Progress continues on 618 Event Center at fairgrounds
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- Written by: Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
Work is continuing on the new 618 Event Center at the Clinton County Fairgrounds. D.C.A. Contracting Inc. out of Breese is getting ready for all of the steel work. Work is continuing on the new 618 Event Center at the Clinton County Fairgrounds in Carlyle.
Ralph Beckmann, Clinton County Fair Board president, said all of the concrete is laid and ready for the new event center, which will host multiple events including all of the livestock shows during fair week.
D.C.A. Contracting Inc. out of Breese is getting ready for all of the steel work. Beckmann expects it to be about three or four weeks for the steel to be put up, weather permitting.
"Everything is moving along well," Beckmann said.
The indoor building will be 120 feet wide by 450 feet long. Pieces for the building rolled into the fairgrounds on nine semi trailers in October 2025. Construction on the building began in November.
Initially, the goal was to have the building up by April or May. They have been pushed back a little due to the weather, but they remain close to that schedule.
Clinton County Fair week will be July 12-18, with the parade scheduled for July 13. Beckmann said the building might not be fully completed by fair week, but it will still be used. They are looking to do a donor wall in the building to thank all of the businesses and individuals that donated to make the building possible.
"Everyone is really excited about the opportunities this building is going to bring and we are ready to get it finished up," Beckmann said.
All of the livestock shows during fair week will be in the 618 Event Center. The shows were previously in outdoor barns.
There also has been interest to host other events at the 618 Event Center. They are looking to have car shows, tractor shows, and training seminars in the facility.
"It really is going to be a good addition to the fairgrounds," Beckmann said.
The building is wide open inside, so there are endless possibilities to host events there. They are looking to have bigger livestock shows during showing season. They are hoping the 618 Event Center is something all people in southern Illinois can use, because there will be few facilities like it in southern Illinois.
The goal of the fair board is to have the 618 Event Center rented out once or twice a month.
"We hope that a lot of people will come and check out the facility," Beckmann said.
The new building will be big enough to host indoor tractor pulls.
The Clinton County Fairgrounds will be the only fairgrounds south of Bloomington to have a facility like the 618 Event Center. They picked the name 618 Event Center because it encompasses southern Illinois and what it is about.
They already have beef and pork jackpots coming that can attract anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people at a time. Fire departments and EMS can use the building for training. Heavy equipment dealers want to come in and do training. They also are looking at sporting events, flea markets and boat shows.
The Clinton County Farm Bureau has already put up $250,000 to help with the startup of the building. They have a private trust that says they will match the Farm Bureau donation. The fair board has put up $100,000.
The Clinton County Board approved a resolution of donating $30,000 out of the tourism fund toward the building on Oct. 1. Contingent upon the building keeps progressing, in January of 2026 they proposed another $10,000 and January 2027 another $10,000.
The board unanimously approved the resolution of funding $50,000 toward the project.
The 618 Event Center is another update and upgrade to the Clinton County Fairgrounds.
The Legacy Building was completed at the fairgrounds in 2021.
"We are just trying to continue to update and upgrade the fairgrounds to keep up with the times," Beckmann said.
For the love of the birds — New Baden man finds joy in caring for purple martins
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- Written by: Kelly Jo Ross - Breese Journal News Editor
One of the purple martin condominiums that Stan Meinhardt made stands nearly 18 feet high At 90 years old, Stan Meinhardt of New Baden has found a simple joy that never gets old — watching purple martins swoop and soar outside his window.
Nearly every morning in the spring, Meinhardt settles into his worn blue chair with a cup of coffee and a pair of binoculars, his eyes fixed on the sky behind his New Baden home.
“After all these years, I love them. They are so exciting to watch,” he said.
A lifelong fascination
Meinhardt’s love for birds began in childhood. Growing up near Mascoutah, he remembers his father crafting gourds and houses to attract purple martins.
That early exposure turned into a lifelong passion.
“When I got married, I started building purple martin houses,” Meinhardt said.
Today, his backyard is home to multiple martin structures — ranging from modified gourds to large, handmade “condominiums” designed with the birds’ comfort in mind.
Building homes in the sky 
A closeup of the condominium and a purple martin
Meinhardt doesn’t just hang birdhouses — he engineers them.
Mounted on poles nearly 18 feet high, his houses can be lowered with a hand crank for cleaning and maintenance. Some feature dozens of compartments — one structure includes as many as 68 nesting holes.
