You know me by sight: I was an IIS/ IOCI cameraman for over 30 years, under 7 governors, retired in November. (I’m the big guy in back in the poster) We spent a lot of time cooling our heels outside the Gov’s office waiting for the 4 tops to come out of meetings, over the years. This is the band I belong to, playing at the Senior Center at the Illinois Building at the Fair today, 4 PM. All electric ukuleles, playing a broad variety of genres on our third concert for Dept. On Aging. Pop by on your way to the Sale of Champions maybe? 4:00 PM in the exhibit hall. We’d appreciate a plug to get more folks to come see us. Mahalo!
The enclosed poster…
All electric ukuleles? Sounds kinda cool.
* Press release…
Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) representatives, including Secretary Jennifer Ricker, will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the second annual Tech Prairie STEAM Expo at 10 a.m. on Aug. 17 at the Illinois State Fair.
The Expo will provide a forum to highlight K-12 and postsecondary education, business, industry, research, and development related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics in Illinois with a goal of allowing the community space to engage, interact, and explore with exhibitors from across the state.
“STEAM plays a major role in our day-to-day lives and I’m thrilled to debut this year’s Tech Prairie STEAM Expo,” said DoIT Secretary Jennifer Ricker. “At DoIT, we believe exposing STEAM to kids at an early age helps them build a strong foundation to become successful innovators and future leaders. We hope you’ll join us as we kick off this exciting educational opportunity at the fair.”
The Expo will highlight the incredible innovation and emerging career and educational opportunities in STEAM fields throughout the state during the great celebration that is the Illinois State Fair.
WHAT: Tech Prairie STEAM Expo Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Orr Building, Main Stage
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Tent will be a destination for fairgoers during the 2022 Illinois State Fair. Free food samples, apple cider slushies, USDA Beagle Brigade, free kids crafts, free caricatures and balloon animals, peddle tractors and the corn sensory-play table celebrates agriculture’s impact on Illinois.
“Over the course of the last year and half our locally grown products have become more important than ever,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello. “People want to know where their food is coming from and to give them the chance to meet the farmers growing it is even better. We will have farmers from traditional to urban, covering the full scope of Illinois agriculture.”
Activities taking place at the IDOA Tent include:
Artisan Market-Enjoy FREE samples from local food artisans, August 12th-14th! Featuring: Uncle Joe’s BBQ, Rolling Lawns Ice Cream, Ropp Jersey Cheese, A Lil Sumpin’ Special Desserts, Fruit of the Spirit Jams, Glaciers End Shrubs, Golden Hour Bake House Baked Goods, Grand Oak Farm Breads, Hello Water Drinks, JR’s Seasoning, Peter’s Produce Snacks, Spiceocity Seasoning, Umland’s Crunchy Cheese, and Whisk Me Away Baked Goods.
AgVenture Kids Area-Take your children on an AgVenture and learn the importance of Illinois agriculture through play. Featuring: pedal tractors, crafts, piglets, the corn sensory bin and opportunities for FREE balloon animals and caricatures, check the daily schedule for times.
Illinois Specialty Growers Farm Stand- Serving apple cider slushies, watermelon, soft-serve ice cream, sweet corn, and peaches.
Illinois Farm Bureau Stage-Check the daily schedule for the exciting things happening on the Illinois Farm Bureau Stage, including the USDA Beagle Brigade, Hemp-crete demonstrations from the Illinois Hemp Growers Association, the Lego Bee-Hive Build, Farmer Phil, and much more!
HyVee Illinois Product Store-Shop your favorite local products at the HyVee Illinois Product Store! Featuring: Donny B’s Popcorn, Turasky’s Meats, Ropp Jersey Cheese, Riley’s Seasoning,
Prevail Jerky, Froozeballs, Spiceocity Seasonings, Peter’s Produce Snacks, and Whisk Me Away Baked Goods.
The IDOA Tent will be open daily 10am to 8pm and 10am to 6pm the last Sunday of the fair. Check the daily schedule for details.
Events today in Springfield: Democratic Party leaders will elect officers to work with new party Chair Lisa Hernandez.
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) will host a Farm Bill roundtable with state Sen. Patrick Joyce at the fair at 11:30 a.m.
The Illinois AFL-CIO Vote Yes for Workers Rights group is having a cookout.
Darren Bailey headlines a GOP Unity Event at Mariah’s Steakhouse & Pasta.
And Senate President Don Harmon and the Senate Democratic Caucus will rally at the Illinois Association of Beer Distributors.
Bailey’s unity event is tomorrow. All you’ll get at Mariah’s today is good food.
* And the Willie Nelson show starts at 8 with his special guest Elle King. I haven’t been to the fairgrounds yet, so I haven’t seen the renovations…
The 2022 Illinois State Fair is open in Springfield with over $48 million worth of renovations to the fairgrounds. […]
The project included paving the roadways in front of the cattle barn, swine barn, and the Avenue of Flags as a part of the first phase of renovations.
