Buck Stevens photo

I don’t think I could possibly count how many days I have spent having fun at the Bloomington Sale Barn. Located on the corner of Rt 51 and Hamilton roads in Bloomington, the facility housed music events, car sales, and the Beer Nuts Outlet shop. Today, those memories were brought back as the building was brought down. We all knew this day was coming, but it was still sad to see it go. Thanks to B104′s Buck Stevens for these photos:

Jim Shirk and the Shirk family are the owners of the property. They informed users of the facility last year of their intention to close and demolish the Bloomington Sale Barn in a letter. The letter pointed to the age and inferior construction of the building as the reason for their decision.

The letter stated:

“The cost of upgrading the Barn and the adjoining office and meeting spaces far exceeds any future economic or community benefit that could be derived from a renovated facility.”

What would you like to see take its place? Do we need to replace it with another large multi-use facility so we can have traveling gun shows and indoor festivals?

Log into Facebook and comment below.

Former Redbird Dan Muller has been hired to be the new men’s basketball coach at Illinois State University.  Dan was as open and honest as he could be about the hiring process when he talked to us this morning on WBNQ. (He was actually very funny and sweet too!)

First, Dan tells us about his career and how he got into coaching:

Next up, Dan gives us the personal details of life and the hiring process:

Read more about Dan and what happened at his first press conference here.

As you probably know by now, former Redbird Dan Muller has been hired to be the new men’s basketball coach at Illinois State University.  There was an introductory news conference at Redbird Arena and our friends at WJBC have been good enough to share the pictures they took with us.

If you weren’t able to make it out, check out the shots and get tons and tons on the press conference here.

ABC

In preparation for tonight’s premiere of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ Jaleel “Urkel” White, Gladys Knight, William Levy, and the rest of the contestants have been seriously breaking a sweat in preparation for their first performances.

For the 2-hour showing, all the celebs had to loosen their hips for either the Foxtrot or the Cha Cha. Thank goodness for the professional dancers at their sides, ’cause football player Donald Driver is probably not the most graceful figure on the dance floor. But who knows. Maybe he’ll surprise us.

Or maybe one of the others, like “Platinum Pop Star” Gavin DeGraw or ‘Little House on the Prairie’ actress Melissa Gilbert, will turn it out and shock America with incredible moves.

Who are you hoping will wow the judges? Browse through photos of their rehearsal sessions below and vote for your favorite contestant.

Of course everyone thinks their baby is the cutest baby in the world (let alone Bloomington-Normal), so we had HUNDREDS of baby entries for WBNQ’s Mini Madness. These babies are all soo cute, BUT, we only 64 spots. So we RANDOMLY selected 64 babies to compete for a $1000 photography package from Elan Studios, and $1000 to make ‘em smarter in college. Just because your baby wasn’t RANDOMLY chosen doesn’t mean they aren’t the cutest baby in Bloomington-Normal. Here is a look at all of our entries…and don’t forget to vote!

courtesy of WBNQ

Courtesy of WBNQ

Kelly Lyle Photography

Sarah Lyle, our official wedding photographer from Kelly Lyle Photography did an amazing job capturing the emotions and love we all felt during our “Wedding In A Week”  on Valentine’s Day with Kim and Nate Kemp. Check out her work!

WBNQ staff photo

On Sunday, Dec. 4, many of the cast members from ‘Glee‘ attended the Trevor Live event in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium. Darren Criss, Dianna Agron, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Harry Shum Jr., Damian McGinty and Jayma Mays represented the ‘Glee’ cast at the event, which was in support of The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project helps younger generations within the LGBTQ community by providing crisis and suicide prevention resources as well as promoting a message of love and acceptance to all.

At the event, Darren Criss tweeted, “So happy to be at the Trevor Project Live event tonight. Marvelous event for a wonderful cause.” In addition to the ‘Glee’ stars, Fergie and hubby Josh Duhammel attended Trevor Live, as did former ‘N Sync member JC Chasez, ‘American Idol‘ champ Kris Allen, and former ‘Idol’ contestant Stefano Langone. Allen, Criss and Riley performed at the Palladium Theatre, as did a handful of other stars including Mary J. Blige and Miley Cyrus.

