Welcome to Forgotonia

1. People who live in Georgetown (or anywhere else west of the County Market and Hy-Vee on East Jackson Street) will no longer have to drive all the way through freakin’ town to grab a gallon of milk.

According to Tri States Public Radio’s story, the city has loaned close to $100,000 to the future owners of Jackson Street Market, which will be not in the former Thompson Food Basket—that’s been occupied by a megachurch for the last couple of years—but across the street in what I would call a….Morton-Building-type-mini-mall. The proposed location is 1601 W. Jackson (in what was Brenner’s Furniture).

So: are y’all psyched? Will you shop there? (And perhaps more importantly for those on the west side of town…will this place get a liquor license?)

[See items 2 and 3 below, after the Google Maps location image]

Jackson Street Market location

2. We’re part of a region suffering from a “B.A. divide”—and the separation between people who have a bachelor’s degree and people who do not is getting more dramatic, according this blog, where you can see a map tracking the increasing separation. (If you’re interested in this topic, also be sure to check out some of the entries by  Timothy Collins, who works for a center housed at WIU. Also, tell me if you agree that perhaps they shoulda used different colors for the states on the map, connotations-wise, than red and blue…)

And finally,

3. It turns out I am not the only one who feels frustrated when the sidewalks roll up at dusk. As you know from reading this blog, I like to gripe about how Macomb could do better at offering things downtown for shoppers and eater-outers, especially considering that there are thousands of students here (and they have suburban parents who visit them). According to the results of a recent survey conducted by WIU students, the majority of respondents would also like business owners on the square to acknowledge that some people actually shop and do things after, like, 10 o’clock in the morning:

Most notably… 80 percent of the respondents indicated they think businesses should stay open past 5 p.m.

Yeah! Boo-yah! That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout. (So, um….Chamber, are you on this now? Or whoever else is supposed to make that kind of stuff happen? Thanks.)

On a somewhat related note: I had the opportunity to spend some time in the lovely little town of Galena (Ill.) this past weekend with C-Nor and some of my college friends. As we were walking around on the last day of October, taking in the sunshine and the movie-set feel of that historically preserved city, I couldn’t shake this weird feeling, and finally realized what it was—I was in a small town, going in and out of businesses, on a Sunday afternoon. Not only were there businesses to go to, but they were open.

So, you ask, does everything in life have to be about consuming? Is shopping and eating out the most important thing in a community?

Well good question, you.

I thought this over after we drove back down to Macomb with our candy corn (from the old-timey candy store) in tow, with thoughts of Galena’s vintage toy store and nothing-but-socks store (um, yeah) and Abe Lincoln and U.S. Grant dancing in my head. And my answer is that no, shopping ain’t everything. But having lots of stores and restaurants, and a historic site or two—and having them open on a Sunday afternoon—leads to people (and their dogs and strollers) walking around downtown on a sunny day. And that, always, is more hope-filled and less depressing than things like this.

What’s there to see in Blandinsville, Ill.?

Well, not a heck of a lot, to be honest. But like so many other small towns in Illinois,  it’s a little self-contained unit–not quite a ghost town, because there are homes and churches and bars–that has survived for years and years despite not having much to go on.

When you drive down through the heart of town, you can’t help but feel a sense that time has passed in a way that this is a place that once was; that there won’t really be any growth to speak of.  Indeed, as the local history book (below) notes, there are more grave stones in town, by far, than living people.  But,

(More to read, below these photos)

Blandinsville Masonic Temple

here are some interesting factoids about this tiny town in McDonough County (follow the links to see the old black-and-white historic shots:

• It was started as gathering of log cabins, named Job’s settlement, in 1826, but officially platted in 1842 by Joseph Blandin  (a man who apparently did not have eye-rolling teenagers when he decided on the name Blandinsville.)
• The town was developed by, or because of,  the  Toledo, Peoria, and Warsaw Railroad, which came through town.
• A farming center, little B’ville once had a RR depot, a seminary, and a hotel featuring a fairly grand veranda.

The Masonic Temple is still there (pictured above), as are some of the other original Main Street structures. One building in the slide show above, the empty shop that’s for sale, appears in the lower left-hand corner in this street view of Blandinsville in the early 1900s.

(Historical facts taken from the book Images of America: McDonough County Historic Sites by John E. Hallwas,  WIU English professor emeritus  and author of The Bootlegger, [and guy so nice that when I told him I was a fan of his work, he hugged me]).

