On the weekend of September 13-14, exactly 50 years after opening the gates for its first racing weekend, Meadowdale Raceway was finally ready to celebrate its golden Anniversary. Many months of hard work by many volunteers went into preparing the property, now know as Raceway Woods, for this special occasion.
The centerpiece of the old raceway is the Pure Oil silo. In addition to the famed "Monza Wall", the silo was one of the more notable features of the racetrack. Neglected and vandalized for years. the silo was ever so close to being torn down. But racing buffs joined together with local historians and preservationists to save the silo from destruction. The silo was repaired and reinforced to ensure its structural integrity, and after a new coat of white paint, the "Pure" emblem and the Meadowdale International Raceway" designations were restored. This restoration work had to be done by professionals however, which cost lots of money. Funding for the restoration work came from many sources, but most noticeable were the racing and automobile clubs. Among the "Grand Prix 500" donors were the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs, North Suburban Sports Car Club, Sports Car Club of Rock ford, and the Full Throttle Sports Car Club. The "Silver Trophy 250" donors included Chicagoland Sports Car Club, Madison Sports Car Club, Solid Axle Corvette Club, the Windy City Cobra Club, and... Lotus Corps!
For many months. Jack and Donna Redmer spearheaded the efforts to save and restore the silo. They organized the volunteer work crews to upgrade the property as a whole, and organized the anniversary celebration weekend. Jack and Donna were joined by various local dignitaries as they gathered in the rain to dedicate the restored silo. Newly installed is a plaque which describes the restoration of the silo and the various contributors, including Lotus Corps. Donna thanked the many organizations and individuals who contributed to the restoration of the silo, and as a memento, passed out Certificates of Appreciation.
Unfortunately, the rain did not abate, and it continued throughout the night, and all the next day. and most of the day after that, literally washing out the celebration weekend. A truly sad end to all of the hard work and effort. The celebration was shortened and rescheduled for September 27th, the same weekend as the Fall Tour. This time the weather as nice as the original weekend's weather was bad.
Only fragments of the original racetrack can still be found, but the property is open to the public to explore and enjoy. The silo is accessible off of Route 31, just north of Huntley Road in Carpentersville. Another entrance onto the property is available off of Huntley Road, just west of Route 31. Take an opportunity to visit Raceway woods. Complete history, maps, and other information can be found at: www.mirpa.org.