“I started buying gourds, but there wasn’t much room,” he said. “So I made my own.”
His custom designs even include small balconies, giving the birds extra space to land and move safely.
“I made a balcony so they don’t fall when they come out,” he said.
Each winter, Meinhardt carefully takes the gourds down, cleans them, and prepares them for the birds’ return in early spring.
“I wait until the end of March when I see them, then I put them all back up,” he said.
A partnership with people
Purple martins are North America’s largest swallows. In the eastern United States, they rely almost entirely on humans for survival.
“They depend strictly on people to help them,” Meinhardt said.
The birds migrate thousands of miles from South America each year, arriving in southern states as early as January and reaching Illinois in the spring. Older males typically arrive first, claiming nesting spots before females and younger birds follow.
Purple martins are highly social birds, often nesting in large colonies where dozens of pairs live side by side. Each compartment typically houses a single pair.
The female lays four to six eggs, and both parents share the work of feeding their young. Within about a month, the chicks are ready to leave the nest, though many return to the same colony year after year.
But survival isn’t easy.
“They’ve got predators, such as raccoons, owls, hawks, snakes,” Meinhardt said. “Once a raccoon finds them, it can keep coming back.”
Life on the wing 
Stan Meinhardt holds up a wooden birdhouse that he recently made. Meinhardt enjoys woodworking and creating bird houses and purple martin condominiums.
Purple martins spend most of their lives in the air, catching insects mid-flight.
“They eat entirely on the wing,” Meinhardt said.
While many believe they mainly eat mosquitoes, their diet actually consists more of larger flying insects like dragonflies, beetles and moths.
“They’re working all day long out there,” he said. “You can watch them just constantly flying and feeding.”
Known for their agility, the birds twist, dive and glide with precision.
“They are real acrobatic,” he said. “They can fold their wings and just shoot through the air.”
Adult males appear a deep, glossy black, while females have a lighter, grayish underside. Younger males often have a speckled chest during their first year.
Why they need help from humans
In the eastern United States, purple martins have become almost entirely dependent on human-provided housing — a relationship that dates back generations.
Today, “martin landlords” like Meinhardt play a key role in their survival.
Proper placement, regular cleaning and protection from predators are essential. Without it, entire colonies can be lost.
Meinhardt even supplements their diet occasionally, putting out crushed eggshells and mealworms to give the birds extra nutrients.
A fading population 
New Baden man Stan Meinhardt loves to engineer and make purple martin condominiums for purple martins that visit his home every spring. In this photo, Meinhardt uses a handcrank to raise and lower the bird condo.
Despite their beauty and charm, purple martin populations have declined in parts of North America.
“I think they need help,” Meinhardt said.
He keeps up with the birds through publications and stays connected with others who share his interest.
He estimates around 30 birds visit his property each season, though they come and go, making it hard to keep an exact count.
Passing it on
After decades of building, watching and caring for the birds, Meinhardt hopes others — especially younger generations — will take an interest.
“I’d like to see more young people get involved,” he said.
In Clinton County, there are quite a few folks who share their love for the purple martins.
In fact, there is a Facebook page, Clinton County Purple Martin Club, which is a forum for others to share information, ideas and pictures from their colonies. Enthusiasts from all over the county — New Baden, Aviston, Germantown and Bartelso — share pictures and sightings of purple martins online. Anyone who is interested in purple martins is welcome to join in on the page.
Stan Meinhardt, 90, of New Baden, has always had a passion for purple martin birds.
So, if you see a purple martin condominium in someone's yard, or funny-looking gourds hanging nearby, Meinhardt encourages folks to stop and talk with the homeowner to learn what makes purple martins so special. More often than not, "martin landlords" are happy to share their passion for the birds.
But, for now, Meinhardt is content to sit back, sip his coffee, and watch the sky come alive each morning as he admires the purple martins.
“They’re fun to watch,” he said. “They love to sing, and they can be kind of noisy — but that’s part of it.”
As spring turns to summer, Meinhardt knows his backyard will once again fill with the swooping silhouettes and cheerful chatter of purple martins — a sight he’s cherished for decades.
Meinhardt, who will turn 91 in October, said he still looks forward to their return every year.
“They come back every year,” he said. “And as long as I’m here, I’ll be waiting for them.”
