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The 10,000-square-foot, award-winning Insanity Haunted House in Peru features over 40 actors and different themes in each room.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Bureau County Homestead Festival’s parade, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9 on Princeton’s Main Street, will feature over 100 total entries. These entries will feature floats, bands, musical entries, a variety of vehicles and more. (Scott Anderson – sanderson@shawmedia.com)
Bureau County Homestead Festival’s parade, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, on Princeton’s Main Street, will feature more than 100 total entries. These entries will feature floats, bands, musical entries, a variety of vehicles and more.
Participants will line up on Marquette Street before turning onto North Main Street, completing the almost two mile stretch and ending by turning onto Pleasant Street, before Soldiers and Sailors Park.
Parade float judging will begin at 11:30 a.m. as participants will be considered for the Owen Lovejoy Memorial Trophy, Most Humorous Entry, The Mayor’s Trophy, The Grand Marshal’s Trophy and Church/Religious Organizations Award.
The Homestead Festival Parade is one event that will take place during the Homestead Festival that will take place Sept. 8-10 in Princeton. A full event schedule can be found here.
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This photo appeared in the Bureau County Republican on April 2, 1936, to promote Amelia Earhart’s upcoming lecture at Princeton High School on April 7. It shows Earhart with her Vega 5B single-engine airplane, “Old Bessie.” (Shaw Local News Network)
News stories published toward the end of January have told the world about the possible discovery of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart’s long-lost airplane on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
Whether it turns out to be true or not remains to be seen, but for local residents, the news brings to mind Princeton’s brush with the famed female pilot about 88 years ago.
Fifteen months before she disappeared during her attempted around-the-world flight, Earhart found herself on a lecture tour that brought her to the Princeton High School auditorium.
“The lure of flying is the lure of beauty,” the 38-year-old pilot told a Bureau Valley Civic League audience on Tuesday evening, April 7, 1936.
Earhart – 5-foot-8, slim, gray-eyed, with fair, wavy hair kept short – had racked up a series of impressive aviation firsts ahead of her Princeton appearance. Wearing a brown crepe dress with a satin jacket and egg shell trim, Earhart “impressed her listeners as much with her charm as with her intellect,” according to a story in the Bureau County Republican.
“Her voice was well modulated and her stage presence most pleasing,” the Bureau County Republican reported, adding an admiring nod to her “keen sense of humor.”
Earhart tickets were the hottest item in town that April evening. The Civic League, in a BCR story the previous week, sternly announced it had to refuse numerous requests for tickets from nonmembers eager to see the first woman to fly the Atlantic alone and the first person to solo over the Pacific from Honolulu to California.
In those days, about 1,000 people could fit in the PHS auditorium. Those fortunate enough to gain admittance heard Earhart tell of her flights “on starlit nights, through billowy clouds, as well as during rain storms, and in daylight over water and landscape.”
Ironically, Earhart drove, not flew, to Princeton for her 8:15 p.m. appearance, having arrived late in the afternoon. She was in the midst of a busy lecture tour. During the previous six months, according to the BCR, she had traveled to 30 states from Massachusetts to California, averaging 4,000 miles of driving a month. Biographer Susan Butler writes that Earhart was paid $300 a lecture.
Earhart, who was introduced by Dr. K.M. Nelson of Princeton, made two key points during her lecture: first, that aviation would and indeed must play an increasingly important role in America’s commercial and social life.
“She states that her flights as well as those of other air explorers all help to build more firmly the foundation on which future aeronautic development rests,” the BCR reported.
Second, Earhart called on women, through aviation and other non-traditional fields, to advance above and beyond society’s limited expectations in the 1930s.
“Women should strive for goals outside of what is ridiculously known as their sphere, if they are to become persons. Women must do for themselves what men have already done for themselves,” she said.
While it was not widely known, Earhart was making plans to fly around the world at the time of her Princeton lecture. On July 24, less than four months later, she took possession of a brand new twin-engine Lockheed Electra 10E airplane in California – the same plane which, the following year, carried her and navigator Fred Noonan more than 22,000 miles on their ill-fated journey. They disappeared over the Pacific en route from New Guinea to Howland Island on July 2, 1937. Separate searches organized by the U.S. Navy and George Putnam, Earhart’s husband, proved fruitless.
