Memories of MAGIE

As I write this column, we are less than one week away from an annual summer pilgrimage – attending the annual Midwest AG Industries Exposition (MAGIE). As the official media partner for the event, CropLife has featured several stories in its past few enewsletters looking at what visitors to the 2022 show will find on the fairgrounds in Bloomington, IL.

For me, MAGIE brings back many, many memories, both good and bad. On the bad side, I remember my first MAGIE, which was held on Sept. 12-13 in 2001 at the airport in Danville, IL. Taking place just after the horrible events of 9/11, this show had a surreal feel to it. Most attendees did talk “shop” while roaming the many exhibits. However, in this age before smartphones were readily available, many of us spent parts of that show watching the few televisions on the grounds, finding out what we could about the terrorist attacks that had happened a few days before.

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Also in the bad category was the first show held in MAGIE’s new home in Bloomington, IL back in 2004. Normally, the weather tends to be sunny for the event, but not this year. Around 10 a.m. on the first day, the rains started – and never stopped. Obviously, very few of my pictures from that year’s show were taken after the first hour or so of the show!

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2007 ShowStopper Hagie

Hagie’s Jim Williams, center, accepts the 2007 ShowStopper Award. Also pictured are IFCA President Jean Payne and CropLife IRON Editor Eric Sfiligoj.

On the good side, I remember handing out the first-ever ShowStopper Award at the 2007 MAGIE. Hagie won it for its new sprayer, and the company was overjoyed (despite the heaviness of the trophy)! I also fondly remember eating my first porkchop-on-a-stick at that same show. Suffice to say, I’ve consumed several dozen more of these over the intervening years!!

Finally, there was last year’s sendoff for long-time Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association President Jean Payne. Having officially retired during the height of the pandemic, it was nice to once again see her in person and hear about her memories of MAGIE, noting how this premier summer event has grown over the years.

Why do you attend MAGIE?

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Hopefully, you have as many fond memories of past MAGIE shows as I do. And with luck, we can all look forward to making some new ones next week in Bloomington!

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