Brocton   Illinois

Two men who worked and attended our Festival for many years passed away in the last few months.  They will be missed.

Dick Sparrow

Dick Sparrow of Zearing, Iowa, a well-know horseman, passed away in December of a lingering illness.  He exhibited in Brocton with the Coors Hitch from 1993 to 1998 and later with his Sparrow Hitch through 2004.  Some of you might have volunteered to be that person sitting near the wagon wheel or horses as he was displaying the docking exercise and probably thinking--why did I do this!  He kept attending the Festival as a spectator thought 2009 and truly enjoyed interacting with the people, both young and old.

Gary Cummins

Gary Cummins, the Draft Horse assistant superintendent, suddenly passed away on October 31.   He had been a fireman for forty-one years, and shortly after having arrived at a fire site, he died of a heart attack; he was only 61.  Gary had been a member of the Festival committee since it began in 1988.  He was the one at the entrance of the arena holding the rope and let you in and out. Many of you have remarked about the nice trophies that are given each year; Gary was responsible for selecting those each year.  He and his family exhibited Belgian draft horses for a few years.