Wrapping up her lecture at PHS, Earhart described how she typically got ready for her epic air journeys.
“The speaker declared that two-thirds of the success of any expedition depends upon the preparation, and that in all of her major flights she confers with a technical adviser who is usually a pilot in whom she has confidence,” the BCR reported.
“Miss Earhart also maintains that since mental hazards are one of the greatest obstacles, all worrying should be done at least two months before the expedition gets underway, and in the line of worry, it has always been her endeavor to overcome, not overlook, risks.”
For Amelia Earhart, greatness as a pioneering aviator and advocate for women is her lasting legacy. For Princeton, the story of its brush with Earhart’s greatness is worth remembering.
Author’s note: Sources for this article are Bureau County Republican archives; “East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart,” by Susan Butler; “The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart” by Mary S. Lovell; the 1927 PHS Tiger yearbook; and Wikipedia.
• Jim Dunn, who retired as editor and general manager of the Bureau County Republican in 2020, is president of the Bureau County History Center Board.
Boggios Orchard and Produce float had a giant ear of corn during the Homestead Festival Parade on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Princeton. (Mike Vaughn for Shaw Local News )
The 54th annual Homestead Festival, an end-of-summer tradition in the Illinois Valley, returns Sept. 4-7 in Princeton.
The festival honors Rev. Owen Lovejoy’s contributions to the Underground Railroad and offers a blend of historical experiences and modern-day fun.
From a Main Street parade and a classic car show to a flea market and live entertainment, the festival highlights Bureau County and offers something for everyone.
The Homestead Festival parade rolls down Main Street during the Homestead Festival on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Princeton. (Mike Vaughn for Shaw Local News )
Live Music
Enjoy performances from Electric Avenue: “The ’80s MTV Experience” on Thursday, Sept. 4; Rodeo Drive and Infinity on Friday, Sept. 5 and Midnight Rider on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Car Show
The 45th annual car show is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7 on South Main Street. More than 20 classes of vehicles will be on display and judged for trophies.
Craft Show
Dozens of vendors will line the Bureau County Courthouse lawn on Saturday, Sept. 6 and Sunday, Sept. 7 for the craft show. Browse home decor items, handmade jewelry, sculpture, art and much more.
Homestead Festival Parade
The parade steps off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 from North Main Street and travels about 2 miles before finishing at South Main Street. This year’s parade marshals are Dr. Barbara Swalve Everett and Dr. Richard Everett.
Additional events happening throughout the weekend include a pie-eating contest, baby contest, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Euchre tournament, tug fest, Underground Railroad 5K race, kids activities, BBQ contest and much more.
Tours of the Owen Lovejoy Homestead will be ongoing throughout the festival.
For more information and a complete lineup of events, visit homesteadfestival.com or the festival’s Facebook page.
Aimee Barrows is the editor of The Scene, Shaw Local News Network's entertainment section. The Scene is your go-to destination for all things fun in Northern Illinois. Prior to The Scene, Aimee was the editor of the Kane County Chronicle for five years, and a freelance reporter for Shaw Media for four years.
The Friends of the Library Book Sale is scheduled 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday July 25, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday July 26, at the Princeton Public Library, 698 E. Peru St. (Shaw File photo)
The Friends of the Library Book Sale is scheduled 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday July 25, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday July 26, at the Princeton Public Library, 698 E. Peru St.
Browse through lightly used books, DVS, CDs and puzzles all previewed by the Friends of the Library.
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Princeton’s historic Oakland Cemetery is undergoing significant improvements thanks to a generous donation from the Oakland Cemetery Preservation Fund, established by local benefactor Gary C. Johnson and supported by other contributors. (Photo provided by Starved Rock Country Community Foundation)
Princeton’s historic Oakland Cemetery is undergoing significant improvements thanks to a generous donation from the Oakland Cemetery Preservation Fund, established by local benefactor Gary C. Johnson and supported by other contributors.
Recent upgrades include restored headstones, new signage, removal of 50 tree stumps, and landscape enhancements. A manlift was purchased to safely remove hazardous trees, and flowering trees will be planted this spring.
“Philanthropic gifts have sparked a thoughtful transformation that honors the cemetery’s legacy while enhancing its future,” Pamela Beckett, co-founder of the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation and co-creator of the preservation fund with Johnson, said.
