HR0373LRB103 33561 ECR 63373 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Brown County on the
4occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Brown County Fair;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Brown County held its first fair celebration in
7the fall of 1872, where the present Brown County courthouse
8yard stands, with the original fair board being comprised of
9President William T. Hersman, Vice President David K. Watson,
10Recording Secretary A.K. Lowry, Treasurer William L. Taylor,
11and Corresponding Secretary Martin Brooks; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The 1872 Brown County Fair Board selected 15
13acres of land in the northeast part of Mount Sterling as the
14fairgrounds site, where a third-of-a-mile track was built and
15the first fair was held from October 23 to October 27, 1874;
16seven more acres of ground were purchased to enlarge the
17fairgrounds in 1878; with the additional land, the fair's race
18track was enlarged to its present length of a half-mile; the
19current fairgrounds include an amphitheater, a floral hall, an
20implement and grain room, a judges' stand, and 196 stalls; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The Brown County Fairgrounds were heavily damaged
22by a tornado on October 14, 1966, leaving only the floral hall

 

 

HR0373- 2 -LRB103 33561 ECR 63373 r

1and a horse barn still standing in very poor condition, and
2ultimately, both structures had to be demolished the next
3year; with the help of the community, the 94th Brown County
4Fair was held in 1967 with tents and bleachers used to replace
5the barns and amphitheater; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Brown County Fair consecutively ran until
72020 when the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to large events and
8gatherings, including all fairs; despite this interruption,
9the fair persists to this day and remains the oldest
10continuously running county fair in the State of Illinois; and
 
11    WHEREAS, For the Brown County Fair, horse racing has
12remained a large part of its celebrations; this year, the fair
13will have 70 horses present, making it one of the biggest races
14the fair has ever conducted; the fair also hosts many other
15events, including a pageant, a rodeo, tractor pulls, a demo
16derby, and pavilion entertainment; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The current Brown County Fair Board is comprised
18of President Ronnie McCaskill, Vice President Tom Parker,
19Second Vice President Ed Teefey, Secretary Richard Childers,
20Treasurer Brad Kassing, and members Mike Kropp, Lane Wiese,
21Rod Buss, Steve Kremer, Luke Metz, Mark Roberts, Doug
22Fairbanks, Dawn Dunn, and Josh Babb; therefore, be it
 

 

 

HR0373- 3 -LRB103 33561 ECR 63373 r

1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we congratulate Brown County on its 150th fair celebration,
4and we wish the county continued success in the years to come;
5and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the Brown County Fair Board as an expression of
8our esteem and respect.