Recently in Illinois Category
Last week, after the World's Largest Catsup Bottle announced that it would be announcing some exciting news, there was much speculation as to what it could be:
Would it be filled with catsup? (although some argued that it already was)
Would a giant mustard bottle be erected next to it? Or French Fries?
Would the Jolly Green Giant be stopping by to steal it away?
Alas, we all had to wait to hear the official announcement: beginning today the catsup bottle is getting a new paint job!
Last weekend on my way to Missouri we made a little detour to see the catsup bottle. I had been there before but there is always time to see it again! Here are some pics I took of the world's largest catsup bottle last weekend! Can't wait to see it again in its refurbished glory!
Site: World's Largest Catsup Bottle
Location: 800 South Morrison Avenue, Collinsville, Illinois
Cost: FREE!
Hours: Visible at all hours.
Date: June 5, 2009
Here are some detail photographs of the One and Only Hippie Memorial in Arcola, Illinois!
Site: The One and Only Hippie Memorial
Location: Oak Street, Arcola, IL, just off of the railroad tracks
Hours: Always visible
Costs: Free to See
Date: July 14, 2007
Just down the block from the Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum is another awesome roadside attraction: The World's One and Only Hippie Memorial. The monument spans 62 feet across alongside the railroad tracks in Arcola, Illinois. It was built by local Bob Moomaw. He had worked as both a tax assessor and railroad clerk, but disliked both jobs. He preferred painting messages on the side of his building with slogans such as "America you're turning into a nation of minimum-wage hamburger flippers. Rebel. Think for yourself. It works!"
He started the memorial, a rendering of his life in "junk," in 1992, just after having bypass surgery and years after losing a leg to cancer. Each of the 62 feet of the artwork represents one part of Moomaw's life: from the The Great Depression, World War II and 1950s hypocrisy on one end, rising in the middle to a colorful expression of the years when Kennedy and the hippies rose to the declining scrap of the Reagan years.
Although Moomaw died from a heart attack in 1998 his work lives on and still graces the town of Arcola with its hippie presence.
Site: The One and Only Hippie Memorial
Location: Oak Street, Arcola, IL, just off of the railroad tracks
Hours: Always visible
Costs: Free to See
Date: July 14, 2007
Here are a few images from inside of the Raggedy Ann Museum Gift Shop!
I'm going to try to make it down to Arcola again this summer before the museum closes for good!
Site: Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum
Location: 110 East Main St., Arcola, IL 61910
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:30pm, closed major holidays, closing for good at the end of 2009
Date: July 14, 2007
Yesterday I shared the sad news that the Raggedy Ann and Andy Museum would be closing later this year. A couple of years ago I headed to Arcola, unfortunately I didn't have time to go through the museum, but I did take a look through the gift shop and outside!
Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn hair made popular in a series of children's books by John Barton Gruelle. She was created in 1915, in 1918 was introduced in a book titles "Raggedy Ann Stories" and in 1920 her brother, Raggedy Andy appeared in its sequel "Raggedy Andy Stories." In 2002 Raggedy Ann was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. In 2007 Raggedy Andy was inducted too (and, I'm proud to say, I signed a petition that helped make that happen.)
Arcola, Illinois was the birthplace of John Barton Gruelle, so it was fitting for the town to memorialize him and his works.
The Johnny Gruelle Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum officially opened in 1999. According to their website they are the only officially licensed Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum in the world and their mission is to "preserve the life and times of the man who created the storybook characters, and to promote the inspiration, values, and spirit of imagination that has made them an American institution for so many years."
Unfortunately, 2009 will be the last year the museum will be located in Arcola, Illinois.
Site: Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum
Location: 110 East Main St., Arcola, IL 61910
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:30pm, closed major holidays, closing for good at the end of 2009
Date: July 14, 2007
And now it's time for an extra special treat to wrap up the recap of my Metropolis road trip!
Here's a video I put together with some clips from the road! I saw the I-57 Abraham Lincoln, the World's Largest Cross in Effingham, the Super Museum, Superman Statue, and Americana Hollywood Museum in Metropolis. And, of course, I saw an ice cream eating contest! And since we were so close to the border, we just had to cross into Kentucky and back!
>>Watch this video on Vimeo.
>>Watch this video on YouTube.
FYI: It's kind of dangerous to take video while you drive. Kids, don't try this at home.
FYI2: It is really hard to take photos (which will always be my #1), update twitter, AND shoot video at the same time. But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying until my technique is perfected!
On I-57 when you reach Kankakee/Bourbonnais, Illinois you might see a familiar face. A giant statue of Abraham Lincoln stands amongst construction lifts at Alexander Equipment Rental Inc. While he is not the largest in Illinois he very well might be the most prominent, as thousands of drivers drive by on the highway every day.
I've now passed by this giant Lincoln statue a dozen or so times but have yet to have the opportunity to stop and get a good photo. But oh do I try to capture him on "film" whenever I pass by...
>>Watch this video on Vimeo.
>>Watch this video on YouTube.
Site: Giant Abraham Lincoln Statue
Location: Alexander Equipment Rental, Inc., 1511 Commerce Drive, Bourbonnais, IL 60914 (Visible on I-57 near exits for Kankakee/Bourbonnais)
Cost: Free to see.
Hours: Always visible.
Date: June 19,2008/June 19,2008/May 9, 2009
Some more photos of the Gays, Illinois two-story outhouse from 2007...
Site: Two-Story Outhouse
Location: 1022 Pine St., Gays, IL
Cost: Free to see.
Hours: Always visible.
Date: July 14, 2007
On any road trip you'll inevitably have to stop for a bathroom break. But sometimes that bathroom can actually be the destination. And Gays, Illinois is home to just that destination: a two-story outhouse.
While it is no longer open for the public to use, this outhouse has two levels and dates back to 1872. Originally it stood at the back of a general store to give residents of an upstairs apartment access to a private bathroom. In 1984 the store was town down and today the outhouse lives on a small park.
Site: Two-Story Outhouse
Location: 1022 Pine St., Gays, IL
Cost: Free to see.
Hours: Always visible.
Date: May 2, 2009
The Swinging Sixties gave way to some of the most recognizable roadside attractions still in place today. Amongst those is the Uniroyal Gal, a giant fiberglass woman either donning a somewhat conservative skirt and top or a more provocative bikini. Uniroyal Gals can still be found across the United States. One such stands at "Stan the Tire Man" in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. This is one of the more conservative giantesses with a blue skirt and red top.
Site: Uniroyal Gal
Location: Stan the Tire Man, 1213 Broadway St., Mt. Vernon, IL
Cost: Free to see.
Hours: Always visible.
Date: May 2, 2009
