Peoria Illinoisan

I’m slammed at work, which I hear is rare
My wife is gone, so the cabinets are bare
I have no free time as the kids need constant care
Holding me together is the new release Together Through Life
I suck at poetry and this is an open thread

*Hat-top to commenter “Wanderer” on NTPL #237

While driving by the other day I noticed CEFCU has a new home in the back parking lot of Sheridan Village in what used to be a Shoe Carnival.  All that remains of the North wing is Ing’s Chinese, adjacent to Bergners and Hy-Vee has indicated that they will begin demolition as early as this month.  With Kroger across the street, Schnucks around the bend and Cub Food not far away, who do you think will suffer the most?  Can central Peoria really support another grocery store?  It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I know a lot of people are upset to hear that you earned $17,700,000.00 last year in the midst of the this tough economy. I understand that it was based on last year’s stellar performance by Caterpillar and this year’s pay will be significantly less, so I will not begrudge you that.

I would also like to congratulate you on your recent donation of 1 mil to the Children’s Hospital. {correction via an email: Owens and his wife made a $500,000 donation to CHOI. Cat then matched it for a total of 1 Million.} That was very generous of you. If you would like to generate more good will in the community, and that might not be a bad idea, I would suggest you make a similar contribution of the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum here in Peoria. If you don’t recall, it’s going to be located in the Glen Oak Park pavilion building, but has been sort-of neglected lately because of all that talk about a downtown museum. I’d pay to build the whole thing myself, but I don’t have that kind of dough. Remember, it’s tax deductible.

If you would like to discuss this further over lunch or a round of golf at Augusta National (I heard you’re a member), you can email me at PeoriaIllinoisan@Yahoo.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

I’ve heard stories for years about this place and recently there’s been some of chatter on my other site Name This Peoria Landmark regarding a prohibition era bar dug into some sort of mine shaft. I’ve heard there was a foundation. I’ve heard it was in a mine shaft. I’ve heard there were steps. I’ve heard it was in Glen Oak Park. Basically, no-one knew what was there and everyone had a different story. I have searched for it once, but went back on a whim with my friend Chef Kevin a few weekends ago.  As luck would have it, a nearby homeowner was tending to his yard and although he didn’t know much about the place, he did know where it was. It’s on Abington Hill, in the woods roughly across the street from Glen Oak Lagoon.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed to find a small brush covered block and mortared wall, so I took the next step and went down to the reference desk at the Library. After speaking with three different people about this, a nice young lady behind the desk said “are you talking about The Alps?”  I didn’t know it had a name because I didn’t think it was a legitimate business. From the stories I heard, it was a secret underground speakeasy.

I sat down to look over the newspaper clippings and BINGO. The bar was located a bit down the hill and it was indeed located underground in some sort of dug out space. It opened sometime between the 1870’s & 1890’s (there are conflicting stories) and closed in 1919 due to prohibition. Local historian Norm Kelly confirmed this in a phone conversation with me and expressed his desire to squelch the rumors that this was a “speakeasy”.

Journal Star, July 22, 1974:

Today, trees and undergrowth obscure the view from the street, and the only visible remnant of a long-gone Peoria landmark is a crumbling sidewalk.

That walk once led to the Alps Beer Garden, a “picnic and pleasure resort” at the corner of Frye and Pacific avenues.

The beer garden spread over five acres and included a small park with avenues of trees, a bandstand and dancing platform, a bowling alley and shooting gallery.

Its major attraction however, was a tavern and cafe in a grotto, said to be a favorite haunt of the world famous midget, Gen. Tom Thumb, who played pool there when he appeared in Peoria with the original Barnum & Bailey Circus.

An earlier but undated letter to the Journal Star referenced in the ‘74 article says this:

Next to the pavillion was a bowling alley and shooting gallery. The big attraction was at the end of the main avenue and was described as a mammoth cave or grotto. It was 25 feet deep, 150 feet long, 20 feet wide and of equal height. The exterior was lighted and it was furnished as a cafe. The sides and roof were of hewn rock and painted and decorated. It said this cave had bright electric lights and artistic decorations.

