We will be in Matteson, Illinois for a special Pre-Conference, June 20 -21, 2020, and Joliet, Illinois for the Annual Conference, June 22 – 25, 2020.

See you then!!

Click here for details!

Click here for the PDF form!

Cass Street Bridge on the Lincoln Highway in Joliet

The concrete marker re-dedication at the Lincoln Way Inn Bed & Breakfast in Franklin Grove originally scheduled for September 10th at 10:30 a.m. will need to be postponed to a later date. The bed & breakfast needs to attend to guests that weekend.

Once a new date can be selected, information will be posted.

In mid October 2015, in time for the changing colors of the leaves, the Illinois Chapter took a two-day driving tour of the Lincoln and Grant Memorial Highways, connecting them with Route 31 to the east and the Great River Road, along the west side of northern Illinois, with a side trip through Lena on the Stagecoach Trail. Below you can find a PDF of general driving directions, so anyone who wants to plan out a similar two-day driving tour can do so. The driving directions make a big counter-clockwise loop around northern Illinois. The fall driving tour was one of the most scenic places to visit in northern Illinois. Connecting the history of Lincoln and Grant makes sense, both geographically and historically, too.

You are welcome to print the driving directions but they are under copyright so please treat them like you would a printed book for citing quotes.

Enjoy!

Lincoln and Grant Driving Directions PDF

On June 23, House Bill 1081 which passed, will go to the Illinois Senate. This bill, if passed, would replace the specialized license plates with a new universal license plate but with a specialized sticker representing the organization. The bill passed overwhelmingly in the House and we expect it to pass in the Senate. Here is the bill’s current status:

HB 1081

Vote on if you are still interested in a specialized sticker or not here!

Ohio will get a special Lincoln Highway license plate but in Illinois, the special plate program might be replaced by special stickers.

Image from Ashton’s Paving Parade

The Village of Ashton will celebrate its 150th birthday this year, June 11 through June 14. There will be a parade on Sunday, June 14th. See the entry form below if you want to participate. For a schedule of events for the Sesquicentennial Celebration, please see: http://www.ashtonil.com/

Come on out! Ashton will turn 150 only once!

Ashton_Parade_Form

Quite some time ago, the Illinois Chapter Board voted to pursue establishing a Lincoln Highway-themed license plate. The idea is for a permanent license plate, not a temporary, special events license plate. Temporary, special events license plates are generally not too complicated to set up but this would be for a permanent license plate, just like the other license plates, like these: Illinois License Plates.

The Illinois General Assembly would need to approve the design. Since the Spring Newsletter went out, the House voted 108 to 1 to stop making specialized license plates and instead allow drivers to have a sticker representing their interest on a standardized plate. See this article: Specialized Illinois license places could be replaced with stickers

With an overwhelming majority vote in the House, it is quite possible that the idea to have specialized stickers on a standardized plate will replaced specialize plates. Prior to the recent vote in the Illinois House about specialized stickers instead of plates, Larry Williams of Williams Graphics designed some possible designs for the Lincoln Highway. Take a look:

Design #1

Design #2

Design #3

Design #4

Read the text of House Bill 1081 here.

Vote on if you are still interested in a specialized sticker or not here!

October 2014 has five Fridays and that means music at the H. I. Lincoln Building in Franklin Grove!

Jim Wolber at the Lincoln Building

For more than a decade Franklin Grove’s historic H.I. Lincoln Building has hosted some of the music world’s best artists as a part of their third Friday “Blues & Bluegrass” and special Fifth Friday shows. Among the “best of the best” in this stellar lineup has been Franklin Grove’s own Jim “Mr. Friday Night” Wolber.

Jim’s musical talents, both vocal and guitar, are recognized by music fans from Nashville to Chicago. His Country meets Rock & Roll music style has an appeal that everyone can enjoy.

In 2014 a Fifth Friday and Halloween both occur on October 31st, a confluence of dates that won’t occur again until the year 2025. Certainly, in addition to great music, the situation calls for special prizes for: Most Original Costume; Scariest Costume; and Most Beautiful Costume

There will be two action packed shows at 7:00 and 9:00 pm. Seating is limited so don’t delay. Tickets are available for a $10 donation by calling the H.I. Lincoln building at 815-456-3030 daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, noon to 4:00 pm on Sundays, or stop by the H.I. Lincoln building during the same hours.

Jim’s shows are always sell-outs. Be sure to get your tickets early.