Just another little slice of the Midwest that seems worth taking a second to notice.

1. According to a story from the Western Courier, the owners of DJ’s Steakhouse (formerly the Macomb Dining Company) are hoping to up the classiness factor of Macomb by opening a new restaurant and lounge called, get ready for it, Hangovers. (Apparently this is the place to go before you head over to Detox.) According to the story, the new place will be located at 518 West Jackson St., which, according to the magic of Google Maps, could be in, or right next to, the defunct Diamond Dave’s/ Islands/Shanty Shack.
2. You will soon be able to by alcohol at Walgreens, according to the same story linked above. (Woot woot, one less reason to go to Wally World?)
3. The Macomb Square apparently has a bit of a red-light district element developing? Surely this can’t be the case. But: “Man arrested on prostitution-related charges,” according to a local radio station. Wha-huh?!?

Pinckney Benedict, a fiction writer who has published in lots of prestigious publications, will be in town to give a reading and book-signing Oct. 21 as part of his short-term writer-in-residency at WIU.

(The linked release is published by University Relations, the office which, full disclosure, I work for—although I see nothing shady about promoting this event on my own page, mind you [picture me looking down my eyeglasses at you, shaking my finger].

(More, below the photo).

Pinckney Benedict book cover

The news of Benedict’s upcoming visit is pretty cool for a regional University like WIU. Since we’re not, say, the University of Iowa with its world renowned writing program, I think it’s impressive that in the time since I’ve worked here (four+ years), Western has hosted several other literary fiction writers and journalists whose work I like and/or respect, such as:

• Chimamanda Adichie, (who was here for the International African Literature Conference in 2008, and whose short story, “The Thing around Your Neck,” I highly recommend)
• Rick Bass
• Michael Walker, (whose visit I did a small piece about here), author of Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Legendary Neighborhood
• Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation

(and this is not to mention that Western now has Charles Mcleod, an up-and-comer, on the faculty, teaching creative writing).

And a few years before I started here, Western hosted

• Stuart Dybek, (whose short story “We Didn’t” is one of my all-time faves),
• Ethan Canin
• Marge Piercy
• and several others whose names and work I’m not familiar with.

I’ll plan to attend Benedict’s reading or Q&A, if I can make it. (Ironically, I might have to miss an English-y thing to stay home and do another English-y thing: finish writing my master’s thesis.)

I know I have read at least one short story by this writer, because his name jumped right out at me, (though it does do that on its own, doesn’t it), but I can’t quite recall which story or where I read it. He seems like he might be something of a character. For proof, you should check out his photo here.

Are you a fan of Benedict’s fiction? Do you plan to attend? And/or, which of his do you recommend. Leave a comment below and let us know.

Once again, I’m going to have to miss it this year. But if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, and an excuse to be outdoors, you should think about attending the “open house”—(a.k.a permission to visit legally)—at the property once known as Vishnu Springs.

As loyal readers know, the legend of Vishnu Springs—a once-bustling little resort that became a ghost-town, an invisible-from-the-road spot in the remote-est of places in McDonough County—has long been an obsession of mine.

But before you go, could I please offer a[nother] piece of unsolicited advice?

I encourage you to steep yourself in the idea of the place first.

This week, a co-worker (formerly a suburbanite) asked me if she and her kids would get anything out of the event. I thought I should answer honestly that, once you find the place, there really isn’t all that much to see.

(more below, after the photos I took when I was **definitely not trespassing there** in 2007)

Vishnu Springs Capitol Hotel backside (north)

But, if, like me, you get the chills from standing in a certain spot—an almost entirely forgotten spot—and thinking about all that once took place there, you’ll get more from the experience.

In other words, think about the fact that out in the middle of nowhere, there was once a town so popular, it included a railroad stop that brought tourists from Chicago. That it was rumored to be a hideout for Al Capone. That WIU students from the counterculture era made their way out there to live communally and play music and…do other things. And that every person who spent time there, all those years ago, thought his/her own time in the world was just as important as believe ours to be.

So yes, I think anyone who has an interest in history and ghost towns and local legends can “get something out of it.”

Here are the open house details (from the Facebook event page, where one respondent—perhaps reflecting the spirit of his time there in a certain previous decade—wrote that even though he can’t be there, “Smoke one for me!”

