HR0456 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0456 LRB094 12405 CSA 46696 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Village of Heyworth is hosting Sesquicentennial pre-celebration activities on May 21, 2005, during their annual "Hey Days" event; and

WHEREAS, The Village will celebrate its 150th anniversary on May 17 to May 21, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Heyworth was founded in 1856 and named after an early settler; Campbell Wakefield was essentially the founder of Heyworth and became the owner of a vast tract of land of approximately fifteen hundred acres which is now Heyworth; he made several donations, encouraged trade, and induced businessmen to locate in the new town; the Village was officially incorporated on May 10, 1901; and

WHEREAS, The interurban railway made its last run down Walnut Street through Heyworth in February of 1953; steam locomotives were silenced by the 1960s; during the 1940s and 1950s, many businesses were located in downtown Heyworth, including a doctor, several grocery stores, hardware, lumber, farm machinery, and a couple of drug stores; the current Village Hall is located in the building where the power supply for the entire Village was generated until 1963; electricity was generated by several large diesel generators, and their operation provided jobs for many residents; before radios were used, the workers would "blink" the street lights to let the police officer on duty know to report to Village Hall for an emergency; by the end of the 1960s, Heyworth saw its downtown area begin to fade like a lot of other small towns; and

WHEREAS, Memorial Day weekend in 1970 saw a major event take place in Heyworth, which became known as the "Kickapoo Creek Rock Festival; about 90,000 people from all over the nation took part in the very interesting event located a mile northwest of town; and

WHEREAS, The relocation of high voltage power lines around the west side of Heyworth in the early 1990s started a huge housing boom and four new subdivisions helped the population increase to its current 2,600; many major improvements have been made to the water, sewer, and highly traveled streets; Heyworth has its first strip mall with Dollar General and Subway; many new parks have been added throughout the Village and Centennial Park on the west side of town has a beautiful lake with a walking trail, several ball fields, and a soccer area for the community to enjoy; and

WHEREAS, The Village still has several businesses in the downtown area and looks forward to the future with hopes of expansion in residential and commercial growth; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the Village of Heyworth's pre-celebration activities in preparation for the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Village of Heyworth as an expression of our esteem.