Public Meeting Set for Rend Lake Issues

Just received this news release this afternoon:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake has announced plans to host a public workshop to discuss the changes that will be implemented in the operation of the Corps of Engineers managed areas at Rend Lake during the 2008 recreation season.

The meeting will be held at the Rend Lake Visitor Center on Saturday, April 12, 2008 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The informational workshop will provide individuals with lake information for the 2008 recreation season and provide the public with the opportunity to ask question of the Corps about area closings and reduced services that will be in effect at Rend Lake.

For more information feel free to contact the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493.

These meetings are in response to the budget cutbacks and the effects on the upcoming summer recreation season.

Birding Fest Set for Later This Month

The 7th Annual Birding Fest is scheduled later this month on April 25-27, down in the Cache River Basin with guided tours, mini-workshops and a host of other activities throughout the weekend.

A Birding Blitz is scheduled for Friday and programs will take place throughout the weekend at the Cache River Wetlands Center located on Route 37 in southeastern Johnson County.

Activities include guided canoe tours, birding hikes, live bird demonstrations, wildlife photo exhibits and "much more."

For more information check out their website at www.BirdingBlitz.org.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Southern Illinois Audubon Society, Friends of the Cache River Watershed, The Nature Conservancy, Shawnee Audubon Society and Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau.

Country Inn & Suites Breaks Ground

Jim Zeller, owner of Zeller Construction and the new Country Inn & Suites coming to Marion this fall broke ground yesterday at the site of the hotel on Halfway Road about halfway between Route 13 and The Hill.

Yours truly was there along with other city officials and members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce.

The heavy rains this spring haven't helped the construction season. Zeller said he's likely to move the opening date until sometime in November for his new three-story 66-room hotel.

The new lodging facility will be located at 1306 N Halfway Rd north of America's Best Inns and south of 17th Street Bar & Grill.

For more on the plans check out this article from the announcement of the hotel back in February.

Update on New Golf Trail Idea

Representatives from the proposed Abraham Lincoln Golf Trail met with pros from the top courses in Southern Illinois yesterday at Rend Lake. The goal was to brief them about the trail idea as well as to secure their buy-in with the program.

The Southern's Karen Binder has more...

"Northern Illinois goes to Alabama, Florida and South Carolina," Granberg said. "If this works we can expand this to become whatever we want it to become. We want to tie in with wine trail, state lodges, restaurants and everything else. This is about economic development."

...The idea is to make the Web site a virtual office for the trail, allowing golfers to make tee times, lodging reservations, learn about other area attractions, see course layouts, check out golf packages and even eye the weather forecast.

Todd Ely, a Springfield economic development consultant, said targeted marketing and advertising, such as billboards and article placement in golf publications, would drive golf traffic to the site.

From the site, "we want to cross-promote everyone," Ely added.

Check out the entire article on the Southern Illinoisan's website.

Update on Rend Lake Water Levels

The latest from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineeers:

As of 1:00 p.m., Friday, April 4, the current pool elevation at Rend Lake is 411.72 feet NGVD. The lake is expected to crest on Saturday at a level slightly lower than 412.0 feet ngvd.

The Rend Lake dam received approximately 1.49 inches of rain last night which did not substantially raise the level of the lake. All Corps of Engineers campgrounds remain open, however the Honker Point access road has been closed due to high water. Campsites are available in the Shady Rest and Lakeview camping loops within the Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park. The Rend Lake Resort remains open with accommodations available in the resort, conference center and motel.

Although rainfall totals in the area fell short of predicted amounts, motorists are reminded to use caution when driving in low-lying areas which are still prone to flooding. Rural roadways may have been damaged during the recent heavy rains and may be hazardous to vehicle traffic.

For more information on lake levels go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rend Lake Web site at www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rend or call the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493.

Gem & Mineral Show This Weekend

The Southern Illinois Earth Science Club will hold its free gem and mineral show this weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday here in the Williamson County Pavilion.

