Delora Siebrecht Interview
Interview with Delora Siebrecht
April 1, 2023 Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL
DS → Delora Siebrecht MF → Morgan Fox JC → Jake Crews
*actual interview starts at 3 minutes and 26 seconds into the audio recording*
MF: Alright. I guess, do you want to start with, what was your experience at Farm Aid?
DS: It was incredible. I mean it really was, I mean that's, almost, what’s 38, 39 years ago now. But I mean, it was nothing like that had ever come to a venue here in Central Illinois, of that size. And I am, I am from a farm family, we have a centennial farm which was like 1869 when it was in the family. And of course there was the issue of farm closures and that’s, Willie Nelson got that going so that was one of the reasons, I mean, I gotta go, I gotta support uh what’s going on, and then, you just couldn’t, the venue, was incredible. It was incredible. So, um, my husband and I, we got our tickets and, we actually did not have anybody to go, other couples, so we went by ourselves. We had two sons, and we’ve, um, got some of our friends kept our sons while we went. And, that day was, it rained-
MF: Yeah.
DS: It rained and, the performances were wonderful, um, everyone, there was no issues or problems with people-
MF: Oh nice.
DS: You know, having, you know, and it was just, it was just really enjoyable.
MF: Yeah.
DS: And, it got to be, I’m thinking, around 10:30, and that is, we had friends that had our kids, and so, that’s when we left. Sometimes I wish we- We actually watched the rest of it. We did go to get our kids but it was on t.v.
MF: Gotcha.
DS: And so we watched the rest of it, but I don’t think there was ever, anything put together like that before.
MF: Wow.
DS: With the name recognition and the quality of the performers, and the music I mean you just knew.
MF: Yeah.
DS: And y-you just really, and it was a variety of music too. You know it was rock, country.
MF: Had you, like, listened to a lot of the artists that were performing?
DS: Mhmm, yeah
MF: Yeah?-gotcha
DS: Yeah, because they were all…
MF: Yeah! They were, all so popular.
DS: They were all so popular. And, I, um, in the 60’s you know, I was a teenager and so I was listening to all of the music of a lot of those people and so, to get to see it in person-
MF: Yeah!
DS: -was, really something. And, the venue was, I guess.
MF: Yeah.
DS: I don’t know if there’s been anything, I don;t know, has there been anything put together since then? Of that many?
MF: I don’t think anything of a similar caliber, yeah.
JC: Yeah.
DS: Yeah-
MF: With so many people.
DS: -yeah, okay.
MF: Yeah. Um, I guess, what, you mentioned that your family came from like a farm family.
DS: Mhmm.
MF: So, you felt like a, strong connection with the-
DS: I did.
MF: -issue at hand?
DS: At what they were doing.
MF: Yeah.
DS: Because, well, I- we still have the farm, you know. And, and so it was important to help farming at that time. And it was like, there was, the farm was still in the family, there’s four women now, that own it. And it’s still functioning so it’s, over 150 years now, in the same family.
MF: Yeah.
DS: Which is, it’s hard to keep a farm, that long,
MF: Absolutely.
DS: Umm because of, you know when it passes down to the next then there's more and more heirs-
MF: Yeah.
DS: -in there. And then it happens, you know, the cost, the value of the land is so much more than what you actually make. Which is sad.
MF: Mhmm. Yeah. Uh, was there, like, uh when you went to farm aid and you got your tickets was there, like how did you hear about it? And-
DS: Oh it was all over the-
MF: Really, yeah?
DS: All over Champaign. ‘Cause, ‘cause I just live in, well I lived in Tolono, which was a little further down. So, it was just all over and I um, at that time was working in Tolono at a bank. And my husband worked for, the Illinois Bell Telephone. And so there was just, we were at that age of, in, you know, in our thirties and wanting to go to those things, and this was just something really…-
MF: Yeah.
DS: -wow!
MF: Mhmm.
DS: It was wow.
MF: Had you been to, like, any music- musical events prior to this, or was this kind of like, ah.
DS: This was kinda like the, the big one. Being, at that time, married and having kids, and, we weren’t really into the concert going at that-
MF: Yeah.
DS: -time because you had too much to do, you know the cost of concerts and,
MF: Yeah.
DS: But this one, was so spectacular how could you not, go?
MF: Yeah.
DS: Um, were there any, like, interactions that you had at the concert that kind of, stand out to you, that you remember?
