The following is part Twenty-Two of a multi-part article about the timeline of Chillicothe, IL. This article will illustrate the key dates along with the key individuals who helped to shape our city’s great history. 

1984 – Jake Irions, owner of Irions Concrete Block Company sells the last of his commercial properties forty-six years after starting in business. Irions started his business in 1938 after acquiring the Chillicothe Gravel Company. During Irion’s peak in business, his companies employed 142 employees and produced 20,000 concrete blocks a day.

1984 – IVC Marching Band wins Grand Championship at the Red River Exhibition Parade & Competition in Winnipeg, Manitoba finishing 1st out of 18 bands from across Canada and the U.S. The Trip included a performance that was carried out in a torrential downpour during the halftime of a football game at Winnipeg’s Blue Bomber Stadium.

1984 – Plaza Park Shopping Center breaks ground for the construction of a $2.3 million shopping mall. The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase will encompass the remodel of the old Del-Farm grocery store building, while phase two will focus on growth north of Grecian Gardens. Szold’s, a Peoria based company, is expected to lease the building and be the primary anchor store in the shopping center.

1984 – Jim and Jane Campbell, owner of Jane’s Dress Shop and Women’s Apparel closes its downtown store after nearly 31 years in business. Jane’s daughter Marilyn Stephenson will continue to operate Jane’s at its new location inside the Dolph House.

1984 – The Ben Franklin store owned by John Lee started its 40th year in business. Lee attributed the success of his store to two factors: good employees and direct sources of merchandise, which Lee has been using since the days in which he worked for S.S. Kresge Co.

1984 – Weber Funeral Home has the designation of being added to the list of Centennial Businesses in the state of Illinois. The designation verifies that a business has been in continuous operation for 100 years. The Weber family business was started by Andrew Weber in 1852. Andrew was a furniture maker by trade. The business was originally located in the 800 block of Street. Weber occupied two buildings side by side. One building known as the Weber Installment House was the furniture store and the other building was the funeral parlor. In 1933, a fire destroyed the furniture building. In 1934, Weber Funeral Home moved to its current location on Fourth Street where it has remained for the last 50 years.

1984 – The IVC Unit District 321 agrees to a one-year lease with the Valley Community YMCA to occupy the newly vacated Pearce building. Superintendent James Thornton said the district will lease the building for $5,000/month and continue to maintain the building’s boiler and be responsible for all major equipment in the 47,000 square foot facility.

1985 – Challenger Irvin Latta defeats incumbent Richard L. Fislar and is elected as the 29th Mayor of Chillicothe. Latta received 996 votes to Fislar’s 491. In other election results, Ilion Wait Crabel won re-election as City Clerk. This marked Crabel’s eighteenth consecutive term. Crabel, a 58-year veteran of the clerk’s office, ran unopposed and totaled 1122 votes. She polled 78.8 percent of the possible votes.

1985 – The Town Theatre undergoes a major renovation and is split into two theaters. The project reduced the total seating capacity from 510 to 330. Along with the added screen, other upgrades include adding ceiling fans, new carpet and drapes, and installation of a new sound system.

1985 –The original building of what was once referred to as the New High School was demolished. The High School building in existence from the fall of 1922 through the spring of 1976 was condemned in 1977 due to insufficient fire escapes. Over 300 spectators gathered to say goodbye to the old structure that was home to students for 54 years.

1985 – Parkhill Skilled Nursing Facility, owned by the non-profit organization, The Chillicothe Hospital Foundation has opened a new wing that will feature 38 new intermediate care beds. It will employ 25 additional employees. A grand opening took place on October 27 to unveil the $1.75 million-dollar new facility. 

1985 – Chillicothe Fire Department held an open house on December 28 to showcase its new addition. Fire Station No. 1 was constructed on Chestnut Street just south of Truitt Avenue. Construction costs for the new facility came to just under $180,000.

1986 – Greg Owens of Chillicothe and business partner Marty Wombacher appeared on the Today Show in New York City to promote their new “Trivial Trivia Idiot Edition” game.

1986 – Ilion Wait Crabel was the recipient of the first Municipal Clerks of Illinois award. The award will henceforth be called the “Ilion Crabel Municipal Clerks’ Member of the Year Award.”  Crabel was named to the award for her dedication and devotion to duty in a distinctive manner which far surpassed the ordinary, Crabel has held the position of city clerk for the past 63 years.

1986 – Chillicothe adds its second stoplight at the corner of Fourth Street and Cloverdale Road. Mayor Irvin Latta flipped the switch to activate the traffic-actuated stoplights as the crowd of onlookers watched the first vehicles on Route 29 stop to allow cross traffic on Cloverdale Road.

1986 – Rob Johnson of Chillicothe became the first bowler to bowl a perfect game at The Chilli Bowl On September 30, bowling in the Wednesday night league, Johnson bowled the first 300 game in Chillicothe in over 45 years. Joe Augustine bowled the first 300 game at Barker’s Bowling Palace in 1941. Jon James became the second bowler to bowl a perfect game 300 on December 15.

1987 – The Santa Fe Railroad donates a caboose to the Chillicothe Historical Society. The 1929 caboose was delivered to the local junction in Chillicothe. Railroad contractor, L.A. Colo upgraded the tracks and pulled it next to the Museum at Third Street and Cedar St. 

1987 – The Grey Ghost nickname was inducted into the ESPN nickname Hall of Fame on its weekly High School Sports segment.