On the official Trevor Live web page, the event was described as an “irreverent night of music and comedy,” and Lady Gaga was distinguished as the Trevor Project’s special honoree. McHale, who like Criss has acted in PSA’s for The Trevor Project, tweeted from the event: “Had an incredible time @trevorproject Live!!best event of the year! Such an incredible organization.”

If you want to learn more about The Trevor Project, you can visit the organization’s official website by clicking here. In the meantime, scroll through these pictures of the stars who showed up to support the wonderful cause.

Source: PopCrush.com

Tonight at the 2011 American Music Awards, the red carpet was overflowing with star power. In these red carpet pictures from the event, fans can catch up with their favorite pop stars prior to the award show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, David Guetta, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Jennifer Hudson are just a few of the people who posed for the paps at the 2011 American Music Awards.

Stepping out in a metallic satin gown with a thigh-high slit, Selena Gomez looked glamorous as she strutted her stuff on the red carpet with her beau Justin Bieber. The Biebs kept it classic in a tuxedo and slicked back hairdo. Katy Perry looked fierce in purple pumps and a pink floor-length dress that played off of her hot pink locks. Taylor Swift look dazzling in a gold strapless number, while Jennifer Hudson looked super sexy in a silver mini dress and smooth, straight hair.

Check out these red carpet pictures from the 2011 American Music Awards and let us know who you think looks best so far.

Source: PopCrush.com

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

The folks at ‘Today’ offered up a gallery of spectacularly bad Halloween photos culled from the Awkward Family Photos website.

There’s nothing wrong with homemade Halloween costumes per se, but these are simply unforgivable (and unintentionally scary).

A mom and dad dress as couch potatoes (but look like something else altogether), a little girl goes in costume as a toilet and a father appears in strange, mottled makeup that makes him look like he has a skin disease.

Check out our favorite awkward family costumes below.

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

[via Today]

Source: TheFW.com

Vogue

You can LOOK, but don’t TOUCH!

I’m starting to think Adam Levine will only pose for the camera if nudity is involved. Adam Levine can’t keep his clothes on, and neither can his model girlfriend Anne V(not that I’m complaining!)

Adam’s last nude spread was in the February edition of Cosmopolitan Uk, but this time the duo are on the cover of Vogue Russia’s November issue.

Adam Levine is as well known for his musical career, his role on NBC’s The Voice, as well as his love of beautiful models. The Maroon 5 singer appears with current girlfriend, Russian model Anne V. on the November 2011 cover of Vogue Russia.

Hey Adam, if the whole music career doesn’t work out, maybe Anne can get you a part time gig modeling?

Vogue

Vogue

Vogue

Getty Images

The stars of the small screen turned out for the 2011 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday evening, dressed to the nines for television’s big night. Taking a cue from the carpet’s hue, starlets like Lea Michele (‘Glee’), Nina Dobrev (‘The Vampire Diaries’) and Kate Winslet (‘Mildred Pierce’) showed up in red gowns and trains were in too, with actresses including Kristen Wiig (‘Saturday Night Live’), Christina Hendricks (‘Mad Men’) and Cobie Smulders (‘How I Met Your Mother’) sporting floor-sweeping hemlines.

Check out all the red carpet fashions from the 2011 Emmys below:

Radio Bloomington Red Cross Fundraiser 9/11/01

Do you remember where you were on 9/12/01? The day after 9/11? Radio Bloomington moved into the Schnucks parking lot to start a Red Cross fundraiser. None of us could have predicted the event would be come the local center of information and emotional support for all of us as we tried to find some light during a very dark time. By time the event ended, over $824,000 was collected to help victims of the attack. People from all over central Illinois brought out children who would empty their piggy banks into our buckets and shout “God Bless America” as they did it. I have never cried, smiled, laughed, prayed or hugged more people than during that week. These photos bring back moments that should never be forgotten.

This is the second year in a row Chicagoland has welcomed home a Top 3 American Idol finalist! Being a huge American Idol fan, I was not willing to miss out on this opportunity again. It took a little convincing my husband, swearing to him that this was the way we needed to spend our weekend. Well, since he loves his wife, he agreed to my impulsiveness. We packed our bags with almost every piece of technology we owned and headed to the ‘burbs for a daylong adventure of documenting Haley Reinhart’s Homecoming to Wheeling, Illinois! Keep on readin’ for the  details, pics, and video!

