Computer Hackers

The Illinois Lincoln Highway listserv through GoogleGroups got hacked. I am taking the links down, then trying to clean up the listserv. The chances of those responsible getting caught are slim to none because they could come from anywhere in the world.

PBS

If you missed the PBS / WQED documentary, A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway it is not too late! You can order a copy on DVD from WQED here. They will start shipping on December 1st, so just in time for Christmas. And please, print off a page from the WQED Web site, take it to your local public library, and suggest that they purchase a copy.

The documentary covers something from all over the Lincoln Highway and LHA's own Brian Butko worked as the historian. It features an interview with Lynn Asp at the Headquarters in Franklin Grove and interviews with many of the LHA members who attended the Evanston, Wyoming conference. There are pictures of the school buses used for the Wyoming tour that everybody who went to the conference talked about afterward. The new, comfortable buses for the Utah west tour could not be used on the dusty, more rugged Wyoming east tour. The documentary has spectacular images as the Lincoln Highway crosses through some of the most beautiful areas in the United States.

Not all of the video footage could fit into the one-hour PBS program, so check out the video links of extra information here!

Songs

There are a few recent Lincoln Highway songs.

The group Shadric wrote a song called Rollin' Down That Lincoln Highway with three different versions. The 2008 lyrics are printed here. There is a keyboards only version to listen to here.

Buddy McNutt wrote a completely new song for the PBS special, Goin' All the Way. You can listen to it by going here and clicking the Listen button. If it looks like and sounds like . . . it must be a ukulele!

The group Cornbread performing Lincoln Highway at Floodstock in July of 2008, a fund-raiser for victims of the horrible flooding in Iowa, especially Cedar Rapids. My bet is that someone recorded the video using a camera phone:



The rock band Sublime which no longer plays together did a tune called Lincoln Highway Dub which was instrumental. They used the same tune for another song later. This is the instrumental version:

September 13 and September 14

On Saturday, September 13th, the Illinois Chapter will have a meeting in Franklin Grove at 12:30 p.m.

Sent to the blog from Jane Nicoll is the following information:

"On September 14, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. Cynthia Ogorek will present her program on this book for the Park Forest Historical Society. The public is welcome. She will be selling her books after the program.

We will be At Park Forest Village Hall, 350 Victory Drive in Downtown Park Forest. Hope you can come!"



View Larger Map


Click the View Larger button and use the mouse to move around in the map so you can see where to go!

Striking Back at Gas Pump Pain!

California Chapter member and Map Committee Chair Paul Gilger sent a picture of his car, and his way of striking back at high gas prices! Paul leads the group of volunteers responsible for creating the Official Lincoln Highway Driving Maps software for the DeLorme Stree Atlas software program.

Yard Sale 08 - 08 - 08

The annual Yard Sale will begin on 08 - 08 - 08 and the price for a yard sign will be lower this year, $8. Registering for a sign will also include a GPS location for all available street addresses and mapping.

Signs will be available in Franklin Grove, the home of the Lincoln Highway Association National Tourism Headquarters:

136 N. Elm St.
P.O. Box 308
Franklin Grove, IL 61031
(815) 456-3030

Longitude: -89.29929
Latitude: 41.84207


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Surprise Number Two!

I wrote weeks ago about two surprises. The first one is that Cynthia Ogorek's book on the Lincoln Highway is coming out through Arcadia Press. Now I can tell you about the second surprise, the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb is getting an authentic Wurlitzer theater pipe organ, shipped out from Virginia. It is going to cost a mint to get it installed, but the theater originally had an organ, and after installation, the theater will become complete again. This future enhancement will complement the Rialto in Joliet and the Paramount in Aurora. This entire area already serves as a major representation of historic theaters, and that will just improve even more. I think there were just the four main types of theaters in the United States, Egyptian, Paramount, Rialto, and Fox. This area has three of those.

Happy Double Birthdays in 2008!

Happy 20th Birthday to Lee County Tourism in 2008! Check out activities and places to visit on the Lee County Tourism Web site at:

http://www.leecountytourism.com/

Today, March 1, 2008, is the 30th Birthday to an all volunteer group in DeKalb, the P.E.T. Inc. (Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre). Although DeKalb is infamous for tearing down the Old Post Office along Lincoln Highway, the preservation of the Egyptian Theatre is a success story, and it is one of the most photographed places along the Lincoln Highway (just two buildings off the route) in Illinois. The Web site for the Egyptian Theatre is at:

http://www.egyptiantheatre.org/

As always--for full disclosure, the blog master is on the Membership Committee for the Friends of the Egyptian Theatre.

Tragedy at Northern Illinois University

With Northern Illinois University right on the Lincoln Highway, we have members of the Illinois Chapter of the Lincoln Highway Association who are also members of the NIU extended community, past and present. We pass our condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

Pontiac Turned Down for FEMA Money

Folks, I just heard on the news today that residents of Pontiac, which is on Route 66, as well as nearby Watseka which experienced flooding about a month ago because of ice jams on the river got turned down for assistance through FEMA. This blog's owner checked on the Route 66 Museum that is there, and it was OK: http://windycityroadwarrior.com/blog/2008/01/10/flooding-in-pontiac-illinois/
but many of the residents were hard hit, and getting turned down by FEMA is another blow. Trying to recover from flooding is extremely difficult.

Blast from the Past

OK, so this video is off topic from the Lincoln Highway . . . This is our Farming Heritage representative and Illinois Chapter Board Member Ron Colson drag racing in 1980.

Enjoy!

Alice Ramsey Documentary on YouTube

More good stuff on YouTube. This is a clip from a documentary on Alice Ramsey's drive and the upcoming re-creation of her drive. Alice Ramsey's drive took some of the same routes that the Lincoln Highway took later:

Next Board Meeting

The next Illinois Lincoln Highway Association Board meeting will be on Saturday, February 9th at 12:30 p.m., at Franklin Grove.

Of course, weather permitting! Old Man Winter is about to whack us again!

New Book Coming Out on the Lincoln Highway!

OK, Surprise #1 is now out!

Cynthia Ogorek has a new book on the Lincoln Highway in Illinois coming out in March. It is linked from here.

Arcadia Publishers have books out all over the place, so when this book comes out it will be one more step in raising awareness of the Lincoln Highway in Illinois.

Two BIG Surprises!

Keep checking back during the month of February to find out about two BIG surprises!!

More Lincoln Highway Fun on YouTube

From our friends in Nebraska, a Lincoln Highway Tourism Video:



Brick Portion of Lincoln Highway in Ohio at risk:



Professor I. Ron Gnees at the Lincoln and Henry Joy Monuments in Wyoming

30 Second Nebraska Tourism TV Ad:



Folks in Valparaiso, Indiana recover a Marker formerly held at an Indiana State Highway worker's previous residence:



Link Wray High Way Lincoln Highway in DeKalb as seen at 180 m.p.h. (sort of)! We can ask our former drag racing star if this really what the world looks like at 180 m.p.h., although there's no turning around at the silo in drag racing!

Update on the Berwyn Car Kabob/Spindle

For folks asking about the Berwyn Car Kabob (real name Spindle), the non-profit groups so far are short of the money needed to move it and restore it. But take a look at all of the people involved in a bike fund-raising event:




Preservation = An Energized and Involved Public