5:30..be there
Downtown Turnaround Celebration Gala, The Dream, The Realized Vision, The Celebration … The new record holder for the longest title of a celebration in downstate Illinois.
Welcome…kb Appropriate to begin with words from the Holy Scripture..or if you’re from out of town, the actual translation of that is “The Journal Courier.” “The courthouse park has recently become a common grazing ground for the bovine fraternity, the broken gates standing invitingly open to everything that wears hoofs and horns. Why should our good friends from the country scatter straw and cornstalks around as freely as they would at their feed lots at home? (And on behalf of my Arenzville neighbors, I resent that.) (So, in 1874 they passed ordinances to beautify the square, not to exceed $5000.) “A storm of protest developed over the proposed improvements, for there were those who considered the park of no value and who felt that the money should be pout to more practical issues.” And here we are…137 years later and only the font size of the journal courier headlines has changed. Those who have the vision and the courage have once again made our world better.
Special remarks: The Honorable Ray LaHood, United States 16th Secretary of Education. . Every time I see Ray LaHood he’s been hot. Concord. I.C. parade. Air traffic controllers falling asleep. I was proud to call you my representative for seven terms in Congress…and now especially proud to have a person of our region as the United States Secretary of Transportation…and that comes from a Democrat who’s not being paid tonight..and instead of hot, that’s pretty cool. Secretary Ray LaHood.
Also brave enough to appear on the John Stewart show. Invocation…Dr. Colleen Hester, President, MacMurray College No offense to Larry Bryan, I’d like to introduce one of the loveliest and most charming things to happen to MacMurray since Peter Cartwright took his horse out of town.
Meal…
The Dream…Dr. Lawrence D. Bryan, Past Board President, Jacksonville Main Street, past president of MacMurray College. Went to an I.C. commencement …Coretta King, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr…streets blocked off, secret service, metal detectors, limousines. They gave her an honorary doctorate. When I Larry Bryan gave me an honorary doctorate from MacMurray I had to park four blocks away, carry my gown through the rain, and then ask someone for directions to the Chapel. Although he may pass the credit around in his remarks, anyone who knows anything about the downtown revitalization knows that Dr. Bryan was the guiding force. 14th President of MacMurray College, Dr. Lawrence Bryan.
The Realized Vision… The Honorable Ron Tendick, Jacksonville Mayor 1989-2009 I like to point to actual people when I give my students examples of small town boys making good…. I always like to use Ron Tendick. As far as I know his only real qualifications for his job was being a radio D.J. and a drummer in a rock and roll band…became mayor. Iconic moment with Ron…revival at Morgan County Fairgrounds…tent. Well-known speaker. Early…visitors from Waukegan. Ron spoke and sang. “That’s your mayor?” “Yes” “We don’t have mayors like that where we come from.” We were all so proud to have Ron Tendick as the face of Jacksonville for 20 years. So now…without his drums….
The Celebration.. The Honorable Andy Ezard, Mayor “Jacksonville…Works”… interviewed around 80 people..Kids shocked: no one was doing what they had planned. Except for one man who in fifth grade told his mother that he was going to be the mayor of Jacksonville some day. I was crossing the square one day with the editor of one of our newspapers…saw Andy stopping to talk to homeless man…the editor said, “He does that all the time. They’re friends.” I can think of no better face for Jacksonville to put to the world on this great weekend that the Honorable Andy Ezard.
Closing…kb The article from the Journal Courier…”Among the items forbidden by the ordinance were loafing, lounging, or lying on the grass…throwing melon rinds, cutting, hacking, scratching or breaking the fence, gates or lamps and turning any horse, cow or other animal loose. “No person shall halloo, shout, bawl, scream, use profane or obscene language, dance, sing, whoop, quarrel or make any unusual noise.”
Let us go to the square this weekend and break as many of these ordinances as our religion will allow.” Good night.