Three new events, headlined by Conrad Park and bandshell debut, coming to Fairbury this summer

Three new summer events are coming to the city of Fairbury over the next three months, after plans for all three were approved unanimously at the city council meeting on Tuesday night.

First, the Fairbury chapter of Future Business Leaders of America will close off part of E Street to host a "Sunday Funday" concert and cornhole tournament at On the Bricks near downtown coming up this Sunday, June 8. That event will run from 2-7 PM.

The Fairbury Public Library will close off a couple of blocks of 7th Street for a Summer Reading Program activity on the evening of July 14th. The closure will give the library space to bring a Virtual Reality game truck to town. That will run from 5:30-10 PM.

And the city's headliner ever for the summer: the date for the formal unveiling of Conrad Park, highlighted by the debut of the city's bandshell, has been set for August 2. 

"It's going to be a full day of events for kids and adults alike," Fairbury mayor Kelly Davis said Tuesday. "A cornhole tournament, putt putt golf, music all day...three bands for sure, and a DJ...I might sing a little!"

"Let me know what time that is," councilmember Phil Rogge retorted.

After a petition from Abby Hasselbring, Tooley's Bar was approved for a license to craft a beer garden to run alongside the event, which the city hopes will become an annual end-of-summer affair and will serve as a fundraiser for the band program at Fairbury Public Schools.

Some alleys and other areas of the downtown square will be closed off or restricted to provide space for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and all-day event on August 2. The Saturday farmer's market will still run as scheduled in the morning, with the rest of the festivities scheduled to run from 11 AM to 1 AM.

Elsewhere, the council moved forward on a plan to construct a small business incubator in the city. Dating back to the council meeting on April 1 which prompted some closed-session discussion and negotiations with the contractor, the council elected to move forward with the proposal from Ayars and Ayars to design and construct the building that will eventually house the incubator, a plan that will cost just over $1.5 million. 

Finally, the council voted to retain local accounting firm Blobaum & Busboom to execute their annual audit, the same firm the city has used for decades.

"There are numerous towns that are struggling to find an auditor as theirs have retired and there just aren't any available," city clerk Erin Reimer said. "I'm not aware the city has had any issues in the past with Blobaum & Busboom. They know our items really well, and are really helpful and good to work with."