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In This Issue
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Canal Corridor Association is a membership organization that preserves history, protects nature and open space, and creates destinations where people can learn and have fun in the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor, from Lake Michigan in Chicago to the Illinois River in LaSalle/Peru. It enhances, raises awareness of and expands the parks, trails, landscape and historic sites that make the I&M Canal region a special place. CCA manages the Gaylord Building, a National Trust Historic Site, in Lockport, Illinois. One of the oldest industrial buildings in the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor, the Gaylord Building is a model of adaptive reuse, featuring the Public Landing restaurant, canal exhibits and more. |
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CCA President's Note Dear CCA Friends: It is with great sadness to announce the passing of one of our early Board members and Chairman Emeritus, Mr. John Trutter. He was truly a man of vision and compassion. He will be sorely missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. One of the many projects Mr. Trutter instituted was our annual Canal Boat Captain’s Award Luncheon that has provided CCA with invaluable funding to further the development of the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor and also recognize the many people who have contributed to the success of the Corridor. This year we honored Ms. Judith Stockdale at the event held on February 21st. A big “thank-you” to everyone who made this year's Canal Boat Captain’s Award Luncheon a great success! The work Judith started continues to grow as the Canal gains greater awareness and recognition. An example of this is a new WTTW Channel 11 program hosted by Geoffrey Baer call "The Southwest Suburbs: Birthplace of Chicago". If you missed the first airing of the show, a repeat broadcast will be made on Sunday, March 18th at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Many of the Canal towns and the Canal itself are highlighted in the show. You can also further what Judith began by participating in the Illinois Bureau of Tourism's effort in identifying the "Seven Wonders of Illinois". Nominate the Canal as a favorite "Wonder of Illinois" on the Bureau's website. The Canal is listed in the Chicagoland region and can be found at http://www.enjoyillinois.com/sevenwonders/chicagoland.html. You can vote early and often! Hope to see you in the Corridor!
Ana B. Koval President & CEO Canal Fact
Vote early and often. In the 1840 Presidential election canal supporters voted as many as twenty times each for Martin van Buren, who favored continuing canal construction. In Memoriam
Canal Corridor Association grieves the loss of longtime board member, Chairman and Chairman Emeritus John Trutter, who passed away February 2nd. Mr. Trutter was a man of vision, generosity and great compassion, who was a leader and director of more than 40 local, state and national organizations.
He had a deep love for Illinois history, which might well have stemmed from the fact that his great-grandfather was a young playmate of Abraham Lincoln’s children. And when the concept of a heritage corridor for the I&M Canal region was in its infancy, he recognized its value immediately and championed it, rallying the support of his career-long employer, Illinois Bell, and others in the business community.
Indeed, Mr. Trutter was born on April 18th, the same day the I&M Canal opened, 72 years prior.
Canal Corridor Association’s annual Boat Captain’s Award benefit was the brainchild of Mr. Trutter. As was the award plaque itself – down to the canal boat drawing on it, which Mr. Trutter drew. CCA later honored him with the award he originated.
Mr. Trutter recognized the importance of tourism as a catalyst for economic development, both in the heritage corridor and the region at large. He served as President and CEO of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau and President of the Chicago Tourism Council.
For sixteen years, he was Chancellor of the Lincoln Academy, a prestigious society honoring Illinois natives. In 1980, Gov. James Thompson granted him the Order of Lincoln, the State’s highest award, recognizing his social service.
Mr. Trutter’s far-reaching civic contributions were surpassed only by his gentlemanly demeanor, treating everyone – regardless of their walk in life and circumstance – with great dignity and respect.
We at Canal Corridor Association will miss him. A Great Time at the Canal Boat Captain’s Award Luncheon!
Over 325 people turned out to honor early I&M Canal advocate Judith Stockdale as she received CCA’s 2007 Canal Boat Captain’s Award at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers last month. None other than Abraham Lincoln – well, actor R.J. Lindsey dressed up as honest Abe – was on hand to emcee the luncheon event. He set the scene by relating the 16th president’s longtime support of the I&M Canal, even describing a journey he and his family took on the canal in 1848, the year the Canal opened.
In accepting the award from CCA Chairman Rick Mooney, Ms. Stockdale reflected on the early days as Executive Director of Openlands Project, when the concept of the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor was just a glimmer in a handful of people’s eyes. One day, as she and others gave a public official a tour of the area to share their vision and gain support, they paused at a site that, at the time, was not the most scenic. “My, you people have vivid imaginations,” the official exclaimed. Indeed they did, and the results have been spectacular, creating the first ever National Heritage Corridor in the Nation.
