Fall festivals in Atlanta and Mount Pulaski this weekend

[September 10, 2009]  ATLANTA and MOUNT PULASKI -- From a talent show and baking contest in Atlanta to a courthouse bandstand dedication and plednty of live music in Mount Pulaski, as well as plenty of meal options in both locations, Logan County's two signature fall festivals have plenty to offer this weekend, Thursday-Saturday.

Fun Unlimited Shows from Florida will provide the amusement rides all three days at Atlanta's festival. This year's festival and parade theme is "Now Showing Our Favorite Movie." The parade is at 2 p.m. Saturday and also features Peoria Shrine Club's "Tin Lizzies."

The Atlanta festival kicks off today (Thursday) from 5 to 7 p.m. with the Atlanta Rotary pork chop supper, followed by Atlanta and Vinegar Hill band performances. Friday's kickoff meal, from 5 to 7 p.m., is a catfish or walleye dinner sponsored by Atlanta Fire Department. That evening also features a prince and princess contest and music from rock 'n' rollers Vintage Daze.

Saturday starts off with the popular cake and pie contest and a biscuit and gravy breakfast sponsored by The New Church from McLean. The full day of activities also includes fire truck rides for the kids, the 2 p.m. parade, a talent show from 5 to 6 p.m., 6 p.m. barbecue chicken dinner sponsored by Atlanta Methodist Church, an Elvis performance from 6 to 8 p.m., cake and pie auction at 8 p.m., and a 50-50 drawing. All three days include merchant drawings and nightly bingo.

Zeiler Amusements is providing the carnival rides for Mount Pulaski's festival for all three days, beginning Thursday evening (tonight). The local Boy Scout pork chop sandwich dinner begins at 5 p.m., with the official opening ceremonies set for 5:50 p.m. From 6 to 8 p.m., catch the Cutest Lil Farmer and Little Miss and Junior Miss Mount Pulaski contests, followed by the community band concert.

Friday's meal, the American Legion steak fry dinner, starts at 5 p.m., followed by performances by Brooks Studio of Dance and Fitness, Ted Crispy & the All Vegetable Band, and Upfront. Also Friday evening is egg roulette, a game show and the lantern parade at dusk.

Saturday in Mount Pulaski is also a full day, beginning at 8 a.m. with a three-on-three tournament and farmers market. The day also includes an antique tractors display, car and bike show, 5K run, FFA petting zoo, pie cook-off, Jaycees' Kiddie Tractor Pull and the 2009 "Down Memory Lane" parade at 1 p.m. Afternoon performances are by the Mount Pulaski High School cheerleaders, musician Chris Vallillo, Salty Strings, Topper Idol, Bluesmattic, Poprocks Band and comedians Jeremy Nunes and Chris Smith. That evening there is a ham and beans dinner at 5 p.m. and a doughnut eating contest at 5:30.

Perhaps the most significant event of the Mount Pulaski Fall Festival is the dedication of the new bandstand at the southeast corner of the Mount Pulaski Courthouse, a project of Mount Pulaski's Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Committee. Funding came through the Lincoln Legacy Project and engraved brick pavers that were purchased locally at $35 each for the front of the bandstand. The city of Mount Pulaski also contributed toward the concrete and base of the structure and allowed it to be built on city property. The Mount Pulaski Courthouse is an Illinois State Historic Site in which Abraham Lincoln practiced law as part of his travels on the 8th Judicial Circuit. The dedication will be followed by a concert performance by the Vintage Brass Band of Springfield, a musical partner of the 10th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.

For more information on either festival, call the Logan County tourism bureau at 217-732-8687.

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County]