Greetings!
It's been a beautiful summer at the firefly. We hosted several lovely weddings, and were honored by all of you who chose the firefly as a place to celebrate your birthdays, anniversaries, and other special events. Once again, we're amazed by the number of travelers who join us who hail from far and wide, not only across the U.S., but across the seas. It's been an amazing summer, and we can't think of a better way to usher it out than with our appearance at Chicago Gourmet. The word excited doesn't even begin to express our feelings....we're absolutely ecstatic about our participation. And we're elated that so many of you are going to join us in Chicago. It's going to be a fabulous weekend, Saturday September 25 and Sunday September 26, Millennium Park. |
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A Fair-y Tale
Derived from Middle English, the word fair means free from favoritism, bias or deception, as well as beautiful and pleasant. Somewhere along historical lines it also became a word to describe gatherings of people to display or trade produce or other goods. Perhaps this happened because this  type of gathering was critical in cultures across the globe, and the acronym for "Farmer's Annual Invitation Review" is FAIR. Anyway you look at it, fairs have always been important showcases for businessmen in agricultural, pastoral or horticultural districts. They present opportunities to display, demonstrate and sell everything from goods and wares to livestock, crafts, machinery and more.
Whether they are known as agricultural shows, carnivals, fetes, county fairs, exhibitions festivals, markets or shows, they have long provided a way for farmers to survive.
In the United States, the early agricultural fairs of the 1800's gave rural families an opportunity to see first hand the latest agricultural techniques, equipment, crops, and livestock. During the next hundred years, fairs evolved to include a wide range of educational, recreational, competitive, and social activities. State and county fairs became an important part of our economic and social growth, as well as an American
tradition.
Maddy with her best friend Emma Tingley, escorts Max Sager & friend.
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As society moved from the farm to the office, this change was reflected at county fairs as well. The focus became less on agriculture and more on arts, crafts, housewares, and entertainment. Fairs became a venue for social competition. From the finest horse to the sweetest jam, the best 4-H steer to the county's best pie, the fair became the place to be noticed. And no where was this more apparent than with the birth of the beauty pageant. The custom of choosing a symbolic king or queen, someone who symbolized their nations' virtues, had been a longstanding European tradition. During the 1950's, as beauty pageants stormed
the U.S., the custom of choosing Maddy receiving her trophy.
 | a fair queen grew, and fair pageants became a major social event at many county fairs. The pageant was an opportunity for area women to show their talent, poise, and social skills. The queen had the honor of reigning for an entire year, and was often showered with gifts from local businesses and supporters. Many fair pageants have become stepping stones to larger pageants, and scholarships now are the norm for many winners. To this day, the fair pageant is still a very popular part of the county fair.
Considered to be one of the best of all county fairs in Illinois, the 66th Annual Effingham County Fair was held in early August, and the firefly was honoredto be mentioned on stage by our #1 Fan, the beautiful Maddy Brummer. Maddy was a contestant in the Effingham
County Fair "Little Miss Pageant"
on August 3rd. When Maddy walked the stage that night her
favorite food was announced as "chicken" and favorite restaurant was "Firefly"!!! We at the firefly couldn't ask for a more beautiful and talented spokeswoman! Congrats to Maddy and all the other pageant participants. For a peek at all of the county fair photos, including more than 200 of the pageant contestants, visit the fair website at http://effinghamcountyfair.com.
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Our Patron Saint
 if we could have one would be Dr. Karl Rudert. A physician with Bonutti Orthopedic Clinic, Dr. Karl has stitched us, x-rayed us and bandaged us. As a patron, he's dined with us, hosted private parties, and most recently, honored us with hosting his daughter's wedding (see pics below). If you've noticed the exquisite wooden trellis on our lawn, that's Karl's handiwork. Made especially for the wedding ceremony, he gifted it to the firefly. Perhaps you've seen him behind the bar...he's known to pop back there and wash dishes  when he sees that we're very busy. Just last week we asked Karl about using his creative talent to make us a sign for Chicago Gourmet...and days later, look what we have. He's our doctor, he's our friend, he's a firefly advocate and devotee- and we love him. Thank you so much Dr. Karl for being you! You're just another part of why we love what we do! |
 The wedding...
we mentioned above was just too beautiful not to share. All pictures are courtesy of Vivid Studios, Gibson City, IL.  |
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Sincerely,
Kristie & Niall Campbell
firefly grill
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See our pics at shutterfly!  Be a firefly fan on facebook! Follow us on Twitter! 
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What's Happening
Friday, Sept. 17, Saturday Sept. 18 & Sunday Sept. 19 Mid America Motorwoks Funfest
Chicago Gourmet! Saturday Sept. 25 & Sunday Sept. 26 firefly will be at Millennium Park in Chicago!
Thursday, Sept. 30 Business After Hours 5 - 7 p.m.
With Corvette FunFest on September 17-19 and a wedding on Saturday, September 25 the firefly promises to be very busy. So if you have a special event that you're planning on celebrating those evenings, we encourage you to make reservations to make sure we have a table just for you at the time you'd like, 217-342-2002. Thank you!
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A Little Slice of Sunshine...
Goes into our September drink of the month...
the Orange Drop The sweet and citrus-y cocktail is like a kiss from the sun! A blend of orange vodka, Grand Marnier, orange curacao and orange juice, it's a light, refreshing crowd pleaser. Known as the California cousin to the Lemon Drop (because of all of the orange groves and year round availability of oranges) it's a refreshing way to say goodbye to summer! |
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It's our Hour!
Mark Thursday,
September 30 on your calendar, because it's a day you won't want to
miss! It's the Effingham Chamber of Commerce's Business After Hours,
and it's at the firefly grill! It's a great networking event designed
to bring chamber members and their guests together in an informal
atmosphere. Business After Hours runs from 5 - 7 p.m., we hope you'll
join us!
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Zoom in on Funfest...
 Friday, September 17, Saturday September 18th and Sunday September 19th our friends at Mid
America Motorworks are rolling out the red carpet for a "Cars and Stars
Weekend" at
the 17th annual Corvette Funfest. Corvette Funfest, held annually on
Mid America Motorworks' 150 acre corporate campus, is one of the largest
gatherings of Corvette Enthusiasts in the country. During
the three-day celebration, more than 15,000 Corvettes and over 45,000
enthusiasts will enjoy a fun filled weekend of events and activities
including the Fun Road Rallye, the Corvette Auction, Kids in Corvettes,
Exhaust & Burnout Wars, the Ladies Zone, the ever popular Corvette
Cantina, a Saturday night concert featuring "The Guess Who", and not to
mention the endless display of Corvettes to enjoy! The Funfest weekend actually starts on Thursday, September 16 with several events including "Lunch with Mike Yager"; a "Taste of Effingham", featuring tours of Boos Butcher Block and the firefly; the "Corvette Fun Run & Downtown Street Party"; and the "Cars & Stars Charity Event", a fundraiser to benefit Catholic Charities' Foster Children program. We
love being a part of Funfest, and we love having many enthusiasts join us at the
firefly. It's a great weekend for Effingham and definitely a don't
miss event! Find more info and the complete schedule at their website: http://corvettefunfest.com/
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Coming next month:
We're planning a busy fall for our fireflies! Coming in October it's the return of the fabulous mushroom dinner! Joe McFarland, a.ka. "The Mushroom Man", will be bringing us all new mushrooms for this long-awaited event. Niall and the crew are starting to plan the menu, it's going to be a good one!  We're in the midst of organizing a fishing tournament fundraiser for fall as well. Please check the website and upcoming editions of the flash for details on these and other upcoming events! www.ffgrill.com.
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