National
Railsplitting
Contest at
the Logan
County Fair
on Sunday
This year the Logan County Railsplitting Associa-
tion decided to take a break from hosting their an-
nual Railsplitter Festival in September. However,
that doesn’t mean there won’t be a National Rail-
splitting Contest in Logan County this year.
The association recently announced that they are
going to have the competition but that it will be
done on the last day of the Logan County Fair.
According to Darlene Begolka, the event will take
place Sunday afternoon at the fair. Begolka said
the competitions will be on the north end of the fair
midway. She explained that the spot they will use
is the area that will be vacated by the antique trac-
tor club before Sunday afternoon.
The competition will commence with the amateur
split beginning at 12:30 p.m. The junior split is
expected to begin at approximately 1:30 p.m., and
the national competition will commence at 3 p.m.
The competition is open to anyone who wishes to
participate. The rules require that competitors bring
their own tools, wear long pants and sturdy shoes.
In addition to the splitting competitions, the an-
nual festival has always featured a re-enactment of
the christening of the city of Lincoln by Abraham
Lincoln.
Begolka said the re-enactment will also take place
on Sunday and is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. in front of
the grandstand, right before the demolition derby
begins. There will also be a railsplitting demonstra-
tion at that time.
In addition, there will be a Railsplitting Association
tent at the fair. Folks who are interested in railsplit-
ting and would like to become a part of this histori-
cal pastime are encouraged to stop by and visit with
the folks there.
While the annual festival won’t be taking place in
September, some of the events that are a big part of
the festival will still happen. The Civil War Ball is
scheduled for Sept. 20 at the Lincoln Park District
Rec Center. During fair week, tickets for the annual
ball will be available for purchase.
Anyone who is interested in the competition or
would like to learn more about the event is asked to
contact Bob Rankin at 217-737-7841.
[By NILA SMITH]
page 260 2013 LOGAN COUNTY FAIR. A special editon of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com July 30, 2013