A special thank you to the benefit’s main sponsors –The Center for Humans & Nature, The ServiceMaster Co., Hayes Mechanical, Helco Corp., Midwest Generation, Award Emblem Mfg. Co. Inc., The Donnelley Foundation, Harris Bank and Lewis University – and to all who bought tables and provided support in so many ways. GAYLORD BUILDING HISTORIC SITE EVENTS Dinner & A Lecture Series on March 8th - "Natural Women: Pioneers in the Outdoors"
What is the commonality of the first woman to major in Botany at Northwestern University, a staff naturalist at the Morton Arboretum, and a courageous writer and scientist who challenged the pesticide industry? These and other “natural women” changed the way society views the wide open spaces and tiny pockets of nature. Through their determination and influence, trails have been blazed along abandoned railroad rights-of-way and in the halls of congress. They are also the subject of “Natural Women: Pioneers in the Outdoors” at the Gaylord Building Historic Site on Thursday, March 8, 2007. Natural Women is a presentation by Mrs. Alice Eastman.
Mrs. Eastman is a professional naturalist and currently Superintendent of Natural Resources with the Bolingbrook Park District.
The program is part of the Dinner & A Lecture education series, which is held monthly at the Gaylord Building Historic Site, 200 W. 8th Street, Lockport, Illinois. The event is catered by the Public Landing Restaurant. Festivities begin at 6:00 pm with a cash-bar reception followed by dinner at 6:45 pm, and the lecture at 7:45 pm.
March guests choose from a menu of Corn Beef & Cabbage with boiled potatoes, carrots and onions; or Grilled Boneless Chicken with BBQ butter sauce, wild rice blend and seasonal vegetable. The dessert is Apple Pie al a mode. The program fee, which includes dinner, is $26 for members of the CCA and $32 for non-members. Reservations are required. For additional information and reservations, please call 815.588.1100. “First Hand History” Premiers with Holocaust Program Historians and actors of history can be entertaining and informative, but the people who experienced history bring it to life and make it personal. Join the witnesses to history who experienced it “first hand.” They are the people who lived through major events of our recent past. Their stories are included in the new First Hand History series at the Gaylord Building Historic Site, 200 W. 8th Street, Lockport, Illinois.
First Hand History premiers on Sunday, March 11, 2007with a personal and heartbreaking tale. “Holocaust Survival, A Woman’s Experience” is the story of Marguerite Mishkin, who is a hidden child of the Holocaust. She was born to Jewish parents in Belgium in 1941. Her father was taken to Auschwitz concentration camp the next year and perished there. Knowing that Marguerite and her older sister Annette were in great danger, their mother approached the Belgian Resistance movement for help. Through the Resistance, she was able to send her children into hiding with a rural Belgian Catholic family in 1943. The children remained with that family until 1946. Meanwhile, in 1944, Marguerite’s mother was captured and sent to Auschwitz where she perished. After the war, Marguerite and her sister wee removed from the Belgian family’s care and sent to a Jewish orphanage in Brussels. From there they were both adopted by a Chicago rabbi and his wife in 1950. Marguerite grew up in Chicago, graduated from Roosevelt University, and became a teacher. Now retired, Marguerite travels throughout Illinois speaking to students and adults on the Holocaust and her experiences.
Marguerite
Mishkin’s appearance at the Gaylord Building is through a
partnership with the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of
Illinois. Founded by Holocaust survivors more than 25 years
ago, the organization is dedicated to teaching about the
Holocaust and the dangers of unchallenged hate. HMFI has
taught school and community groups through its small
storefront museum and speakers’ bureau since 1981. Each
year, their speakers reach approximately 30,000 students at
the Skokie facility and through survivor visits to Midwest
schools and community groups like at the Gaylord Building.
The organization’s mission is furthered by the dedicated
survivors, community members and young people who are
creating the new Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education
Center to present these lessons to far greater numbers. The
new facility will serve an estimated quarter million school
children annually. As the generation of survivors age, it
is ever more important that their stories be heard,
respected, and preserved.
2007 Vintage Base Ball Schedule Announced Canal Corridor Association is pleased to announce the 2007 season of the Lockport Sleepers Vintage Base Ball Club. The Sleepers is a living history program of the Gaylord Building Historic Site. The team provides an interpretation of 1850s baseball and mid-American life at the height of the canal era in Illinois. The Sleepers’ game schedule can be found at http://www.canalcor.org/gaylord/events.html
Through the generous support of Lockport Township Park District, all Sleepers’ home games are played in Dellwood Park at Dell Park Avenue and Lois Street. Admission to the home games are free of charge!
