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Bond County approves Hope Fest and holiday event but board members raise objections to PrideFest on courthouse lawn
Summary
The Bond County Board approved use of the courthouse lawn for Hope Fest (April 11, 2026) and Come Home for Christmas (Nov. 29, 2025) but a board member objected to prior approval of PrideFest and asked that it be revisited after saying some event details were omitted from the request email.
The Bond County Board unanimously approved two requests to use the county courthouse lawn — Hope Fest, scheduled for April 11, 2026 to benefit the Restore Network and Core Community, and Come Home for Christmas on Nov. 29, 2025. The approvals passed on a 5-0 roll-call vote after a motion by Jeff Rehkemper and second by Wes Pourchot.
Despite those approvals, the meeting recorded organized pushback over PrideFest, which some community members had asked to hold on the courthouse lawn during public comment. Board member Jeff Rehkemper objected under Old Business, saying the email seeking permission did not disclose some events that were scheduled for the PrideFest lawn use; Chairman Chris Timmermann read the permission email into the record. Rehkemper requested that the earlier approval for PrideFest be revisited; the minutes do not show a follow-up vote at the Aug. 19 meeting.
The approvals on Aug. 19 secure the lawn for two community events, but the PrideFest disagreement signals potential further action if the board chooses to reopen the earlier permission. The record shows community concern and an open request from at least one board member to reexamine that prior approval.
