Thursday August 3, 2017 Vol. 5, No. 22 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790
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Unlicensed company led to local fireworks difficulties By BILL KNIGHT
ELMWOOD – If area residents in the next few weeks start seeing fund-raising efforts by the Elmwood-Yates CityFarmington Fireworks Association, they shouldn’t think the volunteers have started too early. The need is immediate. And it was almost too late for last month’s 4th of July show, when the group days earlier discovered that the For The Weekly Post
company they’d worked with for some 20 years was no longer licensed. The Lincoln, Ill.-based company DCV Imports reportedly lost its federal explosives license over records discrepancies that left about 870 pounds of fireworks unaccounted for, according to the Lincoln Courier. The Illinois State Fire Marshall notified some municipalities that the company had been prohibited from doing fireworks business. “We found out they didn’t have their
license about 14 days before,” said Les Atwood of Elmwood, who’s with the area fireworks association. “The company had switched names to Half-Ton Pyrotechnics, but they couldn’t do the show.” Dozens of communities were affected, Atwood said, forcing cancellations or, at best, rescheduling. “We weren’t going there; we weren’t going that route,” Atwood said. “People donated and people expected fireworks.
“So we buckled down and got it done,” he continued. “We did what we’d done for years.” For the last few years, the group has featured shows costing about $7,000 each, Atwood said. “It all comes from the City of Elmwood, Elmwood Township, Farmington, Yates City and other governments plus a lot of businesses and some individuals,” he said. “Contributions are all over; Continued on Page 2
FROM BUTTERFLIES TO BATTLES
About 60 vehicles like these from last year's Farmington tractor pull are expected for the free Aug. 12 event in Dimmitt Park, says organizer B.J. Oldfield.
For a day, tractors offer work, play, togetherness By BILL KNIGHT
FARMINGTON – BJ Oldfield says his day job is driving a semi-tractor-trailer rig, but his background is in farming and his passion is in tractors. Especially tractor pulls. When the Aug. 12 tractor pull at Dimmitt Park here starts at 10 that morning, it will bring together some of Oldfield’s favorite things, he says. “My family’s been farming For The Weekly Post
around Farmington for generations,” he says. “My father and uncle and their fathers all farmed. I’m a lifelong Farmington resident and I’d been with the Bald Bluff Antique Tractor Association, and I wanted to have a tractor pull here, like Fairview and Yates City and other nearby towns have done, [so] I launched the whole thing here.” Next week’s will be the third one, he says, thanks to local officials, area sponsors Continued on Page 2
The Jubilee Butterfly Garden is in full bloom and is one of several attractions to see Saturday (Aug. 5) during a free open house at the Jubilee College Historic Site from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Jubilee College open house Saturday
BRIMFIELD – Visitors to the Jubilee College Historic Site this Saturday (Aug. 5) will have plenty to take in during the site’s annual free open house from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tour guides will be available to give insight into the history of the college, while master gardeners will offer information on gardens surrounding the site, including a native prairie. This is a good time to see those plantings, which are in bloom and attracting a variety of butterflies and
pollinators. On hand to discuss pollinators will be Jillian Reed, a beekeeper with more than 40 active hives. The Jubilee Churchyard Cemetery, which is not part of the Historic Site, will also be open for visitors to view the tombstones of prominent citizens, including several Civil War veterans. Reenactors from the 9th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, Company B, will stage a Civil War encampment. The Jubilee Sad-
dleRiders group will be represented by Jerry Lutker and her horse, Rusty. Mary Greenhood, a singer, storyteller, composer and guitarist from East Peoria, will perform Christian musician throughout the open house. Lunch will be provided by the “MeatnPlace” food truck, well known for pulled pork nachos and smokehouse burgers. The Friends and Volunteers of Jubilee College Historic Site help coordinate the free event.