Vendors will be showing off include exhibits of minerals, fossils, Indian artifacts, gemstones, jewelry and lapidary work.

The Ben E. Clement Museum from our sister city of Marion, Kentucky, will feature minerals from their world-class collection and the Illinois State Geologic Survey will also have maps and guides for sale.

There will be working demonstrations of lapidary skills, arrowhead making, rock painting and related crafts.

A silent auction will also be held, along with numerous chances to win door prizes.

DuQuoin State Fair Goes With Jungle Theme

The Southern Illinoisan is reporting this afternoon that the theme for this year's DuQuoin State Fair will be "It's a Jungle in Here".

The fair will feature a free jungle theme park north of the two permanent homes in the fairgrounds. The theme park will host three structured shows on each day of the fair. Tigers, cougars, monkeys and various types of snakes will also be available for viewing.

The fair will run from Aug. 22 through Sept. 1.

Presidential Golf Trail About to Debut?

We know Bill Clinton likes to golf. Forty years earlier it was Dwight Eisenhower's game that made the news, but I admit I really hadn't thought about the combination of Abraham Lincoln and golf before yesterday when a reporter called me about it.

Turns out this was a case where the reporter knew more than I did. Apparently state Rep. Kurt Granberg, D-Centralia, has this idea of a seven-course Abraham Lincoln Golf Trail to be modeled and advertised much like the Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama, which is to golf trails like the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail is to wine trails.

Tessa Culli wrote about it last month in the Mount Vernon Register-News and I missed it.

MT. VERNON — A proposed Southern Illinois golf trail which includes the Rend Lake Golf Course is just the beginning of a bigger plan, according to state Rep. Kurt Granberg.

“It’s hard to market just one course,” Granberg said. “If you want to attract a lot of people, start in the Metro East area, go downstate, hit lodges where you can utilize state lodges and parks. The golf trail is part of a large economic development blueprint for the region. The golf trail is just one part.”

Besides Rend Lake the article notes he is also including Kokopelli Golf Club here in Marion and Stone Creek Golf Club in Makanda definitely in the plan and "would like to add the Gambit Golf Club in Vienna.

In addition to the local golf clubs there are two to four more in the MetroEast and along the I-64 corridor.

There's a meeting next week where Granberg is expected to unveil more details to the golf courses.

What's not known at this time is how this will impact the Southern Illinois Golf Trail.

Tickets On Sale Now for Country Concerts

Tickets are now for sale online at WCPavilion.com for the upcoming Bucky Covington concert on April 9 and the Keith Anderson concert on April 10.

American Idol-finalist Bucky Covington will perform along with special guests South 70 at the Williamson County Pavilion on Wednesday, April 10.

Keith Anderson's "Raisin' the Bar" tour comes to the Pavilion the following day along with Chris Young and The Lost Trailers.

Tickets are general admission and cost $25 per show. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Concerts start at 7 p.m. There is a facility fee for ordering tickets online. Tickets can also be purchased from Black Diamond Harley-Davidson in Marion.

'Foodies' Target of SIU Tourism Project

Monday's Southern highlights another tourism project underway in the region, this time targeting the distinct culinary delights of Southern Illinois.

Carbondale Tourism Director Debbie Moore talks about the project with the Southern's Karen Binder. She's mentioned it before in tourism meetings and quite frankly it sounds delicious!

"What better way to understand an area's culture if it means understanding the food," Moore said. "The natural start for destination dining here is a perfect pairing with Southern Illinois wine and our Southern Illinois dishes. We want food and wine to the primary focus to this initiative."

While culinary tourism development opportunities are as varied as menu choices, Moore said developing partnerships with key food communities, such as restaurants, wineries and food producers, could tap the region's German, Polish, Italian, Hispanic and black historical roots.

Also, the team cited potential for a barbecue trail, promotion of locally grown products, turning farmers' markets into travel attractions, production tours, food safety and hospitality training, tourism business planning and more. Work is already under way on a regional cookbook.