The second opportunity for the public to visit Vishnu Springs (Ira and Reatha T. Post Wildlife Sanctuary). A short historical and educational update will take place at 1:30 pm. Take this opportunity to come visit Vishnu without the risk of having to “trespass” to do so. More information about Vishnu Springs is at www.vishnusprings.org.

It’s a tough thing to support—like not hating puppies or kittens.

Even so, I bravely participated in last night’s Banned and Determined event, Western Illinois University’s celebration of the freedom to read (held in conjunction with the American Library Association), at Western’s Malpass Library.

(But no, I did not carry an NPR tote bag or wear vegan shoes.) Here I am, extolling the virtues of Harper Lee’s unbelievable book, To Kill a Mockingbird. (It’s a tough job…)

Alison, being determined about not banning

University Libraries' display of some banned or challenged books

Seriously, though, it unnerves me when parents try to ban books, robbing their kids of the ability to think for themselves. Especially when it’s a work of literature like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, whose very messages (despite what some might consider to be crude portrayals or insensitive language) involve children developing their own abilities to see past racism and intolerance.

Like many people, I first encountered To Kill a Mockingbird when I was assigned to read it in high school English. I’ve re-read it once or twice as an adult. And as I read aloud from it last night, I was, as always, struck by the sense of voice—that of the smart, spunky “Scout” Finch—and the rich detail of small-town life, more than anything else. The fact that Harper Lee never published another work seems to somehow add to its perfection, as if it’s something to never be spoiled.

After the reading last night, (highlights of which you can see on University Libraries Facebook page), the organizer led a brief discussion about book banning, asking if there was ever a time when any of us present might see a reason for restricting access to any books or in any situation. And I do ask myself if there’s a possibility that, if I were a parent, I could quickly become a hypocrite on this issue.

I mean, sure, it’s easy to champion Mockingbird, but…what about material I truly find objectionable? How much of a freedom-of-speech-er will I be if my little nephews grow up to start liking gangsta rap, with its despicable portrayal of  “bitches and hos“?

And I completely empathize with the two women in the audience who expressed their concern the Twilight series, specifically about the female protagonist Bella constantly dismissing herself as “unimportant” while she swoons over a guy.

So I do see both sides. But I stand on the side of freedom to read ‘em.

ALA graphic for Banned Books Week

WIU Archives and Special Collections will be starting a cool new blog, “Forgotten Western,” highlighting then-and-now photos from around the area.

Check out this entry on the old WIU Wishing Well here.

Over the next few years I expect to be following the career of Ryan Budds, a Western grad and aspiring stand-up (who I met a couple of years ago when we took a creative writing class together.)

You should keep your eye out for him, too.

He has already done some kind of high-profile gigs like opening for Dennis Miller–and that was when he was still an undergrad.

Last year, when he was still a student, he opened for Zack Galifinakis in the University Union. I expected him to be at least somewhat funny, but I was almost stunned by his ease in front of what seemed like the entire student body, and his confident stage presence– he was always totally quiet and unassuming in class. I was cracking up through the entire thing–and so were the students.

I can definitely see him going on to “make it out there.” His set that night included quite a few funny barbs about life in Macomb, including the disgusting bathrooms at the Pace, and the joys of shopping at the Macomb Wal-Mart.

Now, check out his latest take on Wally-world and the “Roll back” smiley face (at Ryan’s youtube channel: youtube.com/ryanbudds.) (It’s a link underneath the “hat head” screen). Sorry–I can’t figure out how to link it correctly.

…more than 400 writers, scholars and other peeps in the field of African American Literature— including two superstars, Jamaica Kincaid and Chimamanda Adichie— are right here in Macomb, at Western all week for a conference.

I’ve never read anything by Jamaica Kincaid, but I did read a short story last summer by Adichie, called “The Thing around Your Neck,” in the anthology the anthology THIS IS NOT CHICK LIT, and it totally rocked.

Right now, as I’m sitting in my cubicle eating my Starkist Lunch-to-Go, there is all kind of hubbub going on out in the Sherman Hall Auditorium, where there is apparently some kind of reception going on.

People from all over the world, right here in Forgotonia, discussing the 50th anniversary of Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.

….and they lead up to the Sherman Hall bell tower. I think. But I’m not sure.

And yes, I took a camera out into the hallway at work and took a picture of a closet.

That’s not weird.