Costello also announced a multi-million dollar construction project to renovate the fairground’s multi-purpose arena.
“Construction is underway right now, restoring and renovating the multi-purpose arena,” Costello said. “That is an $8.6 million project.” […]
“I would also mention that the second phase of The Coliseum renovations will start in September,” Costello said. “These are just a few of the projects we are working on to attract visitors year-round.”
The Republican nominee for Illinois governor has held multiple events involving the gun store where the alleged Highland Park shooter acquired the semi-automatic rifle he allegedly used during a Fourth of July shooting spree.
Illinois GOP gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey held a January event at Red Dot Arms, a gun store in Villa Park that’s about a 45-minute drive northwest of Highland Park. And in April, the company was involved in a gun raffle to benefit Bailey’s campaign. […]
Bailey’s campaign held a gun raffle campaign fundraiser in late April and posted footage of it online, but later deleted it. Red Dot Arms was listed as a partner for the event on a campaign flyer, along with two other gun stores. […]
One of the guns Bailey auctioned off at the event was an AR-15, which he described as “a beautiful rifle, certainly one that emulates freedom here in our country.”
“The shooter is still at large, so let’s pray for justice to prevail and then let’s move on and let’s celebrate the independence of this nation,” Bailey said immediately after the Highland Park shooting occurred on July 4.
And there was the Facebook comment after the July 4th mass shooting in Highland Park, in which he said, “Let’s move on and celebrate.” To his credit, Bailey pulled back on the comment, issuing a statement: “I apologize if in any way we diminished the pain being felt across our state today.”
As I told subscribers last week, the news media is getting into the unfortunate habit of merely quoting Bailey’s initial apologies. As we know all too well, he has walked back two of those apologies, saying, in the case of Highland Park that the media took his remarks out of context and claimed he explained all this to a Highland Park Democrat. They’re only telling part of the story.
* WGN reporter…
GOP candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey is not alone in using social media to share his cultural views - his running mate Stephanie Trussell also posts on Facebook and Twitter. A closer look and reaction tonight WGN News @ 5:30. pic.twitter.com/jBziCR52ic
Trussell has used Facebook posts to mock Planned Parenthood.
“President Obama became the first sitting president ever to address Klanned Parenthood,” she posted. […]
Trussell is sharply critical of politicians that back the “gay agenda.”
“Since Bill Clinton was called the first black president can we call Barack Obama the first gay president?” she tweeted in 2015.
Political analyst Paul Lisnek says answering questions about social media posts is the last thing Bailey and Trussell want to be focused on as they ramp up for the general election.
“Crime is skyrocketing and jobs and families are fleeing under JB Pritzker’s watch. But his campaign and the media are making a big election about old social media posts. Darren Bailey and I are focused on making Illinois safer and more affordable for every Illinoisan,” [Trussell] said in a statement to WGN News.
“I challenge J.B. Pritzker to come down to my farm and spend a day planting, plowing, and harvesting. We’ll see how much energy he has at the end of an 18-hour work day to lob his pathetic attacks.”
I’d just like to see Bailey put the energy into holding a press conference more than once in a blue moon while answering questions on all topics.
Republican Darren Bailey’s campaign says he’s committed to debate Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Sept. 22 on NBC 5. Pritzker’s campaign hasn’t confirmed that face-off, though a spokeswoman for the campaign told Playbook that “yes,” Pritzker is planning to debate Bailey.
…Adding… Press release…
Hateful rhetoric has no place in Illinois. That’s why I joined my fellow members of the Illinois Jewish Caucus to condemn Darren Bailey’s anti-semitic, Islamophobic, and homophobic comments that tear down the very Illinoisans he seeks to represent. pic.twitter.com/ko3SfxnFEK
Rudy Giuliani, a Bailey campaign ally, was informed yesterday that he is the target of a criminal investigation seeking answers related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Darren Bailey, a proud supporter of Donald Trump and his allies, has pushed the Big Lie, understated the January 6 insurrection, and questioned the integrity of the FBI and the Department of Justice during their probe into the former president’s misconduct.
Does Darren Bailey stand by Giuliani’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and keep Trump in power, even amid this criminal investigation?
In May, Bailey and Giuliani campaigned together on behalf of Scott Kaspar, a Republican Congressional candidate who, like Bailey, has downplayed the January 6 insurrection and stated that he would not have ratified Joe Biden’s presidency.
“Darren Bailey needs to disavow Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, and their attempts to undermine our democracy,” said JB for Governor Press Secretary Eliza Glezer. “Bailey continues to tie himself to individuals who threaten our free and fair elections. Any candidate who cannot stand up to election deniers and insurrection defenders is unfit for public office.”