For more information:
Ron Colson 815-973-0942

# # #

Wolber-2014-Flyer

Tickets for the Jens Jensen Documentary at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb can be purchased at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 13. The documentary begins at 7:00 p.m. and coincides with Jens Jensen’s birthday. If you want to join the tour past the deadline, print the form, bring it on Saturday, and e-mail your meal choice ASAP to: kayshelton@hotmail.com.

Join us at 10:00 a.m. at the Northwest Territory Historic Center in Dixon for a mini driving tour!

Northwest Territory Historic Center

Mini Driving Tour Sign Up Form

The tour will have stops at a historical marker, a gazebo, and a mural that all commemorate the Lincoln Highway’s First Seedling Mile which turns 100 this fall!

For the history of Seedling Miles, take a look at this excellent article by Timothy Collins: “Seedling Miles” Grow Lincoln Highway.

Yes, the Norwegians are coming! Last year, over 100 Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, and Germans crossed the Lincoln Highway in vintage automobiles shipped across the Atlantic Ocean for the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Highway. This year, a group of Norwegian motorcyclists will be traveling the Lincoln Highway from San Francisco to New York City, leaving San Francisco on Sunday, July 27th, coming through Illinois on Tuesday, August 5th, and arriving in New York City on Monday, August 11th, 2014.

If we receive any additional details about their travel plans, that information will be detailed here.

May 17, Saturday: Lincoln Highway Car Show in Franklin Grove, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

May 17, Saturday: Illinois Chapter Board Meeting, Franklin Grove, 12:00 p.m.

May 24, Saturday: The Lincoln Highway: The Main Street Across America, Clearing Library, 6423 W. 63rd Place, Chicago, 2:00 p.m.

May 27, Tuesday: Road Tripping: 100 Years of Named Highways and Good Roads, Streator Public Library, Streator, 6:00 p.m.

May 29, Thursday: Road Tripping: 100 Years of Named Highways and Good Roads, Huntley Area Public Library, Huntley, 6:30 p.m.

June 8, Sunday: 25th Annual Ashton Festival and Car Show

June 17 – 21: LHA Annual Conference, Tooele, Utah

July 2 – 6: Petunia Parade, Dixon, 50th Anniversary, http://www.petuniafestival.org/

July 19, Saturday: Illinois Chapter Board meeting, all welcome, Franklin Grove, 12:30 p.m.

July 25, Friday Evening: Kishwaukee Fest Parade, DeKalb, e-mail Jacki@FunMEevents.com for an application

August 2, Saturday: 4th Annual Big Rig Show in Franklin Grove

August 7 – 9: Lincoln Highway Buy-Way Yard Sale, Lincoln Highway, West Virginia through Iowa, including Illinois

August 15 – 17: Annual Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival in Rochelle: http://www.lincolnhighwayheritagefestival.org/

August 16, Saturday: Illinois Chapter Board meeting, all welcome, Franklin Grove (meeting location possibly moved to Rochelle), 12:30 p.m.

August 19, Tuesday evening: Karl “Red Bird” Teller, Annual Hobo dinner, hobo stew, storytelling, and songs, Chaplin Creek, Franklin Grove: 815-456-3030

August 24, Sunday: Geneva Concours d’Elegance, Geneva, http://genevaconcours.net/

August 24, Sunday: Road Tripping: 100 Years of Named Highways and Good Roads, Des Plaines History Center, 3:00 p.m.

August 29 – 30: Corn Fest, DeKalb, with Car Fest on Saturday, August 30, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., http://www.cornfest.com/autofest.html

September 13, Saturday: Mini-driving tour of Illinois and Jens Jensen documentary (and it is Jensen’s birthday!)

September 14, Sunday, 100th Anniversary of the First Seedling Mile in Malta, fly your flag!

September 20, Saturday: 2nd Annual Nash History Car Show, Sycamore

October 18, Saturday: Illinois Chapter Board meeting, all welcome, Franklin Grove, 12:30 p.m.

October 31, 101th Anniversary of dedicating the Lincoln Highway for the American people in memory of Abraham Lincoln, fly your American flag, and tell your friends to fly theirs!

November 15, Saturday: Illinois Chapter Board meeting, all welcome, Franklin Grove, 12:30 p.m.

December 12, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., Christmas in the Grove, Franklin Grove, ask about the annual antique car raffle sponsored by Farming Heritage: 815-456-3030