Peoria Illinoisan

The Kinks, 20th Century Man.  I have posted this before, but personally I believe this to be Ray Davies at his best. The slow build to the crescendo is incredible!

Procol Harum of Whiter Shade of Pale fame, whose genius is lost in history to all but the most musically anal … this is the instrumental Repent Walpurgis. 1967.

(yes, I’m cheating … a second song by Procol Harum … the wonderful and dramatic ‘A Salty Dog’)

Randy Newman, I Think It’s Going To Rain Today. Not much I can say about this song other than it’s just one of the most beautiful things ever written and sung by another mostly under appreciated artist who will be looked back at as one of the great song writers of the 20th century.

There is no sadder song than the Paul’s Beatles song “For No One.” Even John Lennon supposedly said this was his favorites and Paul McCartney’s best song. I often have this song on repeat. I’m happy to report that I cannot relate to this song on a personal level, but I can still ‘feel’ it, which is the mark of a great song.

Of course no post regarding music would be complete without a Dylan song, but a lot of his videos are blocked so I’ll go with Things Have Changed. Enjoy!

I’ve been walking forty miles of bad road
If the Bible is right, the world will explode
I’ve been trying to get as far away from myself as I can
Some things are too hot to touch
The human mind can only stand so much
You can’t win with a losing hand

Feel like falling in love with the first woman I meet
Putting her in a wheelbarrow and wheeling her down the street

People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed

While browsing the latest issue of InterBusiness Issues, I noticed an interesting property for sale… Gander Mountain!  I’m guessing the new Bass Pro Shops is spurring them to relocate to a larger building.  The property listing shows the current location to be 31,040 sq ft, while their newer stores are being built between 70 and 120,000 sq ft. (for comparison sake, Bass Pro is slated to be 145,000 sq ft)

Update (9/7) from Peoria.com:

Apparently just the building is for sale and is only leased by Gander Mountain. This was confirmed by a phone call to Gander Mountain (that had no idea the building is for sale) and to Maloof, who told me that the building is for sale, but the business is staying put.

Even though I am on holiday from Name This Peoria Landmark for an undetermined length of time, I still get some really interesting comments, but none as interestingly freaky as what just popped in my in-box. This is in regards to the supposedly haunted NTPL #150: “Christ Episcopal Church, Limestone Township, aka Stone Church” {some typographical errors have been corrected for readability}

Ok, listen – this is the true guts story of stone church. I and all my family has gone to this church for a very long time. This church was erected in the 1800s and has a very deep history. It is known to the elders that there was a plague that set in in the 1800s that only affected the church congregation. But the only ones that lost there lives to the plague were the children. The grave stones on site tell this story in detail. There were several adults that also lost there lives at this time but it was from asking to many questions and digging for the truth. No one knows why or who killed the adults that is still a mystery in its self.

I am an elder of the church and I am sick of all the wrong stories that are told. Yes there was a death due to a wreck on the old road but that is something that I can not talk about. We are a different type of church that does not like outsiders. Stay off our grounds and away from the church. There are certain things that go on here that you are not welcome to see. A lot of the surrounding farmers and towns folk attend this church and live their lives with no-one knowing this fact because they are not allowed to talk about the truth regarding what and who we worship.

Lucifer is our keeper if you must know and the hounds of hell guard our doors, and property. The lights that are talked about are parishioners that watch over our gateway. Keep your distance and you will remain safe and secure in your God fearing land.

Crazy, eh? I wonder if any of it is actually true?

I don’t watch the Weather Channel often, but I was tonight to get an update on “Earl” when I caught the “local on the 8’s” playing the awesome groove intro of Eminence Front as their background song.  I’m saddened that a great tune has been turned into the equivalent of elevator music, and even more saddened that I still consider this a relatively new song, even though it was released in 1982 … a mere 28 years ago!

