The carnival for this year’s McLean County Fair will be held from 1-11 p.m. Aug. 3-Aug. 5, 12-11 p.m. Aug. 6 and 12-10 p.m. Aug. 7 at the count fairgrounds in Bloomington. (Photo courtesy McLean County Fair)

McLean County

Get ready for annual summer fun at County Fair

4-H members are preparing for the annual McLean County Fair on Aug. 3-7 fair. Gates will be open from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. each day. Exhibits will be open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Aug. 3-6, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 7.

Various activities will include farm family fun zone, petting zoo, comedy and magic shows, music tent with daily live broadcasts, face painting, antique tractor display, dog agility demonstration, emergency services display and balloon twisting artists.

A carnival will be held from 1-11 p.m. Aug. 3-Aug. 5, 12-11 p.m. Aug. 6 and 12-10 p.m. Aug. 7.

Featured meal service will be provided by the McLean County Beef Producers, Aug. 3, Aug. 5 and Aug. 7; and McLean County Pork Producers, Aug. 4 and Aug. 6.

The schedule for the evening grandstand entertainment and admission fees are as follows:

• 6 p.m. Aug. 3: Tobin’s Pizza Big Smokers Tractor Pull,  $8 admission;
• 6 p.m. Aug. 4: Tobin’s Pizza Smokers Tractor Pull and Local Pickup Truck Pull-Offs, $6 admission;
• 8 p.m. Aug. 5: Country artist Neal McCoy, $5 admission;
• 7 p.m. Aug. 6: Don Owen Tire Demo Derby, $15 admission; and
• 5 p.m. Aug. 7: Music Night featuring local bands, $7 admission.

An extensive list of livestock exhibits and contests and details about other contests and shows can be found at www.mcleancountyfair.org/4h.html.

The fairgrounds are at 1106 Interstate Drive, Bloomington. Get more information by sending an email to info@mcleancountyfair.org or calling (309) 663-6497.

60 workers treated for pesticide exposure in Mount Hope

It started as a routine day of detasseling corn. But as their shift got underway on Tuesday, July 19, about 60 workers, ranging in age from 13 to 18, began complaining of skin irritation, major discomfort and itching as they tended to their tasks in a crop field in Mount Hope Township. According to reports, the field owner reported spraying the crops with a fungicide and pesticide the day before the incident.

As a precaution, the workers were detoxed on site with soap and water. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, are investigating.

Two people arrested on suspicion of ISU bomb threat

After a days-long investigation, Illinois State University’s Police Department, in conjunction with Illinois State Police Task Force No. 6, arrested Bryan and Johanna Peerschall on Monday, July 18, on suspicion of making a bomb threat on the campus in Normal.

According to officials from the two agencies, the Peerschalls admitted to making the bomb threat and said they did so to cause a diversion. Agency representatives further stated the Peerschalls indicated they planned to rob numerous banks in the Bloomington-Normal area while police were investigating the bomb threat.

Father, son facing criminal charges on sex assault allegations

A father and son from Chicago are facing criminal charges in McLean County on allegations they sexually assaulted a woman on Illinois State University’s campus Tuesday, July 19.

According to a criminal complaint, Shawn Childs Sr. and Shawn Childs Jr. conspired together to assault a woman during ISU’s annual student orientation event, known as Preview. The elder Childs is suspected of putting ecstasy in the woman’s soda, the complaint states.

The younger Childs is accused of following the woman to a dorm room she was staying at during the two-day event and subsequently assaulting her. The alleged victim reported the attack the morning afterward, and the father and son were arrested at Uptown Station as they were attempting to board a train back to Chicago.

An arraignment for both men is scheduled for Friday, July 29.

New Bloomington-Normal solar rebate program running

Solar Bloomington-Normal, a grassroots effort designed to encourage property owners to invest in alternative forms of energy, has begun installing panels, organizers have announced.

The first panels were installed on a small grouping of homes in mid-July. Solar Bloomington-Normal has announced three information sessions on the use of solar power.

One session will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 28 at Fat Jack’s Bar, 511 N. Main St., Bloomington. The other sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2 at the Normal Public Library, 206 W. College Ave.; and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9 at the Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive St. Participants can receive a free solar site assessment and customized quote.

Bloomington

Police subdue suicidal man on North Lee Street

Bloomington Police on Tuesday, July 19, responded to a call of a suicidal man in the 400 block of North Lee Street and eventually restored peace to the area without any deaths or injuries. When police arrived at the scene immediately after a call came in at 2:47 a.m., they were able to safely remove a female inside the home.

The man had subsequently barricaded himself in a room as continued threats of suicide were made. As police tried subduing the man, officers also rerouted all traffic near the home and made door-to-door notifications to residents living near the home.

The man was eventually taken down by what was described as “a less lethal projectile” in his torso, and he was conveyed to an area hospital. A canvass of the property revealed the man had several weapons.

Police investigate latest round of ‘shots fired’ calls

Bloomington Police responded to the latest in a series of recent calls of gunshots being fired off in specific areas of the city. The most recent incident came in at 4:44 a.m. Sunday, July 17 in a location believed to be near the intersection of Washington and Howard streets.

Police canvassed the area and collected undisclosed evidence in the immediate area. No injuries were reported and, at press deadline, there were not any arrests related to this incident.

City seeking nominee for Heritage Awards program

The city of Bloomington will accept nominations for its annual Heritage Awards program through Thursday, Sept. 15. The recognition event is designed to put the spotlight on residents who preserve the city’s unique and historic identity. Nomination papers are available at city hall or online at www.cityblm.org.

Normal

Awards panel names Normal’s citizen of the year

Mandava Roa has been named Normal’s citizen of the year, organizers of the eventual recognition event announced recently. Roa moved to Central Illinois in 2000 from India, his native country.

Mayor Chris Koos said there were a number of reasons Roa received the recognition, including his role in founding and leading such local organizations as For a Better Tomorrow and the Central Illinois Cricket Association.

–McLean County News Briefs–