A familiar and steady presence at Delavan basketball games for more than three decades was recognized Friday night, as Delavan Schools honored Ric Hartzler for 35 years of dedicated service at the scoring table for both Delavan Junior High and Delavan High School basketball.

During a halftime ceremony at the Delavan vs. Illini Bluffs varsity matchup, Athletic Director Ryon Kramer presented Hartzler with a commemorative plaque celebrating his long-standing commitment to Panther athletics. The recognition drew warm applause from players, coaches, and community members who have long associated Hartzler with the rhythm and reliability of game night in Jake Poppenga Gymnasium.

Hartzler began working the clock and assisting with official scoring in the early 1990s, becoming a fixture at junior high and high school contests. His consistency, calm under pressure, and deep knowledge of the game made him a trusted partner for coaches and officials across generations.

After 35 seasons behind the table, Hartzler is retiring from his duties on the clock, closing a chapter marked by thousands of quarters timed, fouls logged, and memories made.

Delavan Schools expressed gratitude for his decades of service, noting that volunteers like Hartzler help sustain the traditions and spirit of Panther athletics.

Hartzler’s recognition adds to a season of celebrating the people who help shape Delavan sports—on the court, on the sidelines, and behind the scenes.

Trio’s Pizzeria served its final customers on Friday, February 6, 2026, closing the chapter on a short but memorable run in downtown Delavan. The restaurant, which opened in December 2024, announced earlier in the day that Friday would be its last night in operation.

In a message to customers, the Trio’s team shared, “Tonight will be our last night here at Trio’s. We have some pizza doughs left, flat breads, wings, and appetizers etc. Please come out for one last night with us as we prepare to lock the doors one last time.” The post drew an immediate response from residents, many of whom stopped in for a final meal or left messages of support online.

Trio’s quickly became a familiar stop for families, students, and Friday‑night regulars, offering a menu that blended classic pizzeria staples with local favorites. Its location in the heart of downtown made it a convenient gathering spot and a welcome addition to the city’s small‑business landscape.

The owners did not publicly share the reason for the closure, but thanked the community for its support throughout their time in Delavan.

As the lights went out for the final time Friday night, customers lingered to say their goodbyes—some taking home one last pizza, others simply stopping in to express appreciation. For many, Trio’s leaves behind more than a menu; it leaves behind a year’s worth of shared meals, celebrations, and memories.

The storefront now joins a growing list of downtown spaces awaiting their next chapter as Delavan continues to reshape and revitalize its business district.

Encompass Grain and Rail Co-op has begun work to remove the unused railroad tracks running north of 5th Street, including the sections that pass beneath the 4th Street and 3rd Street bridges. The project marks the end of a rail service era tied to the Delavan grain elevator and opens the door for a new public greenway planned by the City of Delavan.

The rail corridor, owned by the City and leased to Encompass for the movement of grain by railcar, has been inactive following recent changes in rail operator requirements. According to city officials, rail carriers now require a significantly higher number of cars to justify a stop at a specific elevator—thresholds that smaller facilities like Delavan’s cannot meet. In addition, the rail line north of 5th Street would have required substantial repairs to remain safe and operational.

Faced with those combined challenges, Encompass agreed to vacate the lease and remove the tracks at its own expense. Crews began dismantling the line this week, with work progressing northward just past 3rd Street.

City leaders say the cleared corridor will eventually become a greenway and walking path connecting Veterans’ Park—formerly known as City Park—to Lake Park. The project is intended to create a continuous pedestrian route between two of Delavan’s most used public spaces.

No timeline has been released for the construction of the greenway, and planning discussions are expected to continue as the rail removal progresses.

Long before the grid of streets, the brick storefronts, or even the first family homes, the earliest shape of the Delavan settlement rose on a patch of high prairie at what is now the southeast corner of Chestnut and Third Streets. In May 1837, an advance party of carpenters and builders—led by W. W. Crossman—arrived to begin the work of turning a speculative Rhode Island venture into a functioning Illinois colony.

Their first task was survival. A small cabin went up quickly to serve as temporary shelter. But the real symbol of the settlement’s ambition was the structure that followed: the Colony House, a three-story frame building designed to house incoming settlers until they could build homes of their own. In a community founded on temperance principles and collective effort, the Colony House was meant to be both a landing place and a promise.

Constructing such a building on the open prairie was no small feat. Much of the lumber came from the East—some of it shipped from Providence, carried down the Atlantic coast, through the Gulf of Mexico, and then up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Pekin. From there, the final 18 miles were made the hard way: by ox cart and wagon over rough prairie trails.

Other shipments originated in Pittsburgh, floated down the Ohio River before joining the same long route north. The heaviest timbers, however, were cut closer to home along the Mackinaw River, five miles to the north, and hauled across the prairie to the building site.

By early fall, two rooms of the Colony House were complete—just enough for Mrs. Crossman, the first woman to join the settlement, to arrive on October 1 after waiting out the earliest construction period in Tremont. Two more rooms were finished before winter, and the remainder of the building was completed the following spring.

Even in those earliest months, the settlers’ priorities extended beyond shelter. True to the ideals of the Delavan Association, cultural and educational needs were considered essential. Construction soon began on a schoolhouse, which served not only as a place of learning but also as a general meeting hall and a site for church services. It remained the community’s educational center until 1860.

Despite the ambitious vision of its organizers, the colony grew more slowly than expected. Few of the association’s enrolled members ultimately made the move west. Only five houses were built by the association itself, and the challenges of frontier life—limited transportation, distant markets, and difficult roads—kept growth modest.

Wagons and carts were the only means of travel, and the nearest village, Dillon, lay seven miles away. Pekin served as the primary outlet for produce, while the Orndorff settlement provided the nearest neighbors—and the nearest source of butter and eggs.

Twenty years after the land sale in Providence, the population of Delavan stood at just 150. By the time the community incorporated as a village in 1865, it had grown to nearly 500.