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Oleson Music Pavilion Park in Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fort Dodge, IA, October 2024 One of the sights to see near Brushy Creek State Park is the Oleson Music Pavilion in Fort Dodge, Iowa. It was built in 1938 in a Modernist style with Art Deco overtones. Its construction was part of the Federal Works Progress Administration’s attempt to create jobs and stimulate the…
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Another World’s Largest!! – Square Knot
Comlara Park is home to Lake Evergreen and the World’s Largest Square Knot. I find it interesting that the Knot is a world’s largest, but I am unable to find the knot in the Guinness website. The best part of this find was that we are staying at Comlara Park and didn’t know at the…
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Danville, Looking for Lincoln and Vermillion County Museum IL
Danville, Illinois Danville Illinois started out as a hub for 3 Native American Tribes – Kickapoo, Miami, and Potawatomi. In 1827, 80 acres of land was donated and lots sold which started Danville. In 1838, the Potawatomi Trail of Death camped and passed through Danville. Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer with the 8th Judicial Court.…
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Pontiac, Pontiac, or Obwaandi’eyaag?
We went to Pontiac, Illinois to get Kate’s National Park Passport Book stamped, but we parked in the wrong place about two blocks away. Instead of the museum complex, we parked near the Pontiac-Oakland Auto Museum that had a bunch of Pontiac cars. Ironically, Pontiac, Illinois is not named for the Pontiac car, and no…
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Kennekuk County Park with 1000 gallon tank!
Vermillion County Illinois used to be known for coal mines and manufacturing. When the coal mining ended and manufacturing decreased, parks were created. Kennekuk Park boasted a 1000-gallon aquarium. This sounds huge but turns out to not be as big as you think. Can you find the fish? The park also boasts Lake Mingo, multiple…
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Do you trust the Rails?
I was in El Paso, Illinois doing laundry and heard a train go by. Since I just sitting goofing around waiting for the washer to finished, I decided to watch the train. While I was watching I noticed the rails jumping up and down in one section. Also making lots of noise when hitting that…
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Heron County Park with tower, boardwalk, etc. But where’s the Herons?
Heron County Park is in Vermillion County and started opened 2004. The park came about when Aqua Illinois, Inc. donated the land to the county. In 1992, the water was increased by 4 1/2 feet and a 950 foot boardwalk was built at a cost of $145,000. After that a 30+ foot observation tower was…
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Fischer Theatre, Danville IL
In 1880 at a cost of $24,000, the Grand Opera House (now called Fischer Theatre) was built and became a hopping place starting out with live shows. In 1912, the building was closed and remodeled. Upon reopening in 1913, the name changed to Fischer Theatre. Later years, movie projector equipment was added along with a…
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Kickapoo Rail Trail Aventure
Illinois like many other states are changing no longer used railroad tracks back to life as Rail Trails. Nothing like the first Rail Trail located in Sparta Wisconsin 🙂 but still nice. Once fully completed, the trail will be @ 22 miles long. We traveled the solid orange line in the purple box. The dotted…
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Hmm Donuts!!!
On my way to the Danville’s Farmers Market, I found another donut shop — Royal Donuts. Royal Donuts has been around since 1973 (Linda’s Bakery also opened in 1973). During Covid, Royal Donuts shut down and decided not to re-open. In 2022, Royal Donuts was re-opened by another family and has been running strong since.…