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October 27, 2003 |
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About Town Dave Uphoff |
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Let's get ready for Minonk's sesquicentennial
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Next year Minonk will be 150 years old. On November 7, 1854 a plat of the town was recorded in the
Office of the Recorder of Woodford County. Now is the time for a committee to be organized to
celebrate our city's 150th birthday. Jari Lynn Oncken of Minonk said that she would help in getting a
committee organized. Although she doesn't want to be the head of
the committee she wants to contribute whatever she can to help make the sesquicentennial celebration
a success. Anyone who is interested in becoming involved in the sesquicentennial committee,
should contact Jari Lynn at 309/432-2021.
Jari Lynn has been recording Minonk history for the past few years. She has written numerous articles for the Woodford Journal on Minonk history and has collected a large number of old photographs of Minonk. Like most small communities, Minonk has been through some rough times during the last 40 years. Much of our downtown business district has disappeared and both the city and the schools have fallen on financial hard times. However, the community has weathered hard times before and will survive the current downturn. A celebration of Minonk's past would be a good way to invigorate community spirit and remind us all of what a truly beautiful community we have.
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Perhaps an appropriate time to celebrate the sesquicentennial would be in conjunction with Minonk's
annual Fourth of July celebration when people from all over come to Minonk. The sesquicentennial could
be the theme of the Fourth where everyone could get into the spirit of things. Maybe we could even get
the carnival workers to dress up in old fashioned clothes.
Another suggestion that I have heard is to have the local businesses decorate their windows with old fashion decorations. Of course, having the longest beard contest would an obvious part of the celebration. This website has accumulated a lot of old photographs of Minonk as well as articles depicting Minonk's history and can be a source of information for planning the celebration. In fact, I plan to display artifacts and memorabilia from Minonk's past in the restored IOOF building at Fifth and Walnut. Anyone who has some old things from Minonk's past and wishes to display them at my building, please contact me. Items can be donated or they can be loaned for a certain time period. Many people have already given me things from Minonk's past and I plan to have them on display by Christmas. Minonk was 100 years old in 1954 but there was no centennial celebration even though smaller towns like Benson were able to hold a centennial celebration. Let's not let another milestone celebration slip away again. Minonk is making a comeback with the new Millenium Park at the north edge of the city and the new pavilion in the Westside Park. Let's celebrate our communities rebirth by holding a grand sesquicentennial celebration to honor Minonk's past and to show our faith in the city's future. |
