2012

Kelly Jones, Chatsworth Elementary Early Childhood teacher, applied for and received a grant of $1,500 from Wal-Mart. The grant is for the construction of a new Early Childhood playground for Chatsworth Grade School. The playground will be designed for use by children ages 3-6 years old, and will include some handicap accessible features for students with special needs. Steve Lawson, manager of the Pontiac Wal-Mart, presented the check for $1,500 at an all school assembly on Sept. 7 which kicked off the fundraising efforts for the new playground. The Chatsworth PTO has set a fundraising goal of $20,000 and will pursue other grant funding.

Antiques & Uniques of Fairbury Ltd. Is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in October. Owners Mike and Diane Pawlowski opened their business in 2002 after renovating the first floor of their 120-year-old commercial building which had also served as their residence since 1998. The Pawlowskis first became interested in antiques 30 years ago when they purchased an older house in Michigan and started going to auctions to furnish their home. When they moved to Fairbury, they decided to get involved in the antiques business and considered building an old Victorian-style house with the first floor designed for retail space. Unable to find an appropriate location for building, they contacted the owner of a vacant building downtown and purchased it.

The end of summer has been signaled with the completion of the 2012 racing program at Fairbury's American Legion speedway on Saturday, Sept. 15. The annual Prairie Dirt Weekend was delayed, but the racing no less exciting, as Jason Feger took the $10,000 Dirt Classic, Shannon Babb won the $5,000 Dirt Shootout, Jeff Leka was the $3,000 modified winner and Mike McKinney claimed the street stock feature.

Kari Kamrath

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Looking Back at Fairbury history through the pages of The Blade