The Windmill City will play host next year to the International Windmillers Trade Fair in what some are hailing as a major public relations victory for the Fox River community.
Assistant city administrator Robert Popeck, a windmill hobbyist, announced the news last week after returning with a handful of business and civic leaders from the site of the 1995 fair in Alberta, Canada, where they made their successful sales pitch.
“We’re putting ourselves on the map again,” Popeck said. Batavia was once considered the world capital of windmill manufacturing with as many as six factories located in town at the turn of the century.
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The fair, which brings together windmill collectors and manufacturers, is scheduled June 12-15, 1996, at various sites throughout Batavia.
Donna Dallesasse, director of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, said the actual economic impact of the fair may be small, with only about 200 windmill enthusiasts from around North America expected to attend.
“We didn’t look at doing this in terms of dollars,” Dallesasse said. “We think the town will benefit from the recognition.”