Gusty weekend winds peeled back a 30-foot section of the metal grandstand roof at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, and state officials are seeking an estimate for repairs. Grandstand roof damaged by winds over the weekend (12/26/2007)
The damage apparently occurred Sunday night and was discovered Monday morning.
Part of Grandstand Avenue in front of the structure has been closed off as a precaution,
even though no debris fell onto the street, said spokesman Chris McCloud, who fielded
calls for the Illinois Department of Agriculture on Wednesday.
The damaged area of the roof is just northwest of the main grandstand entrance. McCloud
said workers are making sure none of the roofing is loose and that nothing poses a danger
to the public.
The roofing is “just kind of peeled back and tangled up there," he said.
“Right now, because of the season, it's not like we're in danger of missing any events
or anything like that, but it will be repaired in time for the upcoming event season,” McCloud said.
The Springfield area experienced strong wind gusts Saturday and Sunday, some of which
reached upwards of 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.
In Menard and Logan counties, utility poles snapped in half, garage doors buckled and
shingles were torn off roofs. Part of a building was blown onto a road early Sunday in
Mount Pulaski, a barn was blown into the road southeast of Greenview, and a garage door
was blown in near Athens, according to damage reports submitted to the weather service.