A sure sign of aging…

Back in 2008 after a series of pedestrian vs vehicle accidents, I made multiple posts (here, here and here) about the intersection of Bradley Ave and University St regarding their striped cross walks across University connecting the campus and St. Jame’s apartments. By law, vehicles are supposed to stop when people are crossing, but we all know that doesn’t happen, infact unless you drive by there all the time you might not even notice the cross walk. Heading southbound you can’t even see the sign through the trees until you are right on top of it. What is really needed is a pedestrian stop light, but that probably costs too much and we have more important things to spend our tax dollars on (feel free to read between the lines there.) At minimum a yellow crosswalk sign at the corner should have flashing lights to warn motorists, but I guess that costs too much also.

I am happy to report that the city is finally doing something about this intersection by taking out the northern cross walk; leaving the southern one. The central problem it seems are cars turning left from campus via Bradley Ave onto northbound University and not noticing any pedestrians, and vice-versa. If the students abide and cross using the other striped walk, this should alleviate that problem.

This is not a cure all, but it’s cheap and is a step in the right direction. Now bring on those lights!

Whoever lives there is a real ass-hat and I don’t think I would have responded to these remarks very kindly or had the decency to call them ‘gentlemen’ –

While walking our dog, my overweight daughter passed by 804 W. Virginia street. 2 gentlemen sitting in the front yard there said,

“Fat women should have to wear sweat pants and sweat shirts! Go home so we don’t have to look at you!”

It’s like they say, don’t F with my family and don’t you dare F with my kids!

The caption to this photo accompanying an article about the Quest Charter Academy’s first day of school:

“The sign in front of the former Loucks Edison Junior Academy building held the sign for Thomas Jefferson School last year. In another week or so the new sign will go up for Quest Charter Academy.”

I noticed the new sign yesterday. It could have been up before that. It seems to make sense to me for them to take photos of the school’s “historic day for the students, for the city” to accompany an article about their first day rather than put up a stock photo. Had they done that they would have noticed the new sign too…

*Photo courtesy of Walk of Shame.

Ramble On pointed this out on Peoria.com.  I haven’t listened to the online scanner for several weeks and did wonder why it was pretty quiet when I turned it on today.  The reason is the main scanner does not include the city of Peoria.  The most comprehensive online scanner is now “Peoria County Sheriff and Fire, Chillicothe Police, Fire & EMS”

Peoria Pundit, I & East Bluff Eye in the Sky (and maybe others) have been following it and blogging about it.  I hope it’s a technical glitch, but one has to wonder if Chief Settingsgaard doesn’t want us to know what’s really going on out there.

Well, you’ll have to make up your own sounds.  Just imagine lots of honking and sirens.  Everyone has seen Times Square and Central Park, whether it be personally or through television and movies, but as I began to go through our vacation photos, I thought I’d share a few … just think of me as your crazy uncle who has to show you all his slides whether you care or not. The difference is you can always leave my blog, but you can’t offend your crazy uncle. That being said, here’s a few things that make New York the wonderfully wacky place it is.

Here’s a neighborhood bike rack. Personally, I would lock up my bike somewhere else. This one looks to be a bit full.

This place was closed, but I can’t understand why…

Don’t walk. Noted.

Try painting an apartment building in Peoria like this.  I have a feeling you might get a few funny looks from your neighbors, if not a fine from the city after a contentious meeting with the zoning commission.

We considered eating lunch at this place in lower Manhattan. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about it made me feel slightly insecure.

I doubt most visitors have any reason or desire to visit the main branch of the post office, but it’s quite impressive. It sits across the street from Madison Square Gardens, which is quite unimpressive.

Of course, no trip to the Big Apple is complete without seeing the Statue of Liberty!

In regards to the Park District Golf dropping lower flights in the Men’s City Tournament, I was pleased to find an update to the story in the Journal Star, albeit in fine print.  Having been out of town, I’m just now catching up on the news; this is dated Sunday, August 8.

This won’t be the last time you read about lower-flight winners in the Peoria Men’s City tournament. Prior to Saturday’s awards presentation, PPD tournament director Terry Ridgely told the crowd he no longer was considering dropping A, B and C flights from the tournament. “This tournament has a great history, and I’m always reminded of that when we get to the match-play portion,” Ridgely said. “We have no plans to change the tournament at this time.” Last week, a poll on pjstar.com revealed almost 93 percent of respondents were opposed to dropping the lower flights.

