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Havana, like Lincoln,
prepares for 150th
celebration
[JUNE 5, 2003]
The same time that Postville
was being formed, another little burg to the northwest on the
Illinois River was also getting established. In 1853 what had
started as Ross’ Ferry was incorporated as the village of Havana,
and residents are planning a big celebration for their
sesquicentennial on June 6, 7 and 8.
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The festivities will begin on Friday
night with a street dance on Main Street, featuring the popular
country, rock and southern rock music of Pork and the Havana Ducks.
This band, featuring two former Havana residents, got its start in
Havana and continues to be popular to this day.
There will be music on the Main Street
stage the entire weekend, covering a wide variety of genres, with
jazz in the Benny Goodman tradition and country music on Saturday
and old-fashioned folk music on Sunday.
Saturday’s activities begin with a doll
buggy parade at 11 a.m., followed by the big parade at 1 p.m.
Entrants in the big parade -- nearly 150 of them -- come from all
over the Midwest, featuring bands, circus performers choruses and
more. Saturday night activities will include a Civil War ball with
period music provided by the 33rd Illinois Regimental Volunteer Band
and an evening glow and fly-over by three hot-air balloons.
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Festivities on Sunday will wrap up with
the beard contest for the Brothers of the Brush and the costume
contest for the Sisters of the Swish.
Meanwhile, throughout the weekend
Havana’s Riverfront Park and courthouse square will be filled with
food vendors, crafts and antiques, as well as demonstrations and
displays of old-time arts, from broom making to blacksmithing.
There will even be an old-fashioned
general store at the Riverside Club by the park, demonstrations of
threshing, a sawmill, steam engines and an antique tractor display.
Downtown most of the windows have
displays of antiques and Havana memorabilia representing various
decades through the years.
Havana has been having monthly
sesquicentennial events and will continue to celebrate through Dec.
31.
For more information, click the "150"
logo at
www.havana.lib.il.us and check the
calendar.
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