Next step for the team is rolling out its Web site around a Southern Illinois Food, Family and Fun logo against a checkered tablecloth and continuing planning to launch the concept.

"Our hope that this entrepreneurial spirit can be leveraged with state money and we can see this happen," Moore said.

Karen ends her story with Debbie's rhetorical question, "How simple does it sound to serve apple pie made of Southern Illinois apples?"

Yet, it's not that simple. It's getting harder and harder to find locally-produced pies, let alone locally-produced pies filled with locally-grown fruit.

It came up at every tourism town meeting we conducted last year this issue of where tourists can go to get a "true taste" of Southern Illinois.

I call it the rhubarb test. I'm not a big pie eater, but I grew up on my grandmother's rhubarb and occasionally gooseberry pies. To me that's Southern Illinois. That's a distinctive taste that I associate with the region.

It's like knowing where the best barbecue can be found, or knowing that if going to Herrin - the best Italian beef.

Not all tourists stay overnight in the region, but it's almost guaranteed that if they spend just two or three hours here they'll eat at least one meal.

Whatever we can do to make that meal more memorable the better down the road for us.

Another part of Debbie's grant would pay off even more immediately as it would connect local food growers to local restaurants.

Southern Covers Agri-Tourism in Region

The Southern Illinoisan's Karen Binder highlights the region's growing agri-tourism industry in Sunday's business section cover story.

While our ever-growing number of wineries in the region prove to be the best-known combo of agricultural and tourism the story also points out the other sides as well.

There is more to agritourism than wineries. Also at home here is The Haunted Barn south of Marion, Rendleman Orchards Farm Market in Alto Pass and Shumaker Christmas Trees in Olive Branch.

Simply, an agritourism business is any land-based farm or business that is open to the public and offers services or products for sale.

I'm quoted in there as well talking about our hunt clubs focusing on geese and duck hunting as well as the thousands of acres of land in Williamson County alone leased to outfitters for all type of hunting activities.

New Articles Outlines Kid Fishing Opportunities

Don Gasaway just sent me the March outdoors news release for the bureau. It's got a great wrap-up of the local fishing opportunities for kids, especially great places where parents can take their children out for some bank-side fishing.

I've posted the column online at the Williamson County Tourism Bureau's website on the "News" page.

Governor Proposes Steady Tourism Funding

Meetings have kept me from digging through the Gov. Rod Blagojevich's budget address earlier today, but we just received word from our friends in the Illinois Council of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (ICCVB) that state tourism funding proposed for FY09 will be the same level as this year.

Last year the governor proposed keeping funding levels the same as they had been for the previous two years, but the legislature added a 10 percent boost to the funding line items for local and regional tourism line items.

Here in Williamson County our state grant covers about 20 percent of our budget with most of the remaining funding coming for the local two percent bed tax.

Governor Considering Entry Fees for State Parks

Lee Enterprise's Kurt Erickson is reporting that Gov. Rod Blagojevich may push entry fees for state parks in Wednesday's budget address.

Although the final touches are still being made to the governor’s latest spending proposal, officials acknowledge they’ve considered imposing entrance fees at state parks as a way to balance the budget in tough financial times.

Details of what those fees might be were not available Monday and it’s not clear whether they would affect users of all of the state’s more than 100 state parks, forests and natural areas, most of which are located in downstate Illinois.

That may not actually be a bad thing, depending on the details.

Our system of state parks and historic sites are in crisis. Staffing levels at the various sites are at the lowest levels in decades. The Historic Sites Division of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has lost around 40 percent of its staff in the last six or seven years. A number of sites are simply mothballed and barricaded off from the public.

I understand the desire of keeping free admissions so that everyone can participate regardless of income, but it's becoming increasingly clear that free access equals no access when there's no money.

In Southern Illinois in the counties along the Ohio River there are five IHPA sites and absolutely no state employees.

The Department of Natural Resources faces similar struggles with state parks though not as severe.

Like the current proposals from the U.S. Forest Service for fees on the Shawnee National Forest it's not the overall concept that's worrisome, it will be in the details.