I’m glad someone came to their senses.  Odd that they referenced the online poll because as of today, including my just added vote, there have only been 16 respondents.  A little bit of sly editorializing?  If you’re wondering, it’s down to 87% against.

10. Walk around Greenwich Village – Sure, Washington Square Park is cool, but your children do not care if Bob Dylan played at the Café Wha? In 1961.

9. Eat lunch at the American Museum of National History. Your children may not mind, but you will mind spending $80 on crusty cheeseburgers and cold fries.

8. Try to catch a cab for five people. Only one type of car (a mini-van) will take more than four people and they are few and far between.

7. Walk 14 blocks to the nearest subway twice a day with your children in an effort to save money.

6. Visit Times Square – A fake, glitzy, crowded tourist trap filled with overpriced chain restaurants.

5. Convince your children to just walk around to find something to eat. Surely something will turn up… (This might not be so hard if your children will eat more than 3 or 4 things.)

4. Take a side trip to The Dakota – the apartment building along Central Park West outside of which John Lennon was murdered. They don’t care. See #10.

3. Eat hotdogs from a street vendor. Sounds good on paper, but what are you, the parent, supposed to eat?

2. Drive your car around town unless you are prepared to explain why Daddy is cussing and honking the horn so much.

1. Visit the Empire State Building if you are afraid of heights. Just looking up at it makes you dizzy and you will have an overwhelming desire to squat down on the sidewalk.

Although I’ve been to New York City several times, this was the first time our kids (ages 10-13)  have been exposed to this great and wonderfully chaotic city, so I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned.

10. Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  It is awe inspiring in its grandeur.

9. Eat a fine Italian dinner in Little Italy.  It costs no more than the Olive Garden in Peoria and gives you ammunition the next time they claim the Olive Garden is fine Italian food.  Alternatively, eat S’Mac.

8. Drive.  The view of Manhattan from New Jersey is really cool, and just think of all the hours of family fun in the car!  (15 or so.)  Bonus – side trips!

7. Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as long as you don’t mind explaining why so much of the art features naked people.

6. See the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park.  It’s free and you are not packed on a boat like a sardine in the 90 degree heat.

5. Visit Times Square – Might catch a spontaneous break dance performance; kids love fake glitzy tourist traps full of chain restaurants, and they don’t mind if everything is overpriced because they aren’t paying for it!

4. Visit the American Museum of Natural History.  It’s overwhelming huge and chocked full of great stuff – dinosaurs, rocks, minerals, ancient artifacts, and most importantly … the dum dum gum gum guy from “Night at the Museum.”

3. Visit the Bronx Zoo.  Depending on the length of your stay, it’s a nice break from the city.

2. Take the subway.  Show them how the locals get around, expose them to all walks of life, catch someone blowing his sax and echoing throughout the whole station; besides, it’s just cool to take the Subway!

1. Visit Woodlawn cemetery in the Bronx – self proclaimed “one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world” – nothing screams family fun like a visit to the local cemetery!  They may not be familiar with the likes of Miles Davis or Duke Ellington, but they certainly have heard of J.C. Penny and the family Mausoleums are massive and ornate like you’ve never seen.

The Peoria Park District’s Mission is “to enrich life in our community through stewardship of the environment and through provision of quality recreation and leisure opportunities.”

Doug Stewart, Peoria Journal Star:

Reaction was quick and varied to the Peoria Park District’s decision to hold qualifying for the Peoria Men’s City golf tournament from the back tees at Newman Golf Course.

Predictably, better players had no issue with the move and mostly were in favor of it. The average players, including a number of seniors who couldn’t handle the added length, disagreed with the decision and many of them withdrew from the qualifying round.

But more important than the addition of a few hundred yards, the change planted a seed that could forever alter the format of central Illinois’ oldest golf championship. Because when tournament director Terry Ridgely said “this is a championship, designed to find the best player in the city,” those words stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy.

