ROGER MONROE
The 76th annual Heart of Illinois Fair ended Saturday night, July 19, but it was finished last year. Unfortunately, the board of directors of Exposition Gardens didn’t realize or didn’t want to acknowledge the heydays the Fair once enjoyed were over.
I was one of the few to attend this year’s event. My companion and I drove to the main entrance off Northmoor Road to be greeted with the admonition to go to the north entrance off University, though we were just a few feet from the one or two buildings hosting what was the so-called Fair. So we did. One big colorless sign on the the north gate road read, simply, “FAIR.” We drove up the drive to the next gate which was also closed. I looked across the empty parking lot that years ago was packed. Not today. In the distance, I saw some people and some cars. I headed for that possible entrance. There were no posted arrows or any direction indicators. Eureka! It was an entrance and it was free. Thank goodness. If I would’ve had to pay $20.00 for the two of us to get into what we experienced, I would’ve slit my wrists.
We slowly drove past empty buildings closed tighter than the vaults at Springdale Cemetery. No livestock. No carnival. No nothing. After exiting our car, the first sign we did see was cancellation of all of the free magician shows except an appearance at 6:30. I was told his first show was attended by four people. He apparently made most of his audience disappear.
Two buildings were open. We chose the one hosting the Flea Market. The huge room was filled with a number of vendors who had carefully unloaded and displayed their wares. There was a plethora of items from coasters to clothes. Tired of talking with each other, a couple of guys were eager to sell us some Chinese solar panels. They were still talking as we strolled around some tables with old license plates. There were only two other potential customers in the spacious room. One of the vendors and his wife said they had to pay Exposition Gardens $200 and another $800 for motel lodging to be a part of the Fair. It was a losing venture, they said. So, I bought a plate with a painted picture of Mickey Mantle and my friend bought a few items as well, including a figurine of a running back for the Kansas Chiefs. If all of this narrative is boring, so was the visit to the 76th annual Heart of Illinois Fair. It should’ve been cancelled.
Like the loss of a loved one, we remember the happier days and times. We have great memories of Sam the Candyman, Bill’s Lemonade, the carnival, and the free grandstand shows with big names like Bob Hope, the 5th Dimension, Roy Clark, Glen Campbell, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Rogers, Pat Boone, Connie Stevens, LeAnn Rimes, Jan and Dean, Tanya Tucker, and many others.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR EXPO GARDENS? While it’s true the grounds of Expo Gardens will never be the same, the question is what’s next?
City officials have become real estate agents. Getting stung by some wheeling and dealing over the Pere Marquette Hotel hasn’t caused a lack of interest in buying more property. Last year the city paid $1.75 million for the purchase of the former and once great Commercial Bank building, the former Creve Coeur Club, and a parking deck. That purchase raised eyebrows because the city bought the properties from Cullinan Properties which — a few months earlier — bought it for $1.25 million. Nice profit.
Next for Peoria’s real estate company was acquiring 70 acres from the board of Exposition Gardens for $1.1 million. The city says it’ll work with a developer to provide between 110 and 150 single-family homes. One wonders why a developer didn’t get into a bidding process for the property. Perhaps it was because there was no bidding process since Exposition Gardens owed the city $457,000 from unpaid stormwater utility taxes and other debts, which were forgiven.
That purchase should be a red flag for nearby neighbors and Peoria School District 150. As past president of the Wardcliffe Homeowners Association, I’m very familiar with the practice of “bait and switch.” We were told by city officials and banking representatives the Pierson Hills project was going to be single family homes and it would not be public housing. Managed by Upgrade, the project now consists of 250 apartments and some single family homes. No further details to discuss. Homeowners in the area of Exposition Gardens be aware. Stay diligent and in contact with your council representatives.
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA COMES TO PEORIA: We end this month’s column with the exciting news that one of the nation’s top high school football players, Mack Sutter of Dunlap High School, has chosen to play his college days at the University of Alabama, which is one of the best football schools in the country.
What an honor for Sutter and his family, including father, Ed Sutter, who played college ball at Northwestern University before signing with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL. Both Mack and Ed were guests on our morning radio show, “Breakfast with Roger and Friends” on WAZU-FM 90.7. Sutter has one more year of playing time at Dunlap before heading for Tuscaloosa. In our exclusive interview with father and son, we learned that more than 90 schools were interested in recruiting the young tight end for their football programs.
Illinois was among the schools and was seriously considered. Both Sutters had high praise for Illini coach Bret Bielema. You can hear the exclusive July 18 interview by going to “Breakfast with Roger and Friends” on Mix-Cloud.
You’ll also hear an articulate and intelligent Mack Sutter. By the way, you can now hear and see the “live” broadcast of our morning show on YouTube at www.breakfastwithrogerandfriends.com.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “The world is a dangerous place to live not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it,” — Albert Einstein.