Art Ag exhibit opens Friday in Princeton

You have a chance to see old time farm implements without hitching up the horse that goes with them. The Prairie Arts Council in Princeton will display antique farm equipment, photos, paintings and drawings from September 9 through October 2.

Bureau County Historical Society is lending art and artifacts to the display.  An open reception will be held this Friday from 6 – 8 at the Prairie Arts Center Gallery at 24 Park Avenue East.

 

Sandwich Fair prepping for Wednesday opening

After a 1 day pause from the Tri County Fair, the 129^th Sandwich Fair opens a 5 day run on Wednesday.  A Flag Raising Ceremony opens the fair at 9am at the Round Office.  Also Wednesday: a Western Horse Show, Harness racing, an afternoon of culinary competition and the All American Lumberjack show on the Main Stage at 6:30.  The fair offers free admission Wednesday to children 12 years old or younger.

Sandwich Fair has free entertainment like Banjo Buddies, Arts and Crafts Demonstration, Alfy’s Puppets, FFA Farm Zoo,  Stilt Walking and Juggling and more.  Singer Frank Ballard performs on the Main Stage at 7pm Friday.

Belvidere teen hurt after fall at Starved Rock

A 17 year old Belvidere teen was life-flighted to Rockford in serious condition Sunday after falling 50 feet in Starved Rock State Park.  Utica Fire Chief Ben Brown said they received a call about 12:40 regarding a fall in Pontiac Canyon about a half mile east of the Visitors Center. The park was closed at the time after reaching capacity and park staff worked to keep the road open.

The young man apparently hit his head on the rocks as he landed, but remained conscious while EMS prepped him for transport across the river.  Brown termed his condition serious. Brown also said he had gone off the trail.  It is unknown if he or his 2 friends will be ticketed by Conservation Police.

Holiday traffic forces closures at Starved Rock State Park

The holiday brings a lot of people to the Utica area.  For a second day in a row, Starved Rock State Park was forced to close because it had reached capacity. The state’s top attraction was forced to close from Noon to about 3pm Saturday and site Superintendent, Kerry Novak stated they did the same Sunday from Noon to about 2pm.  Matthiessen also did the same Sunday.

Starved Rock  hit reached about 26,000 1 day this summer and that forced a temporary closure.  Jolynn Wise told “Classic Hits 103-9 WLPO” usually Sunday is the biggest day for visitors during a 3 day weekend.  Nevertheless, you can track Starved Rock State Park activities Monday through the IDNR Twitter and Facebook pages.

Park officials said about mid-afternoon that traffic was heavy on roads leading away from the park – especially Route 178.

 

CAT announces 300 layoffs

Hundreds of Caterpillar employees in Illinois have received layoff notices.
The (Peoria) Journal Star reports that 300 support and management employees at 2 sites in Mossville received job-loss notifications this week that included severance packages and 60 days’ notice.
The heavy equipment maker did not disclose the number of layoffs this week at other locations in the region. The company said it would work to place some of those employees in new positions within Caterpillar and help others find work elsewhere.
The layoffs largely affected engineers in divisions that Caterpillar plans to consolidate.
The company also just announced thousands of intended job cuts in Northern Ireland and Belgium.

2nd installment of property taxes due Wednesday

Sorry to ruin the last weekend of Summer with a reminder of taxes, but, the 2^nd installment of LaSalle County Property taxes are due by this Wednesday. You can pay online at LaSalle County Treasurer dot com.  You can use credit card, Visa  Debit Card or E-check from your bank account.

Checks can be made out to “LaSalle County Collector”  at local financial institutions or using the drop box in the east parking lot at the governmental complex on Etna road, delivered inside during regular hours.