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Planet or not, Pluto celebrated in Streator
STREATOR -- Pluto hasn’t gotten much respect from the astronomical community lately, but tourism officials here are planning a weekend honoring it and the Streator resident who discovered it. Planet Pluto Expo will be May 18-19, featuring lectures, exhibits, an ice cream social and a park concert. Clyde Tombaugh was born here in 1906 but moved with his family to a Kansas farm while he was still in high school. In 1930, working for the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., he discovered what was came to be known as the ninth planet in our solar system until it was downgraded last year to dwarf planet status. Tombaugh died 10 years ago in New Mexico at the age of 90. After the resulting media attention, “We decided to have a Pluto Expo to explain what was going on,” said Ed Brozak, head of Streator’s tourism commission. Adults are invited to hear Lowell outreach manager Kevin Schindler beginning at 6:30 p.m. May 18 at the high school auditorium. Also speaking will be Alan Stern, author, scientist and investigator for the National Aeronautical & Space Administration. Speakers also will meet with school classes in three sessions that day. On May 19, the expo will move to the Knights of Columbus Hall on Oakley Avenue, where exhibits will be be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will include displays from the NASA Research Center in Cleveland, the Challenger Learning Center in Bloomington and the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences in Peoria. Three bands will perform at City Park from 6 to 10 p.m. for a Bring Back Pluto Concert. There also will be a “Big Dipper” ice cream social at the Ted Weber Home and Gardens on Baker Street from 3 to 6 p.m. All events are free and “a chance to learn something while having fun for the weekend,” Brozak said. Power boost — ComEd infrastructure work scheduled for completion in June will triple the power available to homes and businesses in the unincorporated area of South Streator. The $1.5 million project will upgrade a 2-megawatt transformer to 5 megawatts and improve distribution lines, providing more reliability and emergency backup, company officials said. It’s historic — The Hegeler-Carus Mansion in LaSalle, recently renovated with the help of Vissering Construction of Streator, has been added to the federal government’s list of historic locations. The 1874, 58-room mansion was built for a zinc industrialist. Work is still being done at the home. Ethanol plant — Ground could be broken for the $100 million ethanol plant at the southern end of Streator by July, Green Lion Biofuels of Phoenix officials have announced. The company plans to use 21 million bushels of corn a year to produce 60 million gallons of ethanol. It will employ up to 45 workers. New hours — Total Rec Center, the nonprofit community center at 210 N. Bloomington St., Streator, has expanded its hours to 3 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and added three days of operation from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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