I made this argument a decade ago and have repeated it ever since now through three governors: It's ridiculous to take a site such as the Old Slave House (which was once privately operated with admissions) and keep it closed because there's no money for staffing yet while there's enough interest to draw large crowds that would pay to enter the facility.

The same admission price wouldn't work for all sites. A market driven approach based on interest and operating costs much like California's approach should be used. There it costs much more to visit major sites such as the 115-room Hearst Castle ($20 to $30 for adults depending on the tour and the season) than it does to visit the Gold Rush museum at Sutter's Fort historic site ($4 for adults).

In Illinois there could be one price for Lincoln sites in Springfield, or one ticket for parks and sites in other tightly knit areas.

If the governor moves forward with this it's also time to look at merging the Historic Sites Division of IHPA with the Division of Land Management in DNR as well as the state museums into one site-based agency.

This may be brought about due to budgetary constraints, but there's larger problems out there that could be solved at this time if a big picture approach was taken.

Maybe we'll be surprised Wednesday. I just hope the issues of parks and historic sites will finally be addressed.

Country Inns & Suites Coming to Marion

Crews working for Zeller Construction demolished the back wing of America’s Best Inns this morning to make way for a new 66-room Country Inn & Suites hotel set to open later this fall.

"We hope to pour the footings the week after next. I want to be open no later than the middle of October," stated Jim Zeller in a news release this afternoon. He's the owner of the construction company and the new hotel along with his wife Kellie.

Zeller purchased the property located along Halfway Road and immediately south of 17th Street Bar & Grill last fall from the owners of the America’s Best Inns motel. The location will allow motorists easy access from the new interstate interchange now under construction north of Route 13.

The new Marion project will be Zeller's second entry into the hospitality industry. He built the 59-room Fairgrounds Inn in DuQuoin next to the state fairgrounds that opened in June 2006.

"I'm excited about this thing. I’m ready to go," he told me.

The new Country Inn & Suites will include a pool, hot tub, continental breakfast, a small conference room as well as an exercise room.

Corporate officials with the chain approved Zeller’s franchise application today. Zeller’s plans also include a second phase of 40 or more rooms to be built later in 2009 if needed. DART Design of Marion is the architectural firm handling the design. Zeller Construction will oversee the building phase.

With its location in Marion’s original tax increment financing district the $5 million project is eligible for some TIF incentives from the city. An application for a redevelopment agreement with the city has been filed.

The Country Inn & Suites hotel chain is owned by Carlson. According to the company website, it's an international mid-scale lodging chain with more than 380 locations worldwide founded in 1987. Each location features "residential architecture and home-like interior design with highlights that include hardwood flooring, lobby fireplace and front porch."

Today’s announcement of a new Country Inn & Suites hotel brings the number of lodging establishments either open or under development in the county to 28. Based on current plans it appears that there will be a net gain of 18 rooms to the county’s lodging inventory by the time the hotel is open.

By then we should have around 1,285 rooms or cabins available to tourists here in Williamson County. That figure also includes seven additional rooms or cabins added by three other smaller facilities.

The latest figures released by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism last summer showed the economic impact of travelers in Williamson County to be more than $90 million in 2006, up 7.4 percent from 2005. Those expenditures by tourists also added $4.9 million to state coffers and just over $2 million in local tax receipts.

Meanwhile we should also see the opening of another bed and breakfast later this spring in Hurst.

Winegeese Inn, owned by Tom and Sharon Lynch, will include three rooms for tourists. Later the couple will open the adjoining business, Celtic Vineyards, which will be the county’s first modern-era winery.

Other new lodging developments include three additional rooms now under renovation at Mary’s Bed and Breakfast in Herrin which opened last fall with one room, and a new cabin now under construction at Devil’s Kitchen Cabins near Devil’s Kitchen Lake.

Corps Announces Cutbacks at Rend Lake

Federal budget cuts will slash programs and services this year at Rend Lake, according to a news released issued last week.

