This first photo was taken in December 2016 on Oakland Avenue near Millikin University here in Decatur. It is a case of "what could be" as the wall is on a main street around campus and was clearly something purple once long ago that was covered with smaller ads over time.
Decatur has recently been very pro mural, with several going up around town, most notably a Bob Marley one completed last year. It was announced earlier this year that a new mural was going up on Oakland Avenue and over the past few weeks it went up.
And here is the new mural which I guess is a commentary on watching too much TV. It's not exactly the most striking social commentary but then again this is central Illinois and we're not exactly pushing the boundaries. Plus, black socks and brown shoes? How uncouth!
Back in 2005, indie rock all-star Sufjan Stevens released an entire album of songs about the great state of Illinois. This was preceded by an album about Michigan and at one time there was talk of a larger multi-album project that would cover all 50 states (can you imagine!). The album, entitled Come on Feel the Illinoise, features a song centered around Decatur with many subtle references for Decaturites to enjoy.
The title of the song is "Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!" and I love the double title which are commonplace in Stevens' other work. As we take a look at the song, the lyrics will be in italics below
The song is great in that the Decatur references are wound into the song in a way that they can float right by you naturally and I'm sure there are meanings here that I'm still missing even after closely examining them.
We begin with banjo and accordion talking with each other and Sufjan softly sings about taking a trip, presumably with other siblings, to Decatur with their step-mom who they dislike greatly.
One, two, three, four Our step mom we did everything to hate her She took us down to the edge of Decatur We saw the lion and the kangaroo take her Down to the river where they caught a wild alligator
Here's the first reference to Decatur mythology with the mention of a lion, kangaroo, and alligator as each has a story in the cities past. Nellie the Lion was a lion that was shipped to a mansion (as one does) in Monticello, IL and then promptly escaped the grounds. The lioness wondered around central Illinois and made its way to Decatur and was actively hunted by armed citizens in 1917 before vanishing for good somewhere into the cornfields.
Decatur had a summer of the kangaroo in 1975 as one was spotted around town by many Decaturites. Lastly, alligators have been seen (and caught) around Lake Decatur, which sits to the south of the city, many times in the last century including recorded sightings in 1892, 1937, and 1966.
Sangamon River it overflowed It caused a mudslide on the banks of the operator
The Sangamon River is a major river in Central Illinois but not near Decatur. It runs between Peoria and Springfield which are far to the west of Decatur.
Civil war skeletons in their graves They came up clapping in the spirit of the aviator
Anyone who has visited Decatur for more than a few days will likely come into contact with Decatur's "smell" which comes from the Tate and Lyle grain factory that sits to the east of downtown. You will also probably have to sit in traffic and watch as a train passes through the middle of town on its way to the factory. The factory smell is not a constant annoyance and when we lived in the north part of town it was mainly a late night experience. After moving downtown near Millikin University, I now rarely smell it at all and it is a surprise when what I describe as "hot dog food" hits my nose. Steven A. Douglas was a great debater But Abraham Lincoln was the great emancipator
Stay awake and watch for the data No small caterpillar, go congratulate her
I'm still looking for a meaning in the "data" line but the Caterpillar company (based out of Peoria, IL) as a long standing factory in Decatur where they make large wheel loaders and compactors.
Denominator, go Decatur, go Decatur It's the great I am Abominate her, go Decatur, why did we hate her? It's the great I am Denominator, go Decatur, anticipate her It's the great I am Appreciates her, appreciate her Stand up and thank her Stand up and thank her It's the great I am Stand up and thank her It's the great I am Stand up and thank her It's the great I am Stand up and thank her
And so because the trip to Decatur wasn't so bad after all, Stevens and family appreciate their step-mother a little more. How nice! The phrase "It's the great I am" is a slight modification of the English language answer God gave to Moses when he asked what God's name was. It's still a mystery to me its meaning here.
I've always enjoyed the Illinoise album but since moving here I've come to love it even more. I mean, Stevens even wrote a lovely song about one of the state's favorite sons, Adlai Stevenson on a bonus of outtakes album call The Avalanche. I visited Stevenson's grave in Bloomington, IL back in April.
If you've ever been to the central region of Illinois, you know that there is no one bigger than Abraham Lincoln. He's certainly the biggest tourism pull in the area and just about every city tries to make some sort of connection to our 16th President.
Decatur has one of the stronger cases of actually being connected to Lincoln as he moved to the small town in 1830 with his family and it was the first home for him in Illinois. He was 21 at the time and it says so on the statue to Abraham on the campus of Millikin University, Decatur's main college. I can't help but think that someday my statue will say "At Thirty-Seven I Came To Illinois."
Here is the monument which has him at 21 with an axe and some fallen timber.
Here's the plaque on the monument which gives some more detail on Lincoln's Decatur story. There is another Lincoln statue in the downtown Decatur that highlights where Lincoln gave his first political speech on the streets of the town and I will highlight that in another post.
Moving to Illinois has been an interesting transition as my new town of Decatur reminds me a lot of Lawrence, Kansas but the cornfields around the town remind me of home in rural Wisconsin. Here's a view from the road leading to the kennel where we board our dog from time to time.
Driving around these roads reminds me of one of my all-time favorite songs "Green Aisles" by Real Estate. If you aren't familiar with the band, they make a type of music described as "dream pop" with a real calm and mellow sound. I typically listen to music or a podcast while going to sleep and the album that "Green Aisles" is on, Days, is an album that has helped me reach dreamland many times.
All those wasted miles
All those aimless drives
Through green aisles
Our careless lifestyle
It was not so unwise, no
That is the chorus that the "green aisles" lyrics can be found and it speaks to me as our non-traditional lifestyle these past few years has led us to Ukraine and back and across the United States has proven to be a wonderful and life-changing experience. I wouldn't go so far as to say our lifestyle was "careless" as the lyric goes but it has been unconventional and full of unexpected twists. I will admit though that a return to "green aisles" is a nice change of pace.
I realized that as a Green Bay Packers fan I was treading on some dangerous ground moving to Decatur, Illinois. But I had no idea what exactly I was walking into until seeing the sign welcoming me to my new home.
Before the Chicago Bears were called the "Chicago Bears" they were founded as the Decatur Staleys in 1919. An odd name for a team, to be sure, they were named after the parent company that started the team, A.E. Staley, which was a corn processor. The company still exists today as a part of the larger collection of companies known as Sysco.
The Decatur Staleys were run by George Halas and played one season in Decatur as a part of what was called the American Professional Football Association [APFA]. They would move to Chicago and become the Chicago Staleys in 1921 and became the Bears when the APFA became the National Football League in 1922.
So that's more Bears knowledge than I thought I would ever know or am comfortable with...other than that Jay Cutler is 2-11 lifetime against the Packers.
What started out as a "for the summer" relocation to Washington DC, turned out to be a summer filled with adventures all across the East Coast and our new home in Decatur, Illinois.
Many posts will follow about our adventures but a brief rundown of the highlights we saw along the way including:
The Appalachian Mountains in rural Pennsylvania
State Capitols of Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New Hampshire
The Baseball Hall of Fame
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Downtown Manhattan
Laura's hometown in New Jersey
My brother-in-law's wedding near Burlington, Vermont
The Atlantic Ocean coast in Portland, Maine
Lake Ontario and Toronto, Canada
And we finally arrived in Decatur, Illinois, which was the location of Abraham Lincoln's first home in Illinois after moving here with his family from southern Indiana when he was 21. It is said he gave his first political speech here which attracted the attention of Illinois political leaders.