Back to the 1974 article…

The cave itself has been closed for years; the city reportedly had it filled in to prevent youngsters from being trapped. However said Mrs. D’elia {former property owner}, the cave was opened a few years ago, and several persons explored it briefly.

One of those who did was Robert Hayden, who operates a grocery store on Adams Street. Hayden, who said that he had heard about the cave for years and explored it out of curiosity, recalled that its interior was “as solid as the day it was built.”

“As I recall, it was very spacious, about 30 feet across and 100 feet long, all in good shape,” he said. They found only a few bottles of beer, he said.

A photo caption dated July 30, 1929 recalling the “good old days” says:

A favorite haunt of the bibulous Peorians in the “good old days” was this underground cave, which was located in what was then known as the Alps park, situated in the 500 block of Pacific avenue. In this cave was established a flourishing bar serving thirsty Peorians while they were being entertained by vaudeville acts from the underground theater, another feature of the cave which is now but a dim memory.

Old newspaper clippings also say that the bowling alley was transferred to The Alps from St. Louis around the year 1900 and at some point removed and reinstalled at Walt’s Bowling Alley in Brimfield, of which I believe is now closed. Other references I found confrim that it was a trolley line stop and popular gathering place for meetings and social events. With any luck, someone will fill in more details of this interesting and unique place that has been overlooked by Peoria’s history books and lost in Peoria’s rich history.

Over the weekend, my wife and I stayed at a nice hotel which due to overbooking, bumped us up to a suite at no charge. The extra space was nice and the room included a microwave and refrigerator which is always a perk. It also had a king size bed. The thing was so huge, I felt like we were sleeping in separate beds and I swear I had to shout across the room just to say good night.

There must be something about a bed of this size that people enjoy, but other than having an extra two feet of storage underneath I certainly don’t understand the appeal. Anyone care to enlighten me?

If you missed it, Phil Luciano wrote a hilarious article about a Henry couple who will be the feature on this Saturday’s airing of a show I’ve yet to watch, or even consider watching – My Big Redneck Wedding. This particular wedding featured 30 kegs of beer, a pastor in underwear and a tie, the bride tumbling around in the mud and the groom ending up with a broken leg after a fight which prompted the cancellation of their honeymoon, the loss of his job for three months and the eventual booting from their rental home.

Sounds like a fairly normal and well adjusted couple, right? Get a load of the comments section of the Journal Star (which has now been turned off).

kng: I think there were a few details left out..When u mention Army days you forgot that he went AWOL and met his AWOL buddy while they were in jail..not the army. You also forgot to mention the 4 other children he has and doesnt see or support. As for him never being married before its still debatable if he is even divorced from his first wife. I think they are an embarrassment to Henry and all from there.

The Groom: first of all, k n g aka tiffany, aka popular among the men folk.if i were u, i would worry about your on life. like whos your babies daddy, because we all no its not your hubands.next i do pay 900.00 dollars a month in support and if any one wants to see stop bye and ill show u on my check stubbs. next for yours and anybody elses info i am not still married.only to taran and our savor the lord jesus christ.get over yourselves i have moved on to a much better woman who stole your man because u couldnt keep him.so godbless and may u find a cure for herpies. And Its better being REDNECK anyway!!!

The Bride: Ok… First, I would Like to thank all the people who support us, you should join us at The Landings in Henry for the airing of the show… It was so much fun, and a wedding no one will ever forget. Second, to all of the people who want to say we are an embarrassement, i’m sorry you feel that way, I cant change your oppinion. but im sure you will still tune in and watch it so thanks… and sorry guys, there will be no divorce in our future. Third, to ‘KNG’ its not like we dont know who you are. This is seriously high-school drama… you need to get your facts straight before you want to try and start problems… like i have told you before, stay out of our lives, im sorry you cant get over it after all these years, its time to move on HONEY!!! Im sorry your life consists of you sitting at home trying to find ways to weasle yourself into our business. Its getting old. I won, He is with me. And for everyones piece of mind, yes Jimmy is divorced, he talks to his ex-wife and children a couple times a week (who does receive child support) she is actually going to watch the show herself. And you want to call us an embarrassment to henry… Honey, Thats your title, There is a reason you moved out of Henry, I believe my HUSBAND covered those reasons. So thanks everyone who supports us.. I would do it all over again!!! I love my Husband, He is the greatest.

