What Rain? Cemetery Walk Moves Indoors

Rainy weather, which caused the Plainfield Historical Society's Cemetery Walk 2011 to be canceled last weekend, was moved to the Plainfield Fire Protection District's new building Sunday.

Sorry, Mother Nature, the show must go on. A week after soggy conditions forced the Plainfield Historical Society to postpone its Cemetery Walk 2011, another round of unfavorable weather threatened the Plainfield area again on Sunday. This time the historical society was ready. Thanks to an alternative location at the Plainfield Fire Protection District Headquarters Campus on 135th Street, performances that were to be held in the Plainfield Township Cemetery were moved indoors. Phillip Buchannan, who served as the event's prop coordinator, viewed the indoor setting as an opportunity to showcase more artifacts from Plainfield’s rich past. “Being in here, we didn’t have to worry about the weather,” Buchannan said. “Some people weren’t going …

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Walk Through History Sunday; Township Cemetery's Full of Characters

Plainfield Historical Society members have been practicing since June to do live re-enactments of the stories of people -- including two Chicago Cubs -- buried in the historic cemetery.

Curious about who lived, died and was buried in Plainfield decades or even a century ago? Hear the life stories of pioneers, Chicago Cubs players, a former principal and other early village residents Sunday at the Plainfield Historical Society’s Cemetery Walk 2011. Costumed actors will portray early settlers and residents in “History Comes Alive” at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 and 4 p.m. at the Plainfield Township Cemetery, Route 59 and Fort Beggs Drive. Since June, 34 actors, a narrator and a storyteller have been rehearsing the presentations, which take place at six different sites in the historic section of the cemetery. There will be seating for each. Only 180 tickets per time slot will be sold, and past events have sold out. “We didn’t sell …

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About Town

New Beer Celebrates Hot Air Balloonist, Local Legend

Balloonist who died in a trapeze act gone wrong in Plainfield in 1911 is remembered in a Limestone summer ale that bears his name.

It was 100 years ago this summer that professor Harry Darnell met his maker when he plunged from his hot air balloon in what was supposed to be a death-defying trapeze act over Plainfield’s Electric Park. Tuesday nightyou can throw back a berry-flavored microbrew to toast poor Darnell’s memory. Limestone Brewing Company is throwing a release party to celebrate the debut of a new blueberry ale that bears Darnell's name. The Plainfield brew pub concocts a new berry ale every summer to honor the ill-fated professor. Last  year brewmaster Ken Mullen crafted a raspberry wheat ale. This year, it's blueberry. Darnell’s death is a chapter of Plainfield history that made headlines all the way to the New York Times. The daring professor had 200 …

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