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Bishop Hill sites, Hauberg to close

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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:04 PM CDT | () comments

Bishop Hill will host its 37th annual fall festival, called Jordbruksdagarna, just two days before four properties operated by the state are closed as a result of the Illinois budget crisis.

“The layoff notices just arrived today,” said Martha Downey, superintendent of the Bishop Hill State Historic Site, located in the tiny Henry County community about an hour’s drive southeast of the Quad-Cities. The four facilities run by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency are to close Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, the Hauberg Indian Museum at the Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island is a victim of the same cutbacks, according to a list released Thursday by the Illinois agency.

“This does not make good economic sense at all,” said Bob Motz of Rock Island, who is on the board of directors for the Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation.

Motz cited the museum’s

popularity with tourist and school groups, and suggested the closure will have ripple effects on area restaurants and hotels.

The Bishop Hill Museum, as well as the Colony Church and Colony Hotel — both of which were built in the mid-19th century and have been restored — plus the Bishop Hill State Park, all will close, Downey said. Four of the site’s five employees are to be laid off.

Bishop Hill’s other museums, its restaurants and shops will remain open, she said, because those are not operated by the State of Illinois.

The Fall Festival will be the last celebration organized by the state agency, and it’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 27 to 28. There will be Swedish food, historic craft demonstrations, live musical performances, including Swedish folk dances, hands-on activities and a vintage baseball game.

Also affected is the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park in Sheffield, Ill. That closing will affect the entire 105-mile parkway, which extends to the Quad-Cities, said Chris McCloud of Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The park spans five counties — Rock Island, Bureau, Henry, Lee and Whiteside.

— Deirdre Cox Baker