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Illinois State Fair will host Bicentennial Craft Beer Competition August 11-13

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Above / Back when Naperville celebrated its “nifty 150” in 1981, folks came up with a commemorative sesquicentennial beer to honor Stenger Brewery, 1848-1893, located on the northeast corner of Franklin and Webster streets. According to the local trivia on the beer can, “Adolph Coors worked here before opening his own brewery at Golden, Colorado, in 1873.”

More than 15 craft brewers from across Illinois will compete for the right to create and brew the Official Bicentennial Beer

The 2017 Illinois State Fair is set to begin Thurs., August 10, and run through August 20, at the Fairgrounds in Springfield. Hours will be from 7AM to Midnight.

The Governor’s Office of the Illinois Bicentennial in partnership with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild and the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois will present a craft beer competition at the State Fair Friday through Sunday, August 11-13.

To highlight the robust craft beer industry and ‘Illinois Made’ products, Illinoisans will be able to celebrate the 200th Birthday of the state with an Official Bicentennial Craft Beer.

“This is a fitting tribute to the number one industry in the state,” said Heidi Brown-McCreery, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and a Bicentennial commissioner. “There’s already a good buzz about the Craft Beer Competition.”

Craft brewers from Evanston to Alton and Rock Island to Chicago accepted an invitation to showcase one of their signature beers, all vying for the chance to be selected to brew the Official Bicentennial Craft Brew. The winner will be determined by a vote of State Fair attendees who sample the offerings and a panel of craft beer experts.

“An Illinois Bicentennial craft beer will be an exciting offering to all craft beer lovers,” said Danielle D’Alessandro, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. “We are thrilled to highlight our vibrant Illinois craft beer community through this opportunity.”

The Illinois Bicentennial Craft Beer Competition tent is located inside Gate 1 in the Happy Hollow area.

“We are excited to have Illinois brewers from across the state represented in this competition,” Brown-McCreery added.

Craft brewers on tap to participate 

718 Brew Café, Metropolis; Aleman Brewing Company, Chicago; Bent River Brewing Company, Rock Island;Blue Nose Brewery, Hodgkins; and Church Street Brewing Company, Itasca.

DESTIHL Brewer, Normal; Engrained Brewing Company, Springfield; Excel Brewing, Breese; Forge Brewhouse, Sycamore; Hand of Fate Brewing Company, Petersburg; and Miskatonic Brewing Company, Darien.

Myths and Legends Brewing Co., Westmont; Noon Whistle Brewing, Lombard; The Old Bakery Beer Company, Alton; Peel Brewing Company, O’Fallon; Pollyana Brewing Company, Lemont; Sketchbook Brewing Company, Evanston; and White Oak Brewing, Normal.

FYI about Illinois Bicentennial December 3, 2018

Illinois was recognized as a state on December 3, 1818, and the official Illinois Bicentennial will be celebrated in 2018 with events planned across the state on Constitution Day, August 26, 2018, and the grand birthday celebration at the United Center on December 3, 2018.

100-Day Countdown begins August 26, 2017 ‘Where Illinois Began’

The countdown will begin on Constitution Day, Sat., August 26, 2017 and run up to the State’s birthday December 3, 2017, the first day of the 200th year.

Kaskaskia Island has been selected as the site to begin the 100 Day Countdown with events planned in front of the Liberty Bell of the West and along the Kaskaskia/Cahokia trail.

“We are very excited that the Governor’s office has selected our historic region to begin the 100 Day Countdown to the Bicentennial Celebration,” Randolph County Commissioner Dr. Marc Kiehna said. “Since Randolph County is ‘Where Illinois Began,’ it is appropriate for festivities to start on Kaskaskia Island ‒ the site of the first state capital of Illinois.”

At 9AM, Aug. 26, 2017, a gathering of state, county and local officials, along with state historians, will mark the date with a ceremonial signing of the 1818 Illinois Constitution. The ceremony and document signing will be in front of the original courthouse near the Liberty Bell of the West shrine.  Officials will signal the start of the 100 Day Countdown to Dec. 3, the date Illinois was federally recognized as a state and the official start of the Bicentennial Celebration.

The 100 Day Countdown will be commemorated each day through videos about Illinois history produced by Illinois high school and college students and posted on www.Illinois200.com, Illinois200 social media platforms, media partners WGN Radio.com and SJ-R.com and other media.

Take the Kaskaskia/Cahokia Trail, visit historic sites & exhibits

At the completion of the ceremony, the group will proceed on the Kaskaskia/Cahokia Trail and stop at the Pierre Menard home, recognizing the home of the first lieutenant governor of Illinois.  Fort de Chartres State Historic Site will be the next stop on the trail for special activities.

Exhibits including the powder magazine (the oldest building in Illinois) will be available from noon to 3PM, and the public is invited to view a special flag raising ceremony at 2PM. The boom of cannons and a parade of colorful uniforms will transport visitors back in time to the early history of Illinois and the region.

The special events are free and open to the public. Food and refreshments will be available.

Bicentennial Commission Co-Chair and Southern Illinois University System President Randy Dunn noted: “As a resident of Randolph County for over 10 years, I’m proud that one of the state’s very first bicentennial events will take place at Kaskaskia, our first capital.  The area is so closely intertwined with the history of Illinois, and it will be exciting to be part of this celebration.”

BMO Harris Bank is the sponsor of the 100 Day Countdown to the Bicentennial Celebration.

“We are proud and excited to support the 100 Day Countdown, especially as it is occurring during a year in which BMO is celebrating its own bicentennial,” noted David Casper, President and CEO, BMO Harris Bank, in an earlier news release.

Local municipalities and organizations can upload their Bicentennial activities to the official Bicentennial event calendar on www.illinois200.com.

News submitted by Laurel Patrick for the Office of Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

 

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