Photo by Josh Reed

We spent Friday night in Bolingbrook with my in-laws and headed off to Deer Park’s AT&T store early Saturday morning, where Haley would be making a small appearance and receiving that notorious text message from the judges with their song pick for her Wednesday night performance. We arrived to a small crowd of about seven people standing around a small platform stage that was barricaded around the front of the store. It was about 7:45, and Haley wasn’t supposed to arrive until around 8:45, so we easily nabbed a spot front and center. A group of American Idol staffers were making “We love Haley” signs and handing them out to the small crowd. Too bad for them, I brought my own sign. It said, “Does Randy have PMS? America wants to know.” (I won’t lie. I had a slight mission to get on TV.)

That sign quickly became soggy, as we all waited in the cold mist. 9:00 arrived, and still no Haley, who was apparently running late from a radio interview. I gotta’ give big props to the AT&T store for chipping in on Panera cookies for all of us. My feet and hands were frozen, but it didn’t matter. The crowd continued to grow, reaching about 200, as chants of “Haley, Haley” rang through the air. We sang and danced to all our Idol favorites, as they blared through the speakers. Every Haley song was acknowledged with extra cheering.

Photo by Colin Kelly

Thankfully, the crowd was a happy mix of parents, their kids, and some in-betweeners like myself (who apparently drive a long distance to crash another town’s Homecoming). Finally, around 10:20 Haley arrived in the back of the AT&T store but was not allowed to come to us through the front door until she was properly mobbed by the papparzzi.

Photo by Josh Reed

Finally, at 10:30, she made her way to the front. As the door opened, the crowd roared, but I couldn’t even see her for about the first five seconds. The cameramen were still surrounding her like vultures. As she climbed up the platform, I couldn’t even believe this girl, that I’ve been watching belt it out every week on TV, was standing only feet away from me. Let me tell you, Haley is absolutely stunning! Dressed in maroon jeggings and a matching floral top, her blonde curly locks were perfectly in place. Her sparkly brown eyes were overwhelmed with gratitude, and I swear I heard her say, “I think I’m gonna’ throw up.” She thanked us over and over, telling us how cool it was that we actually showed up to wait for her. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

As expected, Haley got a text from the judges, telling her what song they picked for her to sing Wednesday night: Alanis Morissette’s ‘You Oughta Know’. (Later in the day, I was standing next to a townie who thought Randy purposely chose that song because it’s kind of a screamer, and he “probably wants to make her look bad.”) The crowd asked Haley to sing a few notes, but she declined politely, explaining that she wasn’t allowed. Thanks a lot Fox! Then something remarkable happened. Haley read my sign out loud, “‘Does Randy have PMS? America wants to know.’ That’s a good question,” she chuckled. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to grab an autograph or a picture with her, but that made up for it. It seemed she left as quickly as she arrived… on to the next round!

By that time we were ready for lunch, so we decided to decline on Haley’s visit to Wheeling High School. That seemed like a more private, hometown moment, plus I was really hungry. I heard from others that Haley spent an hour at her alma mater, welcomed by 400 fans in the gymnasium. A $10 thousand donation was even made to the music department in her honor. Driving around Wheeling and its surrounding towns, you could feel an overwhelming sense of pride: “Vote for Haley” signs plastered all over the local shops, the Chicago radio stations pumped her Idol tunes, and it seemed every person you ran into had some story about how they knew her—not sure I believe all of them.

Photo by Josh Reed

After lunch, we headed over to the campus surrounding Wheeling Village Hall, which would be the end of the official Homecoming Parade route. Just as we arrived, the American Idol limo slowly made its way through the area. I ran over, and the window started to unroll. There was Haley, who had just made a surprise appearance at Wheeling’s Aquatic Center. She greeted her fans and personal friends as they swarmed the limo to talk to her. “Thanks for putting Wheeling on the map Haley. We’re proud of you,” one guy shouted. She didn’t even seem phased by her new found star power. All these people are just friends and family, and she just wants to catch up, even if her bodyguard is urging her to roll the window back up. She finally gave in, as she had to travel to the beginning of the parade route.

