ARCOLA – If you have a broom with plastic or nylon bristles and it's not cleaning your floor satisfactorily, there's a good reason for that. “Run your hand backward on this,” said broomcorn grower Tim Monahan, indicating a sheaf of broom corn on display. “Feel those hairs? That's what picks up the dirt.
” The broom-making tent at the Arcola Broomcorn Festival was a busy place on Saturday. Watching while Javier Alvarez demonstrated how to make a broom — a time-consuming process, though he has it down pat — clearly fascinated all the visitors. Nobody walked by without stopping to watch Avlarez work.
Tim Monahan, left, and Darrel Thompson grow broomcorn for the festival and are happy to answer questions about the process. The annual festival continues on Sunday, with a free concert at 2 p.m.
by Drake Milligan, an up-and-coming country singer who has appeared on “America's Got Talent.” Angie Miller, executive director of the Arcola Chamber of Commerce, cautioned concert-goers to avoid scam artists trying to sell tickets to that show: It's free. "America's Got Talent" finalist Drake Milligan is scheduled to perform a free concert at 2 p.
m. Sunday at the Broomcorn Festival in Arcola. “Arcola is known as the broomcorn capital of the world,” Miller said.
“It grows on a stalk, and looks like a regular stalk of corn (minus the ears). We used to harvest a lot of it in Arcola, but most of the production went to Mexico. We still honor our tradition with the craft brooms that are in our broom tent.
” Construction has started for the town's Broom Palace, which is going to include retail shops and a history of brooms in Arcola, she said. Plans are to open later this fall. Brooms were a highly prized souvenir of the festival, with a large number of people walking around carrying one, and often more than one.
There are three sizes of household brooms, plus whisk brooms, child-size brooms, and brooms for getting those pesky webs out of the corners of your rooms. The latter are also, incidentally, perfect for riding — or pretending to ride — if you need a Halloween costume prop. They look very much like the model preferred by witches in popular media.
Broomcorn is part of the sorghum family rather than the kind of corn you see in the fields, said Darrel Thompson, who was manning the same booth as Monahan. It doesn't grow ears, as Miller said, and looks a bit like millet. It can be used for fall decorations, and serves as a food source for wild things, as well as for making a broom, and is easy to grow.
Terry and Julia Cox of Moweaqua have attended for years, and brought their dog, Axl, whose name in Hebrew means “father of peace.” Axl loves nothing more than meeting new people and accepting pets, and they enjoy taking him out, they said. Terry and Julia Cox brought their dog, Axl, to the festival.
Axl's name means "father of peace" in Hebrew, and he wanted to meet and get petted by as many people as possible. “Lots of good food, lots of vendors,” Julia Cox said. “We just enjoy it.
” Judy and Paul Rooney of Decatur have hiked the Grand Canyon and Glacier National Park, so the amount of walking required to see everything at the festival didn't daunt them in the least. They also had to buy a broom while they were there, of course. “We've been doing a lot of chores, and it was nice to break that routine to enjoy a beautiful fall day,” Judy Rooney said.
“We're going to visit friends in Tuscola when we leave here.” Saturday's highly anticipated parade had people already staking out their spots along the route hours before the event, which was led by grand marshals Terry and Angie Thornton. Terry Thornton has been the “voice” of the festival for decades, taking over after his father passed away, and recently retired.
His sister Angie helped out, too. “I actually started in 1975 with my dad,” Terry Thornton said. “He was the original.
He passed away in 2001, and that's when I kind of picked up the microphone from there and carried on." He didn't participate last year because of medical issues that have affected his ability to stand up and emcee for hours. "I just keep people from wandering around in circles and bumping into each other, and to say,” he added, dropping into his emcee voice, “Welcome to Amazing Arcola.
” "America's Got Talent" finalist Drake Milligan is scheduled to perform a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Broomcorn Festival in Arcola.
Attendees line up for the cheese tent at The Arthur Cheese Festival on Saturday in Arthur, Ill. The festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival.
Matthew Fritz serves cheese in the cheese tent on Saturday at the Arthur Cheese Festival in Arthur, Ill. Cheese festival attendees sample cheese at the Country Cheese & More tent on Saturday at the Arthur Cheese Festival in Arthur, Ill. Sarah Rogers, center, wins the junior division of the cheese eating contest on Saturday at the Arthur Cheese Festival in Arthur, Ill.
Brian Cordes, center, wins the Senior division of the cheese eating contest on Saturday at the Arthur Cheese Festival in Arthur, Ill. Brian Cordes, left, and Sarah Rogers, right, are the winners of Saturday's senior and junior divisions of the cheese eating competition at the Arthur Cheese Festival in Arthur, Ill. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2.
This is the 47th year of the festival. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival.
The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2.
This is the 47th year of the festival. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival.
The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2.
This is the 47th year of the festival. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival.
The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2.
This is the 47th year of the festival. The Arthur Cheese Festival is this weekend from Saturday, August 31, to Monday, September 2. This is the 47th year of the festival.
Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
