Illinois high school rodeo finals moving to Springfield
ALTAMONT, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois High School Rodeo State Finals is moving from Effingham County to the state's capital for the first time in more than two decades.
The Effingham Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/1T6ajeN ) the Illinois High School Rodeo Association will hold the competition in Springfield this June, after 23 years at the county fairgrounds in Altamont.
Association board president Carey Newbold says there are "no hard feelings" and the board could return to Effingham County in 2017. But Newbold says it didn't appear there were enough local people interested in helping out after two longtime organizers moved out of the Altamont area.
Effingham County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Jeff Fritchtnitch says the county will miss the extra money that an influx of cowboys, cowgirls and parents would spend in the area.
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Information from: Effingham Daily News, http://www.effinghamdailynews.com