Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal July 31, 2014 Volume 152, Number 14 - $1.00
Tournament
Live Music
Meat Auction
A Little League Tournament was held in Forreston July 17. B1
There are two options to hear live music on Friday night. A6
The annual 4-H meat auction will be held Saturday, Aug. 2. A10
161st fair begins in Ogle County By Chris Johnson Reporter The parking lots have been mowed, fences have been constructed, and projects are filling the barns and exhibit space. What this means is the 161st Ogle County Fair is underway. The fair will be held Wednesday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 3 at the fairgrounds on Limekiln Road west of Oregon. Volunteers were hard at work with final preparations for the fair to get everything ready for the public. The acrobatics pole for Galaxy Girl was raised Monday afternoon, said Ogle County Fair President Harlan Holm. “Galaxy Girl will be doing aerial acrobatics on top of this 120 foot tall pole,� he said. This is just one of the activities planned at the fair. “The fair starts with livestock being checked into the fair,� said Holm. “Visitors can see the animals and then go view the antique tractors.� Animal check-in is during the afternoon and early evening July 30. The annual antique tractor show and parade is at 5 p.m. on July 30 followed by the antique tractor pulls at 6 p.m. at the grandstand. These Wednesday events are free with paid fair admission. Grandstand events continue on Thursday with a pair of tractor pulls. There is a 1 p.m. afternoon tractor pull for $5 and an evening show at 7 p.m. for $10. A pit pass good for both shows is available for $20. The Big Hat Rodeo returns to the grandstand on Friday evening. Admission to the rodeo is $10. Bone crunching twisted metal will be heard and seen
during the annual demolition derby on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10 or a pit pass is available for $20. “Our new event this year is the Barnyard Olympics on Sunday,� said Holm. “This is an event that all ages can be a part of.� The deadline to register for the Barnyard Olympics is Friday, Aug. 1, but Holm encourages interested teams to contact the fair office early. The event is limited to the first 20 teams. The Barnyard Olympics will be held at 11 a.m. and is free to watch. All these events require paid fair admission. Daily admission to the fair is $8 per person. “Families have loved our all-you-can-ride admission to the fair,� said Holm. “For just $8 your ticket includes unlimited rides.� Having the unlimited rides allows families to experience everything the fair has to offer. Holm said the fair board made the decision a few years ago to include fair rides in the admission fee to simplify the cost structure of the fair. For families looking for additional savings, Holm said discount tickets are available before the fair. “Casey’s in Oregon, Stillman Valley, and Byron, have discounted tickets for sale,� said Holm. Pre-sold tickets at Casey’s are $3 off gate admission and $2 off grandstand events. There are several free shows available with paid gate admission. Live music shows are held at the Lion’s Pavilion on Thursday, July 31, Friday, Aug. 1, and Saturday, Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. These three music performances are free with fair admission. Turn to A3
New lift could be purchased By Chris Johnson Reporter Forreston officials are looking into purchasing a lift for the village. “I would like to find a lift so we can change light bulbs and trim branches,� said village president Michael Harn July 21. “We were fortunate to be able to borrow one.� Harn said the money has been budgeted for equipment. “We were going to get a backhoe and had $35,000 budgeted,� said Harn. “I am thinking $20,000 to $22,000 for a lift.� Harn said that when researching the price of used backhoes the cost was higher
then budgeted. The village also uses a lift to put up the Christmas decorations and banners on the light poles in downtown Forreston. “I would like one at least 30 feet that would hold two people in a bucket,� said Harn. Harn said he would check with a Mendota company about the price of refurbished lifts. “I am in favor of it,� said trustee Marc Stamm. “I don’t have a problem with it,� said trustee Ken Toms. Harn said next year the village can look into budgeting for a backhoe.
In This Week’s Edition...
Courtney Lima, a member of the Leaf River Soaring Eagles, gestures as she talks to Doug Wean, Mt. Morris, about this photo of a flower being entered in the 4-H fair exhibit building. Lima explained to Wean how she composed the shot and what camera settings were used. Photo by Chris Johnson
Projects created for the 4-H fair By Chris Johnson Reporter Robots, photographs, sculptures, paper crafts and more will be on display throughout the Ogle County 4-H Fair. The 4-H fair is held with the Ogle County Fair Wednesday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 3. Creative 4-H members were checking projects in July 26 to be judged before
having the projects put on display. Seventeen-year-old Courtney Lima, a member of the Leaf River Soaring Eagles, was entering a photograph in the photography department. She talked to fair judge Doug Wean, Mt. Morris, about the yellow flower she took a photo of. “He was awesome, he taught me a lot,� said Lima. “He taught me about
compositions and the rule of thirds.� Lima said having a good judge makes her want to pursue her projects every year. “I enjoy coming here and learning about the things I enjoy,� she said. “I can’t draw so this is a way I can express myself artistically.� The flower photograph was well received by Wean and while listening to his critique of the project, he was
giving suggestions of things to try in future photographs. He told her about how changing the settings on the camera can change how the overall photograph appears. This was the fifth year Lima has entered photos in the 4-H fair. Another creative project was entered by 15-yearold Natalie Carlson, By-Y Badgers. Turn to A9
Sheriff’s building is underway Groundbreaking set for August 19 By Vinde Wells Editor Although construction is already well-underway, the official groundbreaking for the new Ogle County Sheriff’s administration building will be held in midAugust. A groundbreaking ceremony has been set for Tuesday, Aug. 19 at 4:30 p.m. at 103 Jefferson St., Oregon. The work actually began this spring with site excavation for the $4.1 million project. Located on the same property where the present
With the foundation poured on the new Ogle County Sheriff’s Administration building, workers from P&H Electric have been making sure the conduit pipes are where they are needed before the floor of the building is poured. Photo by Chris Johnson
sheriff’s office is, the new building will house the sheriff’s department, 911 communications center, and the coroner’s office and morgue. Ogle County Board Chairman Kim Gouker, Byron, said Tuesday that construction is progressing
smoothly. “It’s going well,� he said. “It’s ahead of schedule. We haven’t had any major issues to slow it down or cost us money.� The foundation was poured several weeks ago, and workers have spent the last two weeks installing the
conduit for electrical wiring and plumbing, Gouker said. He said he expects construction will be completed late this fall or early next spring. The building was designed by Saavedra Gehlhausen Turn to A2
Sauerkraut Day at Memorial Park The Forreston American Legion Family is sponsoring its sixth annual Car Show as part of the yearly Sauerkraut Day on Saturday, Aug. 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Forreston Memorial Park. More than 150 cars and motorcycles are expected during the day-long show.
Byron Police, B6 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 Entertainment, A6
Dash plaques will be given to the first 75 entries and door prizes will be given out during the day. Sauerkraut dinners will be served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Music will be provided by 3D Sound. For questions concerning car entries, call Bret Schemel,
Fines, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Property Transfers, B5
American Legion Riders, 815-238-0713. Bouncy rides will be sponsored by Forreston Area Business Association, a bake sale sponsored by Faith Lutheran Church, cash bingo, petting zoo, craft booths and ball games, all sponsored by the Forreston Lions Club.
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A11, B1 State’s Attorney, B5
Karaoke will be held at the city park from 5 to 9 p.m. A Community Church Service will be held Sunday, Aug. 3 at 9:30 a.m. at the park, followed by a community breakfast at the fire department from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Deaths, B2 Roger L. Ackerman, Alice J. Baker, Linda M. Burke, Neva H. Grady, Lance E. Reed, James J. Semon
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