“Great idea, But he didn’t go far enough,” Tim Anderson said from behind the counter at Illini Golf. ‘If they want a true championship, they should eliminate the lower flights and just have a 64-player tournament. We have enough hit-and-giggle events around here. The City doesn’t have to be one of them.”

Hit and Giggle?  Wow.  That’s rough.  The Championship flight of the Men’s City usually has a cut in the mid 70’s for 64 players, then has 32 more in each of the A, B, & C flights, of which the latter usually has a cut in the low 80’s.  I don’t believe most people who can shoot in the low 80’s tend to “hit and giggle” and those who can’t go that low mostly don’t even try; more power to those that don’t have the game and try.  Mr. Anderson should think before he speaks, as I am one of his customers and one who, when I had the time to practice, regularly shot in the low 80’s.  A hack to him, I’m sure, but above average to most.

Although my game is not up to snuff to enter the City this year, qualifying from the Blue tees was long overdue, but getting rid of the lower flights is a horrible idea. There is already a championship where only the best players even consider entering  and that’s the Peoria Stroke Play Championship. For many years I entered the City, qualifying in various flights. Most memorably was a semi-final match that I lost on the 18th hole. I was in C flight at Newman; I don’t recall the exact qualifying score that year, but it was probably around 82/83, which isn’t too shabby for us weekend hackers.

Regarding this…

“This tournament always is a money loser for us,” {Newman GC head pro Dustin} Martin said. “Our daily play, especially later in the week when there are just a handful of matches, is always bigger than what we do in the City.

Obviously I don’t have daily play stats, but I can say that personally, when I planned on playing in the City, I’m going to be practicing and playing a lot more frequently than normal in the time leading up to the qualifying and matches. Take away the lower flights for people like me who can shoot in the low 80’s and you’re taking away a lot of rounds.

One could argue that the better players have season passes and more rounds do not mean more revenue, but I would counter with a personal observation that I haven’t had a pass in several years and therefore I don’t stick to Park District Courses when I get the opportunity to get out, but I do play either Newman or Kellogg regularly as tournament time approaches.  Cutting the lower flights would only add to the ‘flight’ to the many and varied courses out of town.

The ‘City’ is a wonderful tournament.  I applaud the move to the blue tees for qualifying and think it is long overdue, but if they drop the lower flights, I guarantee they will regret their decision. Rounds played will continue to drop and during the week of the Men’s City, the average golfer will still avoid the host course during that time.

Peoria is a great golfing town and the Men’s City is a great tournament composed of people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Let’s not screw this up.

In planning a family vacation to NYC and having east coast hotel sticker shock, I decided to give Priceline a try. I had never done it before because I thought I might get stuck in a Motel 8 or something, but it doesn’t work that way at all and dare I say, it’s quite fun! If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you do a little bit of research on the area of travel and hotels, then go to Priceline, check the hotel ratings, choose and ‘name your price’ accordingly. There’s a dramatic pause as it searches and a euphoric “ooo … what did I get?” moment when your lowball price is accepted.

Check out the deals I got – all on 3 1/2 star rated hotels.

Sheraton, Harrisburg/Hershey, PA.
Hotels.com: $199
Priceline: $75

Wyndham, Gettysburg, PA.
Hotels.com:$139
Priceline: $75

World Center Hotel, Lower Manhattan, NY.
Hotels.com: $199
Priceline: $125

I still need to book a room for the trip back and I’m excited to see what kind of deal I can score! Excited about our trip too, of course; not sure how I’m going to pay for this, but I’m not telling the kids that. Side note – hope the old family truckster makes it there and back!

From an email: I’m a former Peorian now living in Kansas City. The other day, I was dreaming of the clam chowder they used to serve at Hunts Restaurant on Farmington road. I know that the restaurant is long gone, but I was wondering if you would ask your readers if anyone knows what happened to the recipes for clam chowder and the red relish they used to serve with tenderloins? You’d think the owners would have sold the recipes to someone, as they were pretty well known in town. Maybe someone knows of another place in town that is serving one or both of these things?

{photo borrowed from Douglas Coulter’s Photostream}