Cougars sweep Wood River to move to 21-7 on the season
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- Written by: Jeremy Chawgo - Breese Journal Sports Editor
Playing in — Central senior Bryce Wieter sends a throw to first in the Cougars’ 10-0 win over Wood River on Friday in Breese. Wieter was 1-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and one batted in during the six-inning tilt. The Central Cougars moved their season record to 21-7 with three more wins with a pair of victories over Wood River and another against Belleville East.
They hosted Red Bud (15-7) on Monday before welcoming in North Clay (25-3) on Friday. They play at rival Mater Dei on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Central 10, Wood River 0 (6 innings): The Cougars made it a season sweep over the Oilers on Friday at Allen Warnecke Field in Breese.
Central out hit the Oilers 12-3 in the contest with Wood River having three of the game’s four fielding errors.
Miles Browne and Brady Ceto took care of the rest as they combined on a three-hit shutout.
Browne went the first two innings with five strikeouts to earn the win while Ceto tossed the final four innings and struck out nine batters to earn the save.
Browne did damage at the dish as well with three singles, a walk and two runs scored. Alex Athmer was 3-for-5 with two singles, a triple, two runs scored and five batted in.
Kaden Henss and Aidan Huegen each had two singles while Bryce Wieter added a triple. Huegen had three stolen bases while Athmer, Conlan Haar and Browne each pilfered a pair of bases.
The Cougars left no doubt in the bottom of the first inning after Haar reached on an error and Browne walked to leadoff the frame.
Athmer singled the other way for a 1-0 lead before Craig Schroeder scored a run on a ground out. Henss singled in another run for a 3-0 lead after one inning.
They added two more runs in the second inning when Haar and Browne each singled and scored on an Athmer triple to the right side for a 5-0 lead.
Central got an unearned run in the fourth inning before going back to work in the fifth inning when Huegen singled, stole second, stole third and scored on a wild pitch for a 7-0 lead.
The Cougars ended it in the bottom of the sixth inning after the first out was retired. Browne started things with a single before scoring on a single from Athmer for an 8-0 lead.
Wieter tripled to the right side to chase Athmer before Wieter scored on an RBI single from Henss to end the contest.
Quick win — Central senior Miles Browne sends in a curveball in the first inning of the Cougars’ 10-0 win over Wood River. Browne tossed two innings of shutout ball, allowing one hit, no walks and five punch outs. Central 25, Wood River 0 (4 innings): The Cougars went offensive in their conference road victory on Thursday in East Alton.
The Cougars pounded out 21 hits with 13 players getting into the hit column while their defense was flawless behind Aidan Huegen and Lincoln Radake.
Huegen was the winning pitcher as he went the first three innings and allowed one hit and no walks with eight punch outs. Radake pitched a scoreless fourth inning.
Alex Athmer was 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a single, five RBI and two runs scored. Conlan Haar was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a single, three runs scored and one RBI.
Radake was 2-for-3 with two singles, two walks, two runs scored, three batted in and a stolen base. Max Albers was 2-for-3 with a single, a double, two steals, two batted in and one run scored. Landon Toennies scored three times.
The Cougars scored twice in the first, once in the second inning before getting 10 runs in the third inning and a dozen in the fourth inning.
Haar led off the game with a double to the gap before scoring on an Athmer single to left. Athmer crossed two hitters later, on a single from Kaden Henss for a 2-0 lead.
Haar doubled in the second inning and crossed on a Miles Browne double through the left side for a 3-0 lead.
Central sent 16 hitters to the plate in the third inning, with the big blow coming from Athmer with a grand slam to left field. Albers doubled in two more runs as the rout was on at 13-0.
Going the distance — Mater Dei righty Ethan Wheelan sends in a first inning strike against Carlyle on Monday in Breese. Wheelan went the distance with a two-hit shutout where he struck out two in the 10-0 win.
They sent 18 to the plate in the fourth inning with just five hits. Allen Perez had an RBI single in the inning. Logan Haselhorst also singled in a run for the Cougars.
Central 2, Belleville East 0: The Cougars got two in the opening inning and Alex Athmer took care of the rest.
Conlan Haar led the game off with a double the opposite way before scoring on a double from Miles Browne just three pitches into the contest. Alex Athmer singled in Browne for a 2-0 lead.
Athmer took care of the rest as he shut down the Lancers’ offense all game. The junior went the distance, allowing just two hits in the complete-game shutout where he walked none and struck out 11 in just 85 pitches.
Browne had three of the Cougars’ eight hits while Craig Schroeder, Kaden Henss and Max Albers all added singles.
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