DS: Not really. The only, what I remember is everything was so, nice, and, no issues with people sitting next to you, with people on the, you know, anywhere else. And, of course the whole, uh, ground out there was-
MF: Yeah.
DS: -covered with people standing.
MF: Oh, yeah.
DS: We were, we were on this side, not quite under the underhang.
MF: Gotcha.
DS: That’s where we were. So, um, you know, and we, we had a good enough view and everything that it was, uh, and, kind of, when you compare it to sometime, concerts have today.
MF: Yeah.
DS: It was very mild.
MF: Yeah. Um, is, so there were some performers that like, had a lot to say about the farm crisis and spoke out, and, were there any, like, kind of statements that you heard them say, that, like, made you maybe like an artists that you didn’t normally have a connection to or something like that?
DS: Well I think I loved Willie Nelson. MF: Yeah.
DS: Um, because he was, you know. Other than that, I think I felt that he, was of the same, personality as me in wanting farm and everything and you know. Um, the other performers I mean, it was so great they were there to- But I think most of their lives were much different, you know, they, they lived in. So but he was the one that was really, and I know there was others that talked and stuff but-
MF: Yeah.
DS: -he was the one for me.
MF: So, um.*to JC* Do you have any questions?
JC: Yeah. So, so farm aid, uh, can be a somewhat controversial topic among farmers themselves. I was wondering if, like, what your family, or what your perspective on, uh, Farm Aid is, like if you thought it was helpful or if you thought that more could have been done maybe?
DS: I don’t know. I mean that’s so long ago now. Um, I know my family didn’t get any financial help, although we weren’t ones that were close to losing our farm either. Um, but I can see there being some criticism from some people but, I don’t, I didn’t agree with that because they were doing something.
JC: Mhmm.
MF: Yeah.
DS: Anything, in my mind helped bring attention to farmers, and how difficult farming is.
JC: Mhmm.
DS: It’s, It’s a wonderful life. It really really is, but it’s a hard life. And, you know, there’s, you’re dependent on weather and all that and bugs.
MF: Yeah.
DS: It’s all kinds of stuff. So there’s the, but it, we feed the world.
MF: Absolutely.
DS: Yeah. So it’s, so it’s very important and so I think, I really wanted to come because of- I wanted to see everybody of course.
MF: Yeah.
DS: But I wanted to come, I wanted to support it, because of, how I had grown up.
MF: Yeah.
DS: Yeah.
MF: Did you see any change in like the community or kind of attitudes before and after the event?
DS: I can’t say that I did.
MF: Gotcha.
DS: Yeah. And, I think at some point, maybe there was, a little skepticism about whether this was really gonna be helpful.
JC: Mhmm.
DS: And I really don’t know, myself, if it, how many people it did help. But to me it got the word out. And maybe, people had a different thought in their mind about farming and, and, paid more attention to it.
MF: Yeah.
DS: So.
JC: So, I know this event was almost 40 years ago so memories can be a little-
DS: Yeah.
JC: -hazy but, is there like a single performance or performer that you wish you could maybe go back in time and relive, or one that sticks out?
DS: Oh, there were so many.
JC: Yeah.
DS: Um, I think, at that time, the Beach Boys were, were really really good and, I don’t know it gets, it gets really-we’ve been kind of watching-
JC: Yeah.
MF: Yeah.
DS: -out there. I don’t know, Willie Nelson.
MF: Yeah.
DS: The Beach Boys.
MF: It’s a big one.
DS: That’s a big one. I can’t even think of some of the names, there were so many.
MF: Yeah.
DS: But, it was a wonderful experience.
JC: Mhmm.
DS: It really was.
MF: I think, that’s it for my questions.
DS: Okay.
MF: I just want to thank you so much for coming.
DS: You’re welcome. Yeah. Well, it was a dual thing, I’m on the board for the museum, and I gotta help they wanted help out there.
JC: Yeah.
DS: And all that.
MF: Yeah
*End of transcription at 14 minutes and 6 seconds of recording*
This set of recordings is of a range of participants in the Farm Aid concert of 1985, and is to be used only for historical research and educational purposes. Interviews were conducted with the express written consent of all participants. This collection was compiled by the Champaign County History Museum and the Spring 2023 History Harvest class at the University of Illinois. These recordings are presented with transcripts of their content.