Imagine riding a luxury tour bus somewhere, not having to worry about directions, traffic or even the fuel to get there. Spend the afternoon filling up on information, amusements and fair foods, and don’t worry about finding your vehicle in the sea of filled parking lots. When time is up, board the air-conditioned bus and relax during the ride home, reflecting on the surroundings taken in during the day, along with the random assortments of fried cuisine.
In an effort to offer a cheaper, greener, more convenient alternative to driving, the City of Monticello is recommending residents “Buspool” to the Illinois State Fair. The City has contracted with Monticello Bus Service, Inc. chartering two coach buses to take residents to the Fair for “Monticello Day.” On Tuesday, August 12th for only $16 per person, residents may ride the buses to the state fair. Admission tickets to the fair normally cost $3 for adults over 13; and $2 for seniors over 60, and parking is $7 per vehicle. Since the average car gets 23 miles/gal., about $25 is spent in fuel for the trip, making the Buspool a cheaper alternative for most. By taking the bus, fairgoers do not have to worry about admission or parking, and the bus will drop off visitors right at the gate!
The buses are scheduled to depart the City of Monticello Municipal Building at 10:00am on Tuesday, August 12th, arriving at the Illinois State Fairgrounds around 11:15am. The buses will leave the fairgrounds at 4:00pm, returning to the Monticello Municipal Building around 5:15pm. Participants of the bus trip will have about 4 ½ hours of “fair time.” “We didn’t want people to feel like they would have to stay the whole day if they rode the bus, and felt that 4-5 hours of fair time was a decent amount of time to see the sights, catch a few rides and eat some fair food,” stated event coordinator, Callie Jo McFarland. Reservations can be made by stopping by the Municipal Building, 210 N. Hamilton, or calling 762.2583. Space is limited so reservations will be taken only until August 4th or until space is filled.
Monticello organizations will be promoting the community August 12th at the Illinois State Fair for the daily “Hometown Pride” event. “Hometown Pride” spotlights a different community each day of the Illinois State Fair. Frequent participants include Urbana, Decatur, Taylorville, and Quincy. Monticello was chosen among several Illinois communities and is the smallest organization to be chosen for this event. In addition to a tent filled with Monticello paraphernalia and free giveaways, Monticello entertainment will fill the air for the 10 hours of the event. For more information on this event, contact Callie Jo McFarland at the City of Monticello, 762.2583, or visit www.MonticelloEnews.com.
