Claremont
GOVERNMENT
‘SMOKE OFF’ BBQ COMPETITION IN JASPER COUNTY THIS WEEKEND
(NEWTON) This weekend’s “Smoke Off” barbecue competition is set to be held at the Jasper County Fairgrounds in Newton, sponsored by the American Legion Post 20 in Newton. It all starts this Friday with the beer garden opening at 4:00, the Shriners serving up pork burgers, brats, & hot dogs, and music by Quarter Annie at 6:30, plus the Legion’s Queen of Hearts drawing at 6:30. Then Saturday includes free biscuits & gravy from 8:00 to 9:30, various vendors from 9:00 to 3:00, a Motorcycle, Truck, and Car Show from 9:00 to 2:00 with awards presented at 2:00, a beer garden, kids wiffle ball, Randy Kimme & The Thunder Road Band from 12:00 to 4:00, a kids pork steak BBQ competition at 2:00, an Armed Forces Museum on display, and plenty of cold drinks available for purchase. The main feature will be the sampling of barbequed ribs, wings, & pork butt from each competition team starting at 12:00 noon with the purchase of wristbands at $10.00 per person, all followed by the BBQ awards presented at 4:00 with trophies and cash prizes, including the Grand Champion & Reserve Grand Champion with first through fifth places awarded in all three categories. All are invited out this Friday evening & Saturday for the BBQ “Smoke Out” in Newton.
NEWTON CITY COUNCIL AUGUST 2024 MEETING RECAP
(NEWTON) The Newton City Council met in regular session this past Tuesday night. The Council : approved the payment of all prepaid bills worth $274,744 and the payment of all other accounts payable worth $251,404 : agreed to sell the City of Newton’s 2008 Vac Truck to Kieffer Brothers Construction for $40,000 : agreed to vacate the alley running north & south between Lots 5 & 6 and Lots 7 & 8 in Block 13 of the Original Town Subdivision in Newton : approved two of dumpster reimbursement applications – one for 204 North Lafayette Street & the other for 205 North Church Street : approved the $11,434 payment to Moran Economic Development for services to amend the Enterprise Zone : approved the agreement to sell Lot 4 in the Five Aprils Crossing Subdivision : approved a Grant Writing Agreement with South Central Illinois Regional Planning & Development Commission for an OSLAD Grant in the amount of $2,500 : approved a resolution to allow the Fall Festival Parade in Newton on September 14th : agreed to allow a Newton Police Officer to attend the University of Illinois Police Training Institute in September : & accepted the letter of resignation from RJ Lindemann : no action was taken after a 32-minute closed session to discuss potential litigation and personnel : the Newton City Council’s next meeting is September 3rd, 2024.
Oblong Chamber Holds “Engraved Brick Fundraiser”
(Undated) — The Oblong Chamber is hosting an “Engraved Brick Fundraiser” to help with planned upgrades to the downtown mini-park. According to the Oblong Chamber, the upgrades will include a stage in the southwest corner of the park, a pavilion overhang on the south border of the park, and a fire pit. The fire pit will be constructed using bricks that have been removed from the “Ma Burton” building that was recently demolished. The patio surrounding the fire pit will be constructed from the engraved bricks purchased through this fundraiser. To learn more about this fundraiser and to order your brick follow the link or stop in at The Village Stitchery, Vault Antiques, or Kilburn Resale.
JASPER COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT ‘FREE ELECTRONIC RECYCLING EVENT’ THIS SATURDAY
(NEWTON) The Jasper County Highway Department is hosting its next free “Electronic Recycling Event” for Jasper County residents only this coming Saturday, from 7:00 to 1:30, or until the trailer is filled. That’s all at the Highway Department Garage, just off of Illinois Route 33, northeast of Newton. Items accepted include computers & small scale servers, cable boxes, monitors, keyboards, mice, televisions, printers, DVD players & recorders, satellite receivers, and VCR’s. If any questions, call the Department at 618-783-2915.
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