Only 364 more days to Ill. Bicentennial, so I’m contemplating a journey

I know it’s a month early to be making New Year’s resolutions, but the fact that Illinois is now officially beginning the process of celebrating our state’s 200 years of existence makes me want to make one.

I hope to see (finally) the red dots at Ill. extremus

In my case, I want to make trips sometime during 2018 to Galena and Cairo.

NOW I’M SURE many who are reading this are wondering how rattled is my brain. What could possibly make me think those small cities at the far northwest and southernmost tips of Illinois are worth seeing?

It’s just that in my case, I have spent years making a joke out of the fact that I have never actually seen either of those Illinois municipalities. I’m a Chicago native who was educated in Bloomington and also lived and worked in Springfield.

And in my duties as a reporter-type person, I have visited much of the state of Illinois – which is in its own way a unique place.

Now for those who think the downstate (as in “not Chicago-area”) portions of Illinois are too radically different from us to take seriously, I’d say get real.

This flag will fly across Illinois

CHICAGOANS HAVE MORE in common with places like Peoria or Rockford or East St. Louis than we do overly-haughty Noo Yawkers who forget that Staten Island is more true to their image than Manhattan, or snooty Bostonians who think they have a monopoly on our American history (although I confess I enjoyed Boston the one time I visited it).

But the joke is that Galena and Cairo are the only two places of significance across Illinois that I’ve never had an excuse to be in – although I was close to Cairo on occasions when I had to visit the state corrections facility in Tamms (about 12 miles to the north of Illinois’ southern tip).

From the sesquicentennial of '68

I feel like I ought to complete the journey and say I’ve seen all of my home state. Life doesn’t go on forever.

And in a year when we’re supposed to be highlighting our state’s history, I can’t envision a better time to do so.

I KNOW SOME people will joke that Galena (about 3,200 population) is nothing but a batch of antiques shops, although it has a prime location near the Mississippi River (and is the one-time home of a future U.S. president Ulysses Grant, just like the Hyde Park neighborhood is for Barack Obama) and probably is something close to the vision of Illinois that the state’s founders had back on Dec. 3, 1818 – the date upon which Illinois officially became a state in its own right within the United States. Chicago’s post-Fire development is something no one ever would have dreamed of).

While I also know from experience whenever I’ve told Southern Illinois natives I’d like to see Cairo, they look at me like I’m nuts.

Largely because Cairo is the city they have fled out of their own racial hang-ups. Cairo, the city right at the point where the Ohio River converges with the Mississippi River to flow southward to New Orleans and into the Gulf of Mexico. A point I truly would be curious to see, even though I’m sure it will forevermore make me wonder why Cairo’s prime spot never developed into a major Midwestern city.

Which one should I check out first?

Cairo is a place that at its peak a century ago had a 20,000 population with black people living in segregated communities nearby. But it is now a city of about 2,600 people with an overwhelming majority of them being African-American.

NOT THAT I’M bad-mouthing Southern Illinois – heck, there are Chicago neighborhoods (particularly on the South Side) that used to be lily-white but where “white flight” was so thorough that the locals now have no clue white people ever existed there.

So these are thoughts I’m having as I contemplate Illinois’ intent to lead up to the actual state Bicentennial date next December. Those celebrations are kicking off with ceremonies Monday to be held at McCormick Place and at municipal buildings across the state.

Are these suggested sites?

There will be a noon-hour flag raising ceremony across Illinois where a specially-designed Bicentennial flag will take place. Let’s hope that this ceremony, and the assorted proclamations that municipalities have been approving in acknowledgement, aren’t the extent to which most people pay tribute.

For as one proclamation read, “Illinois Bicentennial is a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to fall in love with Illinois all over again, and together we can inspire pride in Illinois and show the world what makes this state so great.”

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EXTRA: We're 180!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Chicago!

For an ol' gal of 180, you're holding up quite well, no matter what incredibly derogatory comments the current U.S. president continues to make about you. Probably because he's jealous that he doesn't have local ties to our city like the previous president did (and no, that ugly tower he erected on the shores of our namesake river doesn't count as a local tie).

