There was always something going on at the opera house. It was the entertainment center for the whole community from delightful plays, the latest musicals, to melodramas when the audience always hissed at the villain. The Opera House was built in 1892 after the big fire.The Opera House It was wired for electricity in 1895. In 1914 a fire escape was installed and the building was sold. Williams’ Drug Store and the Variety Store occupied the lower floor for many years. The Opera House was then used for dances frequently on Saturday nights. LeRoy never was much of a show town, as was Rantoul and Bloomington, but it did have good entertainment put on by local talent known as the LeRoy Comedy company. The Opera House was used for other purposes as well. One of the most gala of these events was the annual charity ball. People in those days really knew how to dance. When the strains of the “Over the Waves” waltz or “Two Little Girls in Blue” would drift through the air, the couples would sweep and twirl gracefully down the length of the polished floors.
Chautauqua
In the gay 90s or at the turn of the century the Chautauqua became the most American thing in America. LeRoy became part of the circuit and was provided entertainment for four or five days at a time. Chautauquas were still coming to town in the late 1920s. They offered great orators, music, drama, magic, art lessons, comedy, debates, lectures, and political speeches. Because of poor attendance in 1928, a deficit resulted. Movies, radios, and the automobile were satisfying the need for entertainment. With the passing of the Chautauqua, LeRoy lost one of the finest types of entertainment and one that the whole family was able to attend together.
Turkey Trot Day
A jaunty spirit would pervade the crowds on Turkey Trot day. The town would swarm with people hoping to catch a turkey or other fowl for Thanksgiving dinner. It was July the Fourth without the fireworks. It was a carnival day without sideshows. School was dismissed for the day and all had a real holiday.
In November of 1917, the first turkeys were catapulted from the embattlements of the store roofs at 10 o’clock on Turkey Trot Day, and then again on the hour for six hours. Every turkey had its own idea on how to reach terra firma or the eager arms of its captor. Some took a tailspin, some looped the loop, some had enough “gasoline” to fly several blocks, some landed in tree tops and others lost control, but the pursuers were relentless and their capture followed.
150 turkeys, geese, ducks, chickens and guineas were given away in November of 1930. The fowls were not thrown from the roof tops, but were given away as prizes for winners in the fat men’s race, throwing the rolling pin contest, the pillow fight, the fiddlers contest, the husband calling contest, funniest dressed couple, the oldest couple, the ladies egg race, the wheelbarrow race and the couple with the largest family. A greased pig was let loose and became the possession of the most agile to capture it.
LeRoy’s Centennial
The four-day celebration of the 100th anniversary of LeRoy from Oct 17 to 20, 1935 was a great occasion and made a fitting grand finale for the end of the first century. The Centennial brought to thousands a consciousness of the ties that bound them to LeRoy. It was the awakening of the mind to the many astounding changes that had come through the century. The four -day celebration included stunt pilots, parachutists, singers, band concerts, parades, stories of the history of LeRoy and the early days, and inspirational music provided an ending to a most memorable event.
The elaborate and popular LeRoy Centennial Celebration in 1935 led citizens to begin holding the LeRoy Fall Festival in 1936. The multiple day festivals were held yearly to the present except the WW II years. Carnival rides and changing entertainment due to changing tastes of the times brought thousands to the festivals. The LeRoy Fall Festival is still an annual event in the community.
