Tidbits on Fairbury

Here is a brief collection of facts on Fairbury, past and present.

Caleb Patton and Octave Chanute founded Fairbury in 1857. The community has enjoyed a rich history that includes the heritage of the land once occupied by native Plains Indians, the Kickapoo Tribe. The town has many homes of nineteenth century era with a National Historic Register designation for one of them, the Thomas Beach House. The community's museum, Fairbury Echoes, houses many artifacts depicting the history and tradition of Fairbury as well as a rotating exhibit. In August of each year, the Fairbury Fair, takes place. The fair is over 120 years old and some of our businesses in the community are even older adding to the long-lived tradition of a growing and successful community. The Fairbury Fairgrounds is also home to the American Legion Speedway a 1/4 mile dirt track that recently celebrated 50 years of operation.  Races are held every Saturday beginning the weekend before Memorial Day and continuing through Labor Day Weekend.  The Fairbury Chamber of Commerce office is located in the second building in Fairbury that is on the National Historic Register. This building, the Old City Hall, was built in 1892. Fairbury, with a population of 3,600, received the top recognition awarded from the State of Illinois in 1997. The Governor,s Cup Award was given for Fairbury's outstanding volunteerism in its project to revitalize the downtown and create a new green space called, Livingston Square. Fairbury is part of the Prairie Central School District which completed a 12 million dollar building program recently. The school district also has a tradition of students testing above the state average in scores for the Illinois Goal Assessment Program. Today, the community has over 200 businesses to serve its trade area and welcomes business inquiries. Fairbury continues to be a 'pride and progress at its best'. Stop in soon for a visit to our community.