YES, IT IS the 180th anniversary of the date upon which Chicago was officially incorporated as a city. It is a place that could easily have been wiped off the map following its Great Fire at age 34. Instead, it rebuilt itself into a place that truly qualifies as one of the intriguing cities on Planet Earth.

And we can now start the countdown, 20 years and counting, 'til we can have Bicentennial celebrations for the Second City (which may actually have sunk to 4th by the time that date comes about).

Not that it matters much; because many of us will always enjoy the wonders that exist at the southwest corner of the shores of Lake Michigan.

And now, we'll enjoy the musings of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt playing our city's song.

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EXTRA: Madigan spouse, Burke, Sox & Cubs chairs (but no Bears) on state Bicentennial celebration commission

I always manage to get a few kicks whenever government officials make rounds of appointments to otherwise obscure commissions – a chance for them to repay favors or make political statements that we might not otherwise note.

MADIGAN: No partisan grudge

Take the state’s Bicentennial Commission, which on Friday appointed a few dozen members to oversee the efforts to celebrate Illinois’ 200^th anniversary of statehood come 2018.

AT A TIME when Gov. Bruce Rauner and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, are feuding over the state’s budget, it seems that one of the voting members of the commission will be Madigan’s spouse.

 

BURKE: Can play historian at state level?

Then again, Shirley Madigan has been involved with the Illinois Arts Council for years and has long been one of the kinds of people who get appointed to these government-overseen panels that take on special projects.

I also got my chuckle from seeing that former Mayor Richard M. Daley and current 14^th Ward Alderman Ed Burke both were picked. Particularly with Burke – who likes to view himself as Chicago’s unofficial historian and always tries to liven up his government rhetoric with references to obscure events in Chicago history.

There will be municipal officials from outside of Chicago – the mayors or village presidents of Barrington, Dixon and Springfield were picked for posts, while corporate heads of Ameren, Pepsi and United Airlines also will be included.

SOME OFFICIALS OTHER than Rauner got to make appointments, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White picked the head of the Illinois State Archives – a logical position to include since it would be nice to have someone who has access to the state’s records when putting together a historic celebration.

 

McCASKEY: Would better record gain post?

There are many other people who got picked for positions, although I still get a chuckle from seeing the names of Jerry Reinsdorf and Tom Ricketts – the chairmen respectively of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs (Reinsdorf does double-duty by also representing the Chicago Bulls), along with Rocky Wirtz, chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks.

What gives – no George McCaskey, or anybody connected to the Chicago Bears?

Maybe that’s the price one pays for reflecting badly on the city’s public image by operating a team with a 2-9 record this season, with five more games to play?

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EXTRA: I guess governor wants all the credit for Bicentennial celebration

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday used his executive powers to create a brand-new commission meant to coordinate the way in which Illinois celebrates its bicentennial come 2018.
 

The new celebratory committee

The state actually already had an entity called the State Bicentennial Commission, replacing it with a new body to be called the Illinois Bicentennial Commission. One whom the majority of members will be chosen by Rauner himself.

NOW ONE CAN argue what’s the point of all this? One fact is that the state commission’s membership was created during the days of former Gov. Pat Quinn.

Now, when Illinois goes about celebrating its 200 years of existence in just over a year, we won’t have to acknowledge any Quinn contribution. We’ll all be able to worship at the altar of Rauner – thanking our current governor for enabling us to pay tribute to our existence.

Of course, it was easy to dissolve the state commission (that actually is Rauner’s description for what he did) because it really hadn’t done much of anything to help prepare for anything in the way of celebratory activity.

Maybe it can be argued that Rauner was preoccupied with other problems to focus much attention on such an initiative. Then again, maybe it’s now that he’s able to focus his own attention on the matter.

LET’S ONLY HOPE that it isn’t just idle chatter when he says, “the Illinois Bicentennial is an incredible opportunity to celebrate Illinois’ contributions to the country and the world and plan for our next 200 years of innovation and achievements. I look forward to the commission’s recommendations on how best to move forward to ensure that this will be a celebration to remember.”

Which view of history ...

It will be interesting to see what the end result of all this is. Will Illinois do much of anything to acknowledge ourselves and our history? Or will we be bogged down by the fact that one can say that nearly three years of preparatory time were lost due to inaction?

