The Springfield Journal-Register has a lengthy and sometimes-depressing report about long-overdue repairs at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in town. A prominent alignment of Route 66 runs next to the grounds.
Whether the repairs are done is dependent on whether the legislature adopts the governor’s budget, which includes money for the fixes.
In the meantime:
The Route 66 Cat Club of Springfield had to scramble to find an alternate location for the International Cat Association Purebred and Household Pet Cat Show, which had been scheduled for its third run at the fairgrounds April 12-13. The event will now be held at the Eagles Club, 2700 E. Ash St.
“We had to change our Web site, we had to re-print flyers, and it’s basically notifying everybody that’s already entered the show that it’s changed,” said Mona Lykins, one of the show’s coordinators. The move means the show will have 10,000 square feet of space rather than the 39,000 it would have had at the fairgrounds. […]
Not all groups have had such luck in relocation.
“We searched every facility in the state and came up with nothing that was viable that we could shoehorn into,” Frank Bowman, president of the board for the Horseman’s Council of Illinois, said last week after he had to cancel the Illinois Horse Fair. That event, which draws 10,000 people to the fairgrounds, was to have run Friday through today.
There’s an attached list with the story about the fairgrounds’ prominent buildings and their condition, what happens to its old electrical cable when it’s replaced this spring, and a lawmaker who wants to examine the fairgrounds’ records over the past six years. He’s checking to see whether the grounds have been properly maintained.
Naturally, there’s been a lot of finger-pointing at the governor about this. But, as someone who’s attended the Illinois State Fair since the 1970s, it was no secret that the fairgrounds needed a major overhaul. Back then, my dad insisted that many of the livestock barns were “fire traps.” So the blame for deferred maintenance has to be placed at the feet of many governors, not just one.
I predict that some sort of agreement will be hammered out in the legislature this year to deal with the most pressing repairs. The state fair is too important for Springfield to consider a cancellation of the annual August event. The fair has been held annually since 1853; God help the poor soul who would stop it.
That’s a good story Ron….thanks for the link. I have some family ties to the fair, and the fairgrounds. Those are some wonderful old buildings, and I hope the whole facility is given the attention it is due.