ILLINOIS
This annual American Revolution reenactment was scheduled for June because for the last two years it’s just been too hot in July. The site overlooks Lake Shelbyville and features re-created battles as well as British, colonial, and Indian encampments. There will also be a parade, a dance, weapons displays, and a demonstration of “soldier rolling”–a form of looting in which, according to a spokesperson, women following the troops would “roll the dead ones over to strip them of everything they could because supplies were so scarce.”
JULY 2-6
1845 INDEPENDENCE DAY
SHERWOOD FOREST CAMPGROUND | 920 CITY LAKE | HILLSBORO | 7-10 PM FRIDAY, 2-6 AND 7-11 PM SATURDAY, 10 AM-Noon SUNDAY | $7 FRIDAY, $12 SATURDAY, FREE SUNDAY; $18 weekend pass | 217-532-5211
According to a survey on the Illinois State Fair Web site, horses are the favorite animal attraction here, followed by cattle. Swine come in last. In addition to the traditional livestock, agricultural, floricultural, textile, home ec, dairy, and talent competitions, the annual ten-day fair includes all the midway and entertainment diversions you could hope for. At press time, however, schedules for the grandstand and other stages weren’t set, beyond a promised “Battle of the Illinois Bands.”
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In 1903 the Wright brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, the Ford Motor Company shipped its first auto, and William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson sold their first motorcycle. Those achievements and more are the focus of the first annual Wings and Wheels, which will offer rides in DC-3s, helicopters, vintage Stearman aircraft, a World War II navy trainer, and hot air balloons. There’ll also be displays of historic aircraft and antique Fords and Harleys, an air show, and a sneak preview of the Challenger Learning Center, a space mission simulator scheduled to open in December.