All I can say is if the show is half as funny as these comments, it’s going to be a real hoot!

Wife: “This is the best store bought tortilla chip that I have ever had”

Finally! After all these years of annoying her by buying goofy off-brands with funny labels and strange names, I think she’s finally cracked. Of the three styles of chips in our house, which do I speak of? It shouldn’t be hard to figure out.

Mission 100% White Corn, Restaurant Style, Super Thin.
Gruma Corporation, Irving, TX 75038
Ingredients: Corn, Water, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: Cottonseed Oil, Corn Oil), Salt, Lime, Phosphoric Acid, Propionic Acid, Sorbitol, Mono and Diglycerides, Citric Acid, Prophylene Glycol, Culullose Gum.
Available at most places where chips are sold.

Matilda, Lightly Salted Chips.
3247 S. Western, Chicago, IL 60608
Ingredients: Corn, Corn Oil, Salt, Trace of Lime.
Purchased locally at Haddads.

Tostitos 100% White Corn Scoops.
Frito-Lay, Inc., Plano, TX, 75024
Ingredients: Whole White Corn, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: Corn, Sunflower, or Soybean Oil), and Salt.
Available at most places where chips are sold.

Unfortunately for my wife, the chips namesake reminded me of a great song of which I have serenading her.

She prefers to eat the chips without the musical accompaniment.

Tiger Woods, -8: You put on a great Sunday show with Phil, but why did you pull out your driver on 17 & 18?

Phil Michelson, -9: You put on a great Sunday show with Tiger, but how did you manage to plunk it in the water on 12, and how could you miss those putts on 15 & 17?

Shingo Katayama, -10: The networks hardly showed your face, but I love the cowboy hat and the enthusiasm you bring to the game. You are my new favorite golfer.

Chad Cambell, -12: In your first playoff hole you were the last of three to hit your second shot and as you pulled your shot left I yelled at the television: “If you hit the friggin’ green, you win!”

Kenny Perry, -12: After your near hole in one on 16, I thought you had it wrapped up. Your confidence and game held up throughout, but the pressure of possibly being the oldest winner in Masters history, not to mention this being your first major golf championship finally caught up to you.  You led for most of the tournament before faltering on 17 and 18; forcing a playoff.  You parred your first, but a double bogey on your second playoff ended it. I couldn’t help but feel bad.

Angel Cabrera, -12: You hung around all weekend, but most people didn’t think you had a chance. I know I didn’t. When Kenny Perry finally cracked, you took advantage of it. On the first sudden death playoff hole you blasted your drive directly behind a tree. I thought you were done, but you scrabled for an unlikely par to move on and made an easy putt on the second playoff hole for the win. You proved that golf  is not always pretty and sometimes the last man standing takes the trophy. Congratulations on joining the ranks of the greatest in the history of golf.

My receiver recently took a dump so my wife decided to surprise me with a new one. She knew I’d appreciate that she bought one off the shelf at a discount, and she made sure that it had surround sound and supported two completely different sets of speakers for different rooms. There was one thing that she did not think to make sure of. It has no turntable input.

For you youngins, a turntable requires a special preamp built into the receiver to boost the signal that comes out of the needle. Some brilliant person decided that iPod inputs, Windows Media and Satellite Radio inputs were necessary, but not that of a turntable. The ironic thing is the very same store at which this was purchased sells turntables, albeit cheap ones.

I prefer to pay for a printed newspaper rather than click through a free web edition, but it’s not just nostagia. ALBUMS SOUND GREAT. There is nothing better than listening to the rich sound of vinyl after twirling it between your fingers, placing it on the platter and dropping the needle. Don’t get me wrong, I like the crispness of digital too, own an iPod, and have a hard-drive solely dedicated to music, but the wonderful sound of vinyl cannot be reproduced.

