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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Saturday, September 10, 2016
The dollars and cents of Homestead Homestead Festival requires sound financial planning to run smoothly By Eric Engel eengel@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The Homestead Festival parade is expected to attract more than 7,000 visitors Saturday, and the weekend’s big ticket item takes extensive planning and a hefty chunk of cash to run smoothly. Rick Clary, one of the Homestead Festival managers, said those who plan the festival each year typically meet the week after the festivities to begin planning for next year’s event. Official planning begins Jan. 1 of each year, nine months in advance of the actual event. “In 2015, the total expenses were right at $29,000 to put everything on — with the parade and entertainment expenses typically costing $10,000 to $12,000 a year,” Clary said, putting much of the additional costs on advertising expenses and other supplies like brochures and sound systems to run the parade. “Sometimes people might think the South Shore Drill Team or the Jesse White Tumblers just show up because they enjoy the event, but we pay them to be part of the parade,” he said, noting many of the marquee parade events are paid to attend and walk in the parade. Local parade participants can access a parade entry form by visiting the city website, Clary said, and he noted the importance of securing the marquee participants early rather than waiting until a month or two before contacting them. When it comes to raising funds for Homestead Festival, Clary said there are individuals and businesses who sponsor specific parade entries, and the Homestead Lawn Event serves as a fundraiser at the beginning of summer which supplements the end of
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Agreeing to disagree?
Tourism $$$ Page 4
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By Goldie Rapp
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PRINCETON — It’s come down to Princeton City Council agreeing to disagree on whether or not tourism funds can be used for Main Street improvements. On Tuesday, the council voted 3-2 to authorize the use of those funds to plant trees along Main Street. Commissioners Bob Warren and Laura Favia voted no. Mayor Joel Quiram clarified the trees being planted on South Main Street were covered by donations, and the vote was to use anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 of tourism funds
Announcing the 2016 Women of Distinction
for improvements to the corner lot on Elm Place and North Main Street. Warren and Favia have taken the stance that tourism dollars cannot legally be spent on Main Street improvements. During a special meeting held Aug. 20, Warren asked for a legal opinion on how those funds can be spent, after challenging the idea of using it for streetscape improvements. He said the law clearly states those dollars are meant to attract overnight visitors to Princeton, and it’s a stretch that trees on Main Street would attract visitors. At that meeting, Favia agreed and said the
Princeton City Council at odds on tourism dollars grapp@bcrnews.com
BCR photo/Mike Vaughn
The kick-off to this year’s Homestead Festival was held Thursday evening on South Main Street, where event-goers enjoyed the sounds of Glory Days, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band. The Homestead Festival continues through Sunday.
After much deliberation by the judges ... and many miles traveled to notify the winners, Illinois Valley Living magazine and the Bureau County Republican, Putnam County Record and Tonica News are proud to announce the 2016 Women of Distinction. Receiving the honors this year are six ladies from the Illinois Valley. They include: • Sheryl Churney of LaSalle. • Nancy Heiden of Princeton. • Joy Kauffman of Tiskilwa. • Monico Huber Nunez of Princeton. • Barbara White of Cherry. • Deb Wood of rural Princeton. As in the previous three years of this award, the winners were selected by former Women of Distinction award winners. As typical in the past years since the award’s inception in
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NEWSSTAND PRICE 75¢
Year 170 No. 109 One Section - 20 Pages
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JUST FIT © Bureau County Republican
Sheryl Churney
Nancy Heiden
Joy Kauffman
Monico Huber Nunez
Barbara White
Deb Wood
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