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Scenes from the State Fair - posted on August 25, 2009
Another year of the Illinois State Fair—that Mecca of fried food, livestock, and carnival rides—has drawn to a close. From the Midway excitement to the threat of a tornado, there wasn’t a dull moment at this year’s festivities. Relive the highlights with our first-ever photo essay, featuring snapshots of this year’s fair action.                               Rainy, stormy weather early in the week may have hindered attendance, but Thursday was a beautiful day to attend the Illinois State Fair. Photo by Julie Collins.                           A vendor dishes up a Philly cheese steak sandwi...

Calling City Hall - posted on August 14, 2009
The next time you're in downtown Lincoln, stop across the street from City Hall (700 Broadway) and look up. There, perched on the rooftop, you'll spot an unusual site. No, it's not the phone booth where Clark Kent dons his cape and becomes Superman—although this phone booth's location would provide a prime lookout for the superhero. Rather, it was placed on the rooftop as part of a World War II civil defense system. Later, when the government no longer feared attacks from the sky on small towns across the United States, it was used for storm watching. Rumor has it that the lowest firefighter on the totem pole would be sent to the roof to keep an eye out for tornadoes. Then, if they spotted one, they'd place a call to sound the sirens. (And, undoubtedly, wou...

Great Illinois Drive-Ins - posted on July 27, 2009
Did you know Illinois once boasted more than 120 drive-in movie theaters? Although most of these iconic film-viewing sites of the past are long since closed, there are still 12 to 13 open outdoor picture shows (depending on who you ask) in Illinois—and two are located right here in the central part of the state. The first, Harvest Moon Drive-In in Gibson City, opened in 1954 and still shows movies nightly from June through August and on weekends in April, May, and September. Shows begin at dusk and admission is $6 per person (children 5 and younger are free). Click here for movie listings and more information. The second theater, Route 66 Drive-In in Springfield, originally was called Green Meadows when it opened in 1978. It closed in 1982, was purchased by Knight's Action Par...