Part of my concern about this is the degree to which neighboring Indiana went out of its way to celebrate its own Bicentennial, which was this year. It seems you can’t set foot in the Hoosier state without seeing a trace of the fact that the state is now 200 years old.

Will we be able to match up to our neighboring state? Or are we going to get out-classed by Hoosiers (a fact that the Illinoisan in me finds somewhat repugnant)?

... will our Bicentennial take?

WILL THIS WIND up being like the 200-year celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birth back in 2009 – where Illinois’ contributions seemed more like an afterthought compared to what occurred in places like Kentucky (where he was actually born) and Indiana (where he lived as a child).

So much for paying tribute to the man who arguably is the state’s most significant contribution to our national political culture.

Unless you’re among those who for ideological reasons is determined to revere the memory of Dixon-born (but lived the bulk of his life in California) Ronald Reagan.

In which case, you’re probably more preoccupied these days with ignoring our Bicentennial AND downplaying the significance of arguably the second-most significant contribution to the political culture – our soon-to-be former President Barack Obama.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, I realize both of those films are heavily-fictionalized versions of what really happened Let's hope our official celebration can bring out some fact.

We really are lagging behind Indiana – when it comes to Bicentennial events

I have to admit to being somewhat impressed by the amount of activity that is taking place across Indiana this year with regards to celebrating that state’s Bicentennial – as in 200 years since it became a part of the United States.

 

There doesn't seem to be much of an Illinois counterpart

Taking a look at the state’s official travel guide, I see lengthy lists of places and events all across the Hoosier state that are of interest and worthy of being checked out – particularly by our local people in search of a cheap vacation trip.

IT SEEMS THAT Indiana is taking seriously the idea that 2016 is a significant event in their state’s history – one worthy of celebration.

I particularly get a kick out of the idea of the Bicentennial torch relay – which will be taken on a 3,200-mile trip passing through all 92 counties across the state. A running countdown on the VisitIndiana.com website even tells us it’s 50 days and counting until this trek begins.

Personally, I’d like to think all of this activity will be put to shame come 2018 – which is the year that Illinois celebrates its Bicentennial of admission to the United States (Indiana is state number 18 in the order of admission, with Illinois right behind it at 19).

Yet shamefully enough, it seems like we’re going to get skunked by our neighbors to the east; and not just because some Illinois long-based ice cream stand chose to move to a town on the Indiana side of State Line Road. It seems that any efforts for preparation for our big event have been lagging behind for so long it’s a wonder if anything will get done in time for the big event.

AND YES, THESE things usually take some time to plan if they’re to be done properly.

 

RAUNER: Is he slacking off?

I couldn’t help but notice the Capitol Fax newsletter, which on Tuesday pointed out a Peoria Journal-Star news story about how our state’s Bicentennial Commission hasn’t planned a thing. In fact, it hasn’t even met since it was created back in 2014.

Part of the problem is that it was created by former Gov. Pat Quinn, and I can see where current Gov. Bruce Rauner has been preoccupied with other problems and issues (mostly of his own making) to be too concerned about the celebration.

The Capitol Fax newsletter also points out the amount of activity that has gone into the renovation of the Executive Mansion in Springfield, which admittedly is desperately in need of repair. Could this be a distraction?

 

QUINN: Did he not give a big-enough head start?

THE BUILDING THAT serves as the state’s official residence and home of the governor when he’s in the capital city had been allowed to deteriorate significantly during Quinn’s time in office, and perhaps he deserves some blame for that.

But if it turns out that our state’s Bicentennial comes and goes without much of anything to acknowledge it, then that will be something that will be put to blame on the current governor.

After all, it will occur on his watch as governor. In fact, it could be his chance to show off the things he’d like to have remembered as accomplishments. Unless he’s satisfied with having a historic legacy of being yet another guy who quarreled with Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago – and lost!

You’d think this would be a time we’d want to show off our many assets. Heck, it could be the moment when Illinois’ parts outside of Chicago get to display themselves proudly.

THE STATE COULD let people know there really are assets in the rest of the state – and perhaps that old “A million miles from Monday” slogan the state used to use to promote downstate tourism wasn’t a total crock.