All is not lost – for about $50 I can buy a quality preamp and bring all of those lost treasures of mine back to life. I should be back up and running by next weekend.

I’m more than a bit disappointed in the outcome of yesterday’s elections, and try as I might, I just can’t figure out how to make lemonade out of all these lemons. Maybe time will heal the wounds. In four years we will again get the chance to vote for the district council members, and at some point down the road we can have a nice healthy discussion about how to revitalize our older neighborhoods and what to do with that money siphoning museum.

In the meantime, baseball season is here and nothing lifts my spirits more than watching my Cubbies in their eternal quest to win the World Series win a playoff game.

This is also Masters week and I’m pulling for Tiger to make history. Just in case my kids get any ideas, I’m going to block out all channels except CBS and The Golf Channel. In fact, this weekend as I watch one of the greatest and storried sporting events of the year, I may just make myself a glass of Lemonade to sip on.

I’m feeling better already.

I don’t ever want to hear you moaning and groaning about our local government, museums or lack thereof, neighborhood issues, schools, taxes, potholes, sidewalks, trash, loud music, drugs, crime, or even your asshole of a neighbor.

You had your chance.

Convince me.

Convince me.

The previous two video posts were put up for a specific reason. This video is too.

You see, these are all songs that I heard on a ‘classic rock’ station that I just discovered. It’s 107.9 out of Canton. I found it completely by accident last weekend while driving around town, thinking I was listening to Satellite Radio – until I heard a commercial.

Generally I don’t listen to FM radio in the car, but it is on all day at work, so I was thrilled to find an alternative to the constant repeating of Journey that I must endure on 93.3. They play music from the mid 60’s through the mid 80’s, focusing heavily on the 70’s, similar to 107.9, but after listening day in and day out, their playlist became fairly predictable: Brandi, The Boys Are Back In Town, something by Journey, The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald (which I don’t really mind), Cat’s In The Cradle, something by Loverboy, Against The Wind, A Horse With No Name, another something by Journey, Lyin’ Eyes, Dust In The Wind, something by Boston, Sister Christian, Marshall Tucker’s Can’t You See, another something by Journey… I think you get the picture.

This is what BJ Stone, the GM of 107.9 had to say when I asked about his station…

We currently play a “deeper” library than any station in the area, probably Bloomington/Springfield/Decatur/Champaign included. At any given time, I have a choice from over 1,100 songs in the library to schedule. Most of the classic rockers play as few as 300 to maybe 600-650 at the most. Main reason we can do that? We’re not in the ratings battle as much as they are, we’re more concerned with “time spent listening”, meaning our average listener will spend more hours per week with our station without getting sick of it, which then translates into better results for our advertisers without having to run as many commercials as they might on other stations.

While 107.9 is far from perfect, and you will hear many of the same songs repeated as their playlist is still smaller than I would like, but I have heard songs I haven’t heard in years on the the radio. Some examples of great songs they mix in with the standard fare – U2’s “New Years Day”, and Traffic’s “Low Spark Of High Heeled Shoes” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy”, Lennon’s “Strange Days Indeed”, Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill”, The Who’s “Happy Jack” and “See Me Feel Me”, and Steely Dan’s “Aja”.  To be fair, I have heard them play CCR’s “Heard It Through The Grapevine” for three straight days, and among others, Tom Petty’s “Breakdown” twice.

I understand the need to overplay Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, and Elton John, and others of their ilk, but play something other than the same two or three songs.  Radio stations need to expand their ‘B’ and ‘C’ playlist options.  My biggest complaint has always been that Dylan is more than “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”, The Who is more than “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, the Stones are more than “Angie” or “Paint It Black”, and {insert hugely popular band name here} have more than one, two or even three songs that people know and love. Play them. No-one wants to hear the same songs over and over, day in and day out.  Years ago there was a local station which promised to not repeat a single song during the workweek from 8-5. Bring that back. The listeners will notice. There is enough music to cover this.

Until that happens, tune in to 107.9.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.