Monday, October 31, 2016

Lest We Forget....

On a recent road trip up to Dixon, Lil' Nick and I along with Scott Mecum visited the Veterans memorial park.  Located on Palmyra road this is a neat little space set aside to honor veterans past and present for the service and sacrifices they've made to our country. On display here are examples from every branch of service.

The park is easy to find and is well worth a stop if you're up in the Dixon area.  There's way too much to see in one posting so I'm going to split this up between this week and next.  Enjoy!













Sunday, October 23, 2016

FASTER than a speeding bullet

More POWERFUL than a locomotive...able to LEAP over a tall building in a single bound. Imagine it's 1933. The country was in the grip of the Great Depression. The people were in desperate need of some good news, something to cheer them up. What they needed was a Hero.

In 1972 the Illinois house of representatives declared Metropolis the official home of Superman.  In the town square there stands a 12 foot tall reminder of that uniquely heroic icon.  Put up in 1993 and cast from solid bronze it was replacing an earlier one that was made of fiberglass (And apparently full of bullet holes).  At the bottom of the statue is the motto for which this hero is best remembered. Truth-Justice-and the American Way.

Just two blocks down from the Man of Steel is a smaller statue of his main squeeze in life, intrepid reporter Lois Lane. Also cast in bronze, it captures her in the process of writing down a tidbit of juicy information, probably for some blockbuster article she's working on.

  Metropolis loves it's claim to fame. There's a Superman museum across the street from the statue. just down the street there's a Superman costume in the window of the local gym. The local paper is even named the Daily Planet. There's several other sights in town, making this a  great all day visit for just yourself or your family.










Sunday, October 16, 2016

Tenting on the ol' camp ground

Last weekend was the Civil war reenactment out at our local city park. There were demonstrations of artillery fire, marksmanship, cavalry charges and more. Reenactors portrayed soldiers from both sides of the conflict to great effect.

But Civil war camps weren't just soldiers preparing for battle. There were camp followers, nurses, doctors, supply depots, photographers, and more. People looking to support the troops and give them a taste of home life in an otherwise dismal situation.

We are fortunate that our reenactors not only showed us the times of battle but also the down times in between.



















Sunday, October 9, 2016

The South will RISE again!

Blue against Gray. Brother against Brother. Families split right down the middle. This was the reality of the American civil war. In 1862 a rebellious South, seeing Northern heavy handedness as infringing on their individual rights went to war with its northern neighbors. The result was four grueling years of warfare and bloodshed that still has an impact on society today.

Every autumn We in Bureau county are fortunate to be able to revisit that period of history though with far less fatal results. The annual Blue and Gray festival has been held now for over twenty years and is a huge draw for historians, fellow photographers, and tourists alike. There are battle reenactments, men and women walking around in period dresses and uniforms, and authentic displays of what camp life was like for men, and women too.

It's loud, heart pounding, and a HUGE treat to watch. For an afternoon, you can step back thru a doorway in time and see what it was like to fight for the Union, or to defiantly shout a rebel yell. I highly recommend you mark your calendars and plan to attend the next one.