Instead, we seem content to let Indiana show us up; which really is a sad display.

 

Would Lincoln still claim Illinois as his 'land?'

It makes me wonder if the spirit of Abraham Lincoln truly is gone from our state. What would Honest Abe be doing since that roll over he allegedly did in his grave in response to Rod Blagojevich?

Would it be enough to make him reclaim his Hoosier roots and want to abandon the state that considers itself to be his land?

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REDUX: It’s all too routine a routine for a day celebrating an unroutine concept such as our Democracy

This commentary is a repeat of what was published on this weblog on July 4, 2014. Aside from it now being 40 years since the Bicentennial and the fact my brother is no longer with us to celebrate, the sentiments expressed remain the same.

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My own flag tie

I still recall what I did some 38 years ago on this date – the almighty Bicentennial. A once-in-a-lifetime event that was truly unique in the celebration of our nation and its unique take on Democracy.

I spent it with family at my Uncle Carlos’ house in suburban Park Forest (which at the time seemed to me to be at the edge of the world, what with it being on the Cook/Will County border).

MY UNCLE DUG out the barbecue grill, we ate some food and watched some fireworks displays in the evening. Somehow, my cousin Carlos managed to come up with some firecrackers, causing us younger family members (I was 10 that summer) to find things to blow up.

It was most definitely NOT some high-minded ideal celebration about the purpose of Democracy. I’m sure if anyone had come along and tried talking that way, we probably would have lit a couple of firecrackers and flung them his (or her) way to scare him off.

Yet somehow, I doubt we were any different than 99 percent of the rest of the populace that was alive on July 4, 1976. We used the day as one of outdoor relaxation, rather than one of patriotic reflection.

Just like I suspect the celebration we had all those years ago will be repeated in so many forms on Friday – when our nation officially becomes 238 years old.

PEOPLE WILL BE all concerned about the quality of the meat they’re cooking up (or the texture of the tofu for those who can’t take the idea of beef), and making sure it is appropriately cooked. Although the thought of all the beef that will be cooked to a crisp (as in well-done) makes me nauseous.

Some of them probably will find some obnoxious-looking flag motif shirt or shorts to wear, and claim it to be evidence of their patriotism. Just like all those gaudily-clad people of recent weeks who rooted for the U.S. national soccer team. Although I always wonder how many of those people had grand-parents who some 50 years ago lambasted Yippie activist Abbie Hoffman as a traitor and disrespectful for wearing that U.S. flag-motif shirt at anti-Vietnam War protests.

For all I know, some may even spend part of the day lambasting President Barack Obama, who in recent days said he was preparing to move forward on executive orders to implement portions of immigration policy reform.

Even though if you want to be honest, it is those people who are adamantly opposed to real immigration reform (which has nothing to do with border walls or deportations) who are espousing the ideals that go counter to what Friday is supposed to be about.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT the concept of a “real America” is one in which there are a mish-mash of people with little in common except for their belief in the ideals of a place that offers the chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The people who can’t accept that concept are the ones who probably would be happier elsewhere.

This ought to be the day we all think in terms of joining together for a national unity, and not trying to define “unity” as everyone else needing to be just like ourselves.

Personally, I think it would be deadly dull if everyone else were like myself. At the very least, there’d be nobody to quarrel with.

SO THESE ARE just a few thoughts that will be running through my mind on this Friday while I sit by the pool.

Yes, the pool. Barring inclement weather, I’m planning to spend the afternoon in the swimming pool at the apartment complex where my step-mother’s mother lives.

Because that’s where the family is gathering for this year’s take on Independence Day. All except for my brother, Christopher. He’s employed by Home Depot, which is engaged in its own take on the holiday.

How many remember this White Sox attempt by team executive Rudy Schaeufer, manager Paul Richards and owner Bill Veeck to give us a Bicentennial minute?

He has to work, making sure that those people in need of tools and other building supplies can purchase them – along with anybody who happens to feel compelled to purchase a new barbecue grill on this day.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The video snippet is courtesy of the Fuzzy Memories.tv web site, which gave us a cheap laugh and a pseudo Bicentennial Minute (albeit a couple of years too late). All we need now is a red, white and blue pie by Bozo smashed in Cooky the clown's face!