Rantoul rolls out the welcome mat for Half Century of Progress show

RANTOUL, Ill. — Just as the Half Century of Progress show is an opportunity for the owners of vintage tractors and other farm equipment to strut their stuff, so it is for the village of Rantoul.

“We get to put our best foot forward. Champaign County gets to put its best foot forward,” said Scott Eisenhauer, the village administrator of Rantoul.

Eisenhauer’s duties as village administrator include overseeing day-to-day operations, budget and financing and economic development for the village.

So, he recognizes not just the economic benefits that the Half Century of Progress show brings, but also the additional benefits that might not be measured in dollars and cents.

But the economic benefit itself is significant.

“There is no question there is a significant economic advantage to it. When you bring that number of people into your community, they are buying gas, they are eating food, they are staying in hotels or at the campground. There is no question there is a revenue generation that benefits the community as a whole when we host this event,” Eisenhauer said.

The dollars that participants in the show and visitors to the show spend in the community go back into the community.

“It’s good not only for the village financially, but also those are dollars that we can spend on other things to make the community better, which thereby benefits the residents,” Eisenhauer said.

Dollars and economic activity are just one benefit that the four-day show, which draws participants and visitors from across the United States and even internationally, brings to Rantoul.

“The other thing, though, that I think is just as critically important as the financial advantage and that is the ability for Rantoul, Illinois, to be in the national and, in some ways, the international spotlight for that week. It’s a great opportunity for us, every two years, to promote our community,” Eisenhauer said.

As the countdown to the show goes on, the village is putting the finishing touches on the welcome mat it will roll out for the show.

“This is the lull before the storm. We are making sure that our resources are in place, that the things that we have the most involvement in, traffic patterns and parking, that those are all being addressed. We already have our recreation crew on the grounds, doing some work around the airport, getting grass cut and weeds cut and stumps ground and things like that, to make sure we have a nice, clean and visually appealing area,” Eisenhauer said.

That recreation crew is deeply involved in preparing for the show and as the show gets ready to start.

“The recreation department does a great job in preparing the grounds in advance of the show and then also setting up and providing resources to help with the set up process,” Eisenhauer said.

Employees at the Rantoul Airport also have been busy getting ready for the show. The airport is maintained by the village.

“The airport has been ramping up in going around and making sure the electric works and the lights work and those types of things are ready to go so when we hit that mark, the weekend before the show takes place, and they start moving onto the grounds, everything that we need to have done in preparation is finished,” Eisenhauer said.

The planning process for the show is extensive.

“The village is heavily involved in the planning process with the leadership of the Half Century of Progress show and particularly that deals with parking logistics and traffic logistics. Those are really two of the most prevalent areas, getting people into the show and then, once we get them to the show, getting them parked and ultimately getting them back out. That is a large task taken on by our police department,” Eisenhauer said.

But the village’s involvement in the show doesn’t end as the tractors and other equipment roll onto part of the former Chanute Air Force Base.

“During the show we also provide police involvement, security. Our fire department is present to provide fire response and we also work with other entities leading up to the show that have ancillary relationships with the show,” Eisenhauer said.

An additional benefit comes in the form of the working relationship the village and village officials have with the leadership of the Half Century of Progress.

“The incredible men and women that we get to work with, from John to Russell and everybody who serves on a committee for the show, they could take this show anywhere, but we’ve built that partnership, we’ve built that relationship. We believe in what they are doing and I think they believe in what we are willing to assist with in order to keep that show here in this community. We are so grateful, as a village and as a community, that the Half Century of Progress located here originally and continues to flourish here in the community. It’s always fun to be around people who are passionate and dedicated to pulling together an event and well organized enough to make that happen,” Eisenhauer said.