In order to fulfill this active schedule the Lockport Sleepers need financial supporters to bring history to life. It depends on the generous support of individual and corporate sponsors to fulfill its objectives of educating and entertaining the general public. Individuals and businesses that are interested in sponsoring this educational endeavor can choose the level of support that is just right for them. Financial contributions to CCA, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, are tax deductible in accordance with Internal Revenue Service regulations.
For further details about Lockport Sleepers’ sponsorships or game schedule, please contact Mark Harmon at 815.588.1100 or at mharmon@canalcor.org.
New Exhibit Opens at the Gaylord Building Worth: The Friendly Village With Small Town Charm showcases one of the forty-nine communities within the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. The exhibit includes thirty-seven historical and contemporary photographs, as well as a video produced specially for the exhibit. It emphasizes Worth’s development along the Illinois Waterway system. The exhibit opened on January 16, 2007 in the Gaylord Building’s second floor north gallery, and will close on May 27, 2007. Admission to the exhibition is free of charge.
The exhibition is courtesy of the Worth Park District’s Historical Museum and the Worth Historical Society. For more information about the Village of Worth, go to http://home.comcast.net/~worthmuseum/. Volunteers Answer: Caring, enthusiastic, generous, intelligent, talented, energetic, friendly, helpful, dedicated, and vital. Question: What are ten adjectives that describe a volunteer? If you have one or more of these adjectives, please call us at 815.588.1100 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. |
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Upcoming Events
Here is a sampling of events happening in the corridor. For a more complete listing of events, click here to visit the Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitor Bureau's website. Don't see your event listed here? Please send it to enews@canalcor.org.
March 11 The Hegeler Carus Foundation's Second Sundays Lecture on will be something truly special! Donna Pagano, AXA Vice-President, and Tom Fogerty, Financial Advisor, will present "The Family Love Letter: Putting Your House in Order." Their presentation has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. The talk is far more than a general financial planning session. It is a sensitive message for everyone to consider as we move through this life; a powerful presentation that will leave the audience changed. Join us at 4:00 pm at the Hegeler Carus Mansion, 1307 Seventh Street, La Salle, IL. Refreshments will be served following the talk. All Second Sundays Lectures are free to the public. Call 815.224.5891 for more information.
March 17 & 18
Join us for a breakfast of pancakes, sausages with 100% maple syrup. See syrup making demonstrations and try your hand at pioneer chores with our re-enactors. $6/adults, $4/children under 12. 815/741-7277
March 17
Gangs, Guns, and Graves… a deeper look into the Illinois Valley Area's Mob Connections. Join Dan Churney, author of Capone's Cornfields, for a second look at cases of organized crime he has discovered through out The Illinois Valley Area. Also included in the tour is trolley transportation, soup and salad bar lunch on Saturday or Brunch on Sunday in the Starved Rock Lodge Dining Room. Also, enjoy a wine tasting at the Cattails Wine Tasting Room. Pricing: Saturday's $27.00 or Sunday's $34.00.
March 18 WTTW broadcast of "The Southwest Suburbs: Birthplace of Chicago" with Geoffrey Baer at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. www.wttw.com/southwestsuburbs
March 20
Join the Lemont Area Historical Society
at 7:30pm with honored guest speakers Patricia Doornbos,
Michele Nevin, Pamela Schobert, and Nancy Uznanski and
celebrate “Women In History Month” at 306 Lemont Street.
Phone 630-257-2972 for further info. March 25 Dinner Theatre at the Lodge 6:00p.m-10:00pm $30.00 per person Starved Rock Lodge will swing to the sounds of Sinatra with “Fly Me To The Moon- The Ultimate Sinatra Celebration Show.” The show features over 2-dozen classics made famous by Frank Sinatra. This four person revue, will feature such songs as “Come Fly With Me,” “My Funny Valentine,” My Way,” “New York, New York,” and many more. The show also features commentary on Sinatra’s career, his views, and insights to his personal life. Presented as a dinner theatre, guests will dine in the Lodge’s dining room, and then move to the intimate LaSalle room for the show. You will be seated at tables in a casual and comfortable cocktail theatre setting. The Show is produced by DaviDon Entertainment Group, which operates Ottawa’s Cabaret. Please call 800-868-7625 ext.386 for reservations.
March 27 “Ribbons to Runway” Style Show with Dinner 6:00p.m.-9:00p.m. Proceeds go to Breast Cancer Foundation. Clothing & accessories will be presented by Cottage Boutique, Cattails, and Starved Rock Lodge Gift Shop. Come see what is new for the 2007 season. Enjoy wine tasting, dinner and style show. $25.00 per person. For tickets please call 1-800-868-7625 ext. 386
March 31
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