Local Arts

Summer begins in Paris with the Edgar County Shrine Barbecue, Parade and Auction. A fund raising event, the weekend celebration raises money for the Shrine Crippled Children's' Hospital. This event is held the second week-end in June.

The Fourth of July celebration is a daylong event featuring a barbecue and entertainment at the grounds of the American Legion. The Jaycees sponsor a parade and a superb fireworks display at the beautiful Twin Lakes Park on the city's north side.

The Edgar County Fairgrounds in Paris come to life in mid-July with the annual county fair. There are harness races; evening shows in the grandstand; the Miss Edgar County Pageant; western, youth and society horse shows; a carnival; farm and business exhibits; and competition in homemaking, fine arts, and agriculture. In the tradition of small town living, admission to the fairgrounds is free.

The biggest event of the year is the Honeybee Festival and Paris High School Homecoming, held the fourth Friday weekend in September The festivities begin with Prairie Settler Days (Thursday-Saturday) put on by the Edgar County Historical Society. Saturday features the Honeybee-Homecoming Parade. Then, there's the Honeybee Run road race and fishing tournament. Kiwanis members serve pancakes and sponsor the Little Germany in Paris, featuring German food, beverages and entertainment by local music and dance groups. Restaurants and several organizations set up food booths; there are also arts and craft booths all around the court house square. Merchants hold sidewalk sales offering numerous bargains. Paris Honeybee Antique Association has much to offer at the Edgar County Fair Grounds with demonstrators of spinning, weaving, whittling, canning, and basket weaving. Enjoy the petting zoo, barn maze, children's games, antiques, crafts, food, live entertainment and much more. On Honeybee Fall Festival weekend, Paris is as busy as the industrious honeybee it salutes.

Paris shows a cosmopolitan flavor in November when it hosts the International Thanksgiving Fellowship, housing guests from around the world in Paris and Edgar County homes. Visitors are offered tours of local farms and industry. The event concludes with an International Candle lighting Ceremony and community reception.

The first Friday evening in December is the annual Christmas on the Square. Participating merchants hold a progressive dinner and door prizes. As you walk around the festive lighted square, you will enjoy the carolers, live nativity scene and enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride. This is also the official arrival of Santa in Paris. The west lake comes to light on Thanksgiving through New Year. Hundreds of displays entertain the young and old as they drive through and witness spectacular displays.

The Paris Carnegie Public Library is a classic Carnegie library building, standing a story and a half high. The library serves as a cultural focal point in the community. It contains more than 30,000 books. It subscribes to seven daily newspapers and 130 magazines. In addition, it offers videos, audio books, computers and typewriters, a photocopying and fax service. From October to April, the library holds story hours for children age three through five. Its summer reading program is designed for children in grades kindergarten through fifth. The library's meeting room is available to clubs and civic organizations. Paris Library celebrates 100 years in 2004.

History too plays a role in Paris culture; several old mansions and homes are now occupied by civic organizations. The Victorian Arthur House is headquarters for the Edgar County Historical Society with a noteworthy pioneer log cabin and museum stand on the society's grounds. The Bicentennial Art Center is housed in the historic Alexander mansion on South Central Avenue in Paris. The mansion has been remodeled to provide gallery space and artists' workshops and features monthly displays of the work of Midwest artists, local shows, student works, and the center's own permanent collection.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Edgar County Courthouse on the square in downtown Paris is a significant historical attraction in the community. Built in 1891, the native limestone building has been well maintained, from its interior marble staircases to the two murals that decorate its walls.

The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historical Site is an easy 30 minute drive away in nearby Charleston, lL. The site is the last home of Thomas and Sarah Lincoln, Abraham's parents.