Site Sponsors
Archives
Read past editions of Images of McLean County magazine.
Local Advertisers
Site Sponsors
Contact Us
Feedback
Let us know your thoughts...
Advertising Info
Need more info? Looking for ad specifications?
Local Advertisers
Culture
Almanac
On Solid Ground
The American Institute of Architects turned 150 in 2007‚ and its AIA Illinois chapter celebrated the milestone in an eye-catching way.
It created a Great Places collection on a www.illinoisgreatplaces.com Web site‚ with pictures and detailed information about 150 interesting architectural structures throughout the state. Representing Bloomington on the site is the David Davis Mansion‚ while Normal was recognized for the Normal Theater.
Other recognized Illinois landmarks include the Abraham Lincoln Home‚ Wrigley Field‚ Sears Tower‚ the Illinois State Capitol and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio.
Drivers Wanted
The golf courses in Bloomington-Normal are way above par‚ and that’s a good thing.
The twin cities ranked among the top five in a 2005 Golf Digest survey of the nation’s best cities in which to play golf‚ and the magazine also gave a four-star rating to Prairie Vista Golf Course.
Other top venues in the two cities include Crestwicke Country Club‚ the Golf Learning Center‚ Highland Park‚ the Illinois State University Golf Course‚ Ironwood‚ Royal Links and The Den at Fox Creek.
Much Ado About Something
The lady doth protest too much‚ except when the Illinois Shakespeare Festival arrives each year in Bloomington.
Illinois State University sponsors the annual summer festival that stages three open-air plays on the grounds of historic Ewing Manor in Bloomington. Approximately 12‚000 people attended the 2007 event that included performances of Much Ado About Nothing‚ Henry V and Love’s Labour Lost.
The festival has been staged in McLean County for 30 years‚ and at Ewing Manor since 2000. The event has been acclaimed in the Chicago and New York media‚ and discussed in scholarly Shakespeare journals as far away as England.
Modals of Transportation
Need a ride? Be patient because The Uptown Normal Multimodal Transportation Center is slated to open in the summer of 2009.
Construction is scheduled to start in April 2008 on the center that will be located just west of the Children’s Discovery Museum. It will bring together the services of Amtrak trains‚ Amtrak High Speed Rail‚ buses‚ airport shuttles and taxis. The building will also include a 280 car-parking garage.
Amtrak services already make Chicago a comfortable day trip for McLean County residents‚ and that trip will become even faster once the high-speed rail service becomes available at the multimodal transportation center.
Oh Rubbish
It is an unusual exhibit‚ but it gets kids and adults thinking about cleaning up the environment.
Oh Rubbish is an exhibit at the Children’s Discovery Museum in Normal that informs visitors about the world’s environmental problem of too much trash. The display’s message is to get children and adults thinking about reducing‚ reusing and recycling‚ and rethinking the way they deal with garbage.
One of the exhibit highlights is a walk through a lifelike landfill to see trash and junk that shouldn’t be there.
Is That Abe Talking?
Abraham Lincoln spent a lot of time in Bloomington-Normal‚ as evidenced on a new audio CD that is available to the public.
The McLean County Museum of History is sponsoring the CD that features local writer and performer James Keeran as the voice of the 16th president. Keeran‚ as the president‚ talks about 17 sites in Bloomington-Normal that played a role in Lincoln’s life.
Those sites include the courthouse‚ the Miller-Davis building where Lincoln practiced law‚ and the Kersey Fell Law Office where friend Jesse Fell encouraged him to run for the presidency. The CD includes an accompanying booklet of photographs‚ tour directions‚ maps and commentary about the 17 sites.
The McLean County Museum of History CD sells for $19.95.
Get Swept Up
On the list of ice sports‚ broomball isn’t mentioned very often. But it is becoming a popular activity at the Pepsi Ice Center in Bloomington‚ where the game features rules and strategies like hockey as well as some from soccer.
Ice hockey is still the star at the Pepsi Ice Center‚ which offers training to aspiring players and youth and adult league competition. Skating lessons are available for all skill levels.
The center‚ located at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum‚ can be rented for birthday parties and other events.
© Copyright 2008 Journal Communications Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this Web site may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.