Photo by Josh Reed

The cold mist has picked up again. My hands were frozen. I couldn’t feel my toes, but it still didn’t matter. Tons of umbrellas lined the streets and gathered around the stage at Wheeling Village Hall, where Haley would eventually arrive to receive her key to the city and declaration that May 14th is now ‘Haley Reinhart Day’ in Wheeling. About another hour passed until we heard the police siren leading the Wheeling mascots and high school marching band, all decked out with ‘Vote for Haley’ shirts. The colorguard carried Haley heads on a stick and sang along with the crowd and band as they did a “Hey Haley” version of ‘Hey Baby.’ Haley even pre-recorded part of the track, so you could hear her singing along with the band too!

Photo by Jamie Reed

Then there she was… on the back of a convertible, in the rain, this time with a heavy coat, hood up, and scarf wrapped around her. Her proud parents Patti and Harry and younger sister Angie rode along in the front of the car. Haley didn’t even seem to notice the bad weather. She was too busy waving, dancing along, and shouting out to the people she knew. Fans swarmed the streets, running along with the car, paying no attention to the police officers telling them to, “Please get out of the road.” Yeah right!

Photo by Josh Reed

The car somehow made its way to the stage at Wheeling Village Hall, but it took another few minutes until the crowd could even catch a glimpse of Haley, thanks to another camera stampede. When we finally could see her, the Wheeling leader-type figures were too busy reading their written-out congratulatory speeches that no one was listening to, not even Haley, who was standing right next to them. At one point, President Judy Abruscato had to call her name about four times to get her attention. It was priceless!

We decided to ditch the ceremony early and head to Arlington Raceway for Haley’s free concert, the same place Idol’s previous winner, Lee Dewyze, performed last year. Apparently, we should have left earlier, because we got seats in the peanut gallery. There’s no doubt in my mind that fans had skipped out on the day’s earlier events so they could stand at the raceway all day for the best seats. Again, more cold rain. This time we were covered, but the seats were still very wet. Oh well. The concert was supposed to start at 6:30 p.m., but surprise, it didn’t start until 45 minutes later.

Photo by Josh Reed

The grand entrance began with the American Idol limo entering from the left and driving toward the stage at the center of the raceway. The sunroof opened, and out popped Haley, all smiles and waving to the 30,000 screaming fans that showed up to hear her sing. Yes, I could actually see her smile, as there was a personal television in front of the reserved seats I ended up stealing! Again, I got this sense that she was completely overwhelmed and grateful to the amount of support from her hometown. After all, this was her very first concert.

Before Haley actually started to sing, we all had to get another earful from the same speakers earlier in the day. Oh joy. Then Idol producers invited us all to scream as part of a part of a commercial for the show. That took three takes, and finally, some 15-20 minutes later, Haley belted out her first notes of ‘Benny and the Jets’. It was incredible! The acoustics in that place were not too great, but you could hear the passion and perfection of every note she hit. The girl is a powerhouse!

Photo by Josh Reed

Other songs on the set list included ‘House of the Rising Sun’, ‘Piece of My Heart’, ‘Oh Darlin,’ and of course she had to sing ‘Sweet Home Chicago’. Interesting fact: Haley’s family is full of musicians, and they all joined her on stage as her band. Her mom Patti took care of backup vocals and tambourine. Her dad Harry played a mean guitar, and her sis Angie slapped the bass. It was one of those moments that made you say, “Awwwww” out loud. I did many times.

Before I knew it, the concert ended, the crowd bellowed, and it was time to head home. It was probably one of the longest, coldest days of my life but definitely one of the best! It was moving to see just this normal, humble, everyday girl receive so much love and support from her hometown. There seems to be some sort of misconception out there that Haley is bratty or diva-like. I dare you to walk into Wheeling and express that to one of the locals. They’ll be happy to tell you how wrong you are and politely ask you to leave. I was already sold on her talent, but after this weekend, I truly appreciate her character. Haley Reinhart is the total package!

(Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations : Romance and Honeymoons – Travel Channel)