Erik Ellberg, Princeton’s Cemetery and Streets Foreman, said stump removal has greatly improved the grounds’ appearance and increased safety by eliminating falling limbs and trees. He hopes continued donations will support further improvements.
Founded in 1836, just five years after Princeton’s establishment, Oakland Cemetery was originally owned by Rev. Lucien Farham and served the Hampshire Colony Congregational Church. The city leased the grounds in 1862 and expanded the site, naming it for the oak trees on the property.
Designed as a garden cemetery by landscape architect L.L. Herron and surveyor Romanus Hodgman, it featured carriage paths, picnic areas, and a Gothic revival office building. The cemetery is known for artistic monuments, including white bronze obelisks, angel statues, and a 34-foot granite memorial to pioneer historian Nehemiah Matson.
In 2021, Oakland Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it spans nearly 80 acres and holds over 15,000 burials, making it one of Bureau County’s most significant cemeteries.
For more information, contact the Princeton Cemetery Department at (815) 875-2631 or cemetery@princeton-il.com. To contribute to the preservation fund, visit the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation website.
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The skies over Princeton will come alive on Friday, Oct. 4 with the Monster Mash Balloon Bash. (Image provided by the City of Princeton. )
The skies over Princeton will come alive on Saturday, Oct. 4 with the Monster Mash Balloon Bash, presented by the Princeton Area Chamber of Commerce, Princeton Tourism, and the Bureau County Fair.
This spook-tacular fall celebration will fill the Bureau County Fairgrounds with hot air balloons and Halloween treats and thrills for all ages, according to a news release.
The evening kicks off at 4:30 p.m. with tethered hot air balloon rides, available until 7 p.m. Advance ride tickets can be purchased online at princetonchamber-il.com, and walk-up rides will be available after 7:30 p.m. From 6 to 8 p.m., the balloons will light up the night sky during the much-anticipated Balloon Glow.
Food lovers will find plenty to enjoy, with the Bureau County Fairgrounds’ Mummies Café open from 4 to 10 p.m., while food trucks will begin serving at 4 p.m.
Families can spend the evening enjoying hayrack rides, trolley rides, pony rides, mini-train rides, Usborne Book Fair and Paint Your Own Pottery with The Knack. A festive Trunk or Treat, provided by the Arukah Institute of Healing, City of Princeton, Landmark Realty, Tri-County Opportunities Council, Youth Service Bureau and Zearing Child Enrichment Center, will add even more fun for children.
Entertainment includes a lively performance by the Hocus Pocus Hags at 6:30 p.m., followed by an outdoor Halloween movie starting at 7 p.m.
The evening also marks the opening weekend of the Nightmare Haunted Attraction, which will host a special “Lights On” experience for little ones and those who prefer a less scary adventure from 6:30 to 7 p.m. The full haunted house will run from 7 to 10 p.m.
Additional fall festivities in Princeton will take place earlier in the day, beginning with Trick-or-Treating on Main Street from 2 to 4 p.m. At 4 p.m., a Halloween Costume Contest for all ages (including pets) will be held at Soldiers & Sailors Park. At 5:30 p.m., the Halloween Parade will step off from Soldiers & Sailors Park, travel down Central Street to Crown Street, and continue to the Fairgrounds, officially kicking off the Monster Mash Balloon Bash.
To make the weekend even more magical, downtown Princeton will host Witches Night Out the evening before, creating a full weekend of fall fun in the community.
For information, visit princetonchamber-il.com, princetontourism.org or bureaucountyfair.com.
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The American Legion Auxiliary #125 met on Wednesday and prepared Memorial Day bags to give to Veterans at local retirement and nursing homes. (Photo Provided by American Legion Auxiliary #125)
The American Legion Auxiliary #125 met on Wednesday and prepared Memorial Day bags to give to Veterans at local retirement and nursing homes.
During the meeting, the organization also elected and appointed Jennifer Baumgartener as President, Mary Spratt as Vice President, Mariel Fisher as Treasurer and Lydia Foehring as Secretary.
The auxiliary is a locally-run organization who is actively seeking new members. If anyone is interested in joining the group is encouraged to reach out and they will provide an application.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois