American Business Club of Springfield awarded funding to 55 nonprofit organizations Sept. 28, using proceeds raised from overseeing gate admissions to the Illinois State Fair.
More than $126,000 was given to groups such as Gold Star Families, Kiwanis Club of Springfield and organizations tied to area high schools and churches.
The presentation was held on the Illinois State Fairgrounds at the ABC Family Park, which the group donated for its creation in 1997, according to a written statement.
This was ABC’s 22nd year handling gate admissions, although the group’s overall participation in this year’s State Fair was reduced after losing a separate contract for managing the beer tents in the grandstand, a role ABC had held since 1954. Nelson’s Catering, a private business and newcomer in fairground operations, will complete its two-year vendor contract from the Illinois Department of Agriculture at next year’s fair.
“It’s not the end of the book, our story continues out here (at the State Fairgrounds). It’s just going to look a little different, at least for next year,” said longtime ABC member Kevin Lust.
“For now, our admissions contract is the same. And we’re going to continue to do our work so that all these folks can enjoy the benefits,” he said of the nonprofits receiving funding from ABC.
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Lust stood at a podium with about two dozen members behind him, all wearing light green polo shirts, as recipients sat on benches surrounding a large, circular brick patio.
He acknowledged the adversity ABC members and recipients organizations alike faced this year from trying to find volunteers to fill slots, learning a new scanning system for ticketing and tumultuous weather that included windstorms, lightning and rain.
“We felt like a lot of our volunteers, the ABC members who were out there with you really were at their best,” Lust said.
Iron Sleds MC among the groups who received donations from ABC for volunteering with the club during the Illinois State Fair, on September 28,2026. 
55 groups received funding from ABC for volunteering at the Illinois State Fair helping at the entrances of the fairgrounds, on Sept. 28, 2026. 
55 groups received funding from ABC for volunteering at the Illinois State Fair helping at the entrances of the fairgrounds, on Sept. 28, 2026.
Among the funding recipients on hand for the Sept. 26 event was Iron Sleds MC, a motorcycle club from Nilwood in Macoupin County.
This was the second time the group volunteered at the fair, with more than 50 of their members helping to manage an entrance on the fairgrounds. The money will go toward several events they hold annually for kids in the community such as their Halloween party and Breakfast with Santa, where each child receives a gift. They’ll also donate funding to Special Operations Wounded Warriors, which hosts a deer hunt every year for military veterans.
The group stood out among the recipients for their classic motorcycle club attire – dark sunglasses, denim sleeveless vests with chains hanging over black T-shirts, and faded tattoos decorating their arms.
They also are called upon by local governments to help where they can on a “case-by-case basis,” said a spokesperson who introduced himself as Cobbler, who another member referred to as “the head man.”
“Somebody needs a hand, we’re there,” he said.
