Road Trip-- 34th Anniversary Part 4 Floods and Corn

FLOODS and DEKALB CORNFEST

Saturday morning we found out that today's destination had made the national news on The Weather Channel. A reporter was doing a live report from a flooded golf course in DeKalb. All this rain has the Mighty Kish, the Kishwaukee River (usually more of a stream or creek) flooding in a big way around DeKalb. I went on the hotel's internet and found out from my Illinois Lincoln Highway e-mail group that yesterday the city was essentially isolated by flooding. Northern Illinois University had been closed.

We decided to go to DeKalb anyway. We encountered no flooding along the Lincoln Highway (Illinois Highway 38) until we got NIU's lagoon and the bridge over the Kishwaukee. This area was flooded and water was up to the bridge, but it was still passable.

Cornfest was underway and, as usual, finding a parking place was not easy. Lincoln Highway, which serves as the main street through downtown, was blocked off. We got there in time for the FREE corn. From 11 AM to 2, it was all the corn you want for free. It is heated by an antique steam thresher and everything is done in assembly-line fashion. They'll give you two ears at a time, drenched in butter and in a paper container.

Nowhere to sit, and as I was eating one, I evidently tilted the container and got butter all over the front of my shirt, proof that I had been there, but Liz wasn't too pleased.

Walked around and listened to a band on the main stage. The Egyptian Theater, dating to the 1920s was open and had a free showing of "Field of Dreams" so took advantage. I don't remember ever going to this old movie palace with its art deco/Egyptian architecture. It was closed when I was a student, and almost torn down until a group stepped in and saved it. This is a major site along the old Lincoln Highway in Illinois.

Met The Lincoln Highway Association's state director, Kay, by the small park with the DeKalb mural, Veteran's Memorial Clock, and small WWII Sherman tank (which used to be parked by the train tracks across from Andy's and McCabe's for many years). She had planned to go to Rochelle last night, but had canceled due to the flooding. Kay said that next year, Cornfest will be held at a local park because of planned work on Il-38 through town. Whether it will return to the main drag through town the following year is still to be seen. I hope it does.

Watched the Beatles tribute band, American English, do some of the early Beatles songs. At least they were playing this time, not like the no-play that took place at the Kenosha County Fair a few weeks ago.

Still to be Continued.... --RoadDog

Speaking of the Fair: Baseball and Bad Beatles Tribute Band

The Kenosha County Fair is held this time of the year in Wilmot, Wisconsin, about eight miles north of us in Spring Grove, Illinois.

It is held on grounds located behind the high school that include Wilmot Raceway where Sprint cars make a lot of noise and flip over. It costs $7 for adults, and includes live entertainment.

Lots of good food, vendors, midway rides and games, and, exhibitors. Of, course, I always go to the local groups to buy food. Not only are they generally cheaper, but also I like to keep the money in the area. I had a loaded brat at one place.

TALKING BASEBALL

Talked with a couple about the Brewers who are battling it out with the Cubs and now also the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central Division. I had read an article about the old Milwaukee Braves and their trip to the World Series 50 years ago. That great team included Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron, and Eddie Matthews. The guy remembered this team well. It was about seven years before I got into baseball, so I hadn't ever heard of the team, other than a lot of the players. They had a rookie that came to be nicknamed "Hurricane" Hazel who was called up in July and went on quite a hitting spree to get the Braves there. That was his only good year though. His last name was Hazel, and, of course, there had been that hurricane three years earlier.

Both of us were big fans of the great '82 Bewers team with Molitor, Yount, Cooper, Thomas, etc., who also went to the World Series before losing to the dastardly Cardinals.  We believe that if Rollie  Fingers, the relief pitcher, had not been injured that the Brew Crew would have won as every game they lost, they led in the late innings, but Brewer relievers were horrible.

Enjoyed the Robinson Racing Pigs and was waiting around for American English, a Beatles tribute band, to take the stage at 8 PM. Spent some time walking through, and smelling, the livestock buildings.

WORST-EVER BEATLES TRIBUTE BAND

Like I said, American English was supposed to start at 8, so I got there a little before then. There was nowhere to sit and the ground was way too wet, so I stood and waited and waited and waited. All we were getting were sound checks and guitar tuning from their roadies. That is not what I call a Beatles show.

I finally left at 8:30 and they still hadn't started. I don't know about them, but I consider my time a bit more valuable than that. That showed little respect.

Possibly, they were waiting for the end of the IRA Outlaw Sprint race that started at 7. Those cars make a LOT of noise. Perhaps they didn't want to compete. They should have told us if they were.

Told the lady at the gate that I wasn't happy about the whole thing. This was a big reason why I had driven there and paid my admission.

Good and Bad Times at the Fair. --RoadDog

McHenry Fiesta Days, Taste of Antioch, and Captain's Quarters- Sunday

SUNDAY- Listened to Bob Stroud Root Salute the Summer Stones on WDRV, the Drive. He played Rolling Stones songs that were released during summers. He was doing this in honor of the Summer of Love's 40th anniversary and Mick Jagger's 64th birthday. Mick Jagger is 64!!!! Are we really getting that old? They played my all-time favorite Rolling Stones song, "Honky Tonk Woman". I love that cowbell.

We drove over to Veteran's Park in McHenry and went to the the Jaycees foodstand. We were a bit disappointed as they didn't have bbq chicken, which is fantastic. This year, they were selling hotdogs, burgers, and roast beef sandwiches. We both had the roast beef which was piled high and delicious. People were already putting chairs and blankets out to stake places for the parade which is one of the busiest in the area.

Liz had found a new way to get to Memorial Medical Center in Woodstock using some backroads through the Village of Bull Valley. I would recommend that the whole village be places on the list of really beautiful drives. It is just one great view after another. Just be extra careful of the speed limits as the police there are very quick to pull over speeders.

Frances is there having tests for pain that she had this last week. After visiting with her, we drove to Antioch for the last day of their Taste celebration. This crowd was almost as big as the one on Riverside yesterday. The Beatles tribute band American English was playing and this is a very popular act in the area. From a distance, you'd swear you were watching the real thing. Of course, not only is this the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love, but also "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the album that essentially defines that period.

We had hoped to get there for American English's early Beatles show as that is both of our favorite period of the band, but we were too late. We did see their Sgt Pepper's show, complete with the colorful band uniforms. We stood by a fence that we thought was out of the way, but it turned out to be a major pedestrian thoroughfare as people kept walking and bumping into us as there was only 2 feet between the fence and a flower bed.

Next, we stopped at Sunday favorite summer spot, Captain's Quarters to hear another good band called Cirrus Falcon, who play all over the Chicagoland area and have been coming to Captain's for a lot of years. As usual, they put on a great show.One Busy Weekend.

You Just Can't Beat Fun Out on the Chain and This part of Illinois. --RoadDog