The cuts are part of a region-wide series of cuts at Rend Lake, Carlyle Lake and Shelbyville Lake in Illinois as well as Mark Twain Lake in Missouri.

The following are impacted areas at Rend Lake:

• The South Marcum campground, as well as the Dale Miller Youth area, will remain closed until October 1, 2008. The South Marcum Boat Ramp and picnic area will be open throughout the entire season.


• The Gun Creek Campground will open 1 April – Nov 23 at a reduced service level for camping opportunities on the east side of Rend Lake.


• The North Marcum Day Use area, which includes the North Marcum Beach, Shelters 7 and 8, and the North Marcum Boat Ramp, will remain closed all year.


• The North Sandusky Picnic area and lake access which includes Shelters 3, 4, and 5 will remain closed until October 1, 2008.


• The North Sandusky campground and boat ramp will be open to the public April 1 thru October 31, 2008 at a reduced service level.


• The South Sandusky Campground will open 1 April at a reduced service level thru Oct. 31st.


• The South Sandusky Beach will open two weeks later in May (open May 15) and Close 2 weeks earlier in September (close Sept 16.) Shelters 1 and 2 at the beach are available for rent throughout this time frame.

From the release:

The Rend Lake Visitor Center’s days of operation will be Saturday and Sunday only, from April 4 – May 18 and August 17 – October 26, 2008. Beginning May 18 and continuing thru August 17 the Visitor Center will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hours of operation will be from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. There will be no Environmental Science Series or Sunset Series of Programs (Saturday educational programs and Saturday evening musical programs) scheduled for the Visitor Center during the 2008 recreation season.

Persons having camping reservations at areas that are impacted by these park closures will be notified by the National Recreation Reservation Service regarding the reservation cancellations and a refund will be issued for fees paid.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff at Rend Lake is available to aid you in understanding the necessary operational changes and to assist you in finding an alternate area for your event. Contact the Rend Lake Project Office by phone at 618-724-2493 or by email at rendinfo@usace.army.mil. Information concerning facility opening/closing schedules is posted on the Corps of Engineers, Rend Lake web site at www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rend.

Thousands Attend Boat & Fishing Show

The 2nd Annual Southern Illinois Boat and Fishing Show was a success this past Super Bowl weekend. Based on our road counters we're estimating attendance at 8,925 which is up from the 7,200 last year.

We had a different mix of boat dealers and vendors this year with demand for space exceeding what we had available. The seminars were well attended and the kids flocked to hear Camo the Clown.

For the first time we had three wineries attending the event - Bella Terra Winery from the Tunnel Hill area, Pheasant Hollow Winery from Rend Lake and Shawnee Winery from Vienna.

The Youth Outdoor Education Foundation and the Williamson County Events Commission produced the event with the help of our show runner Ron Allen who did a great job as always.

We would also like to thank our sponsors Marion Toyota and Budweiser.

The 2009 Southern Illinois Boat and Fishing Show will be held again Friday through Sunday, January 30 to February 1.

Next up for outdoor enthusiasts is the Egyptian Collector's Association's spring Hunting and Trade Show at the Pavilion on March 13-15.

A month later is the brand new Southern Illinois Outdoors Expo scheduled for the second weekend of April on Friday-Sunday, April 11-13. The Williamson County Events Commission is producing the Outdoors Expo. For more information on the Outdoors Expo contact the Williamson County Tourism Bureau at 618-997-3690.

UPDATE: We've decided to hold off on starting a new outdoors show this year, but we're looking at it for 2009.

Joliet Columnist Jealous of Our Weather

Somebody up in the suburbs is jealous of our weather.

Don Gasaway is an outdoor writer who helps us spread the word about Williamson County and Southern Illinois. Someone writing in the Joliet Herald News commented on Don's latest column already talking about spring fishing.

On the heels of the most recent arctic blast, while we're pulling out ice fishing gear and loading snowmobiles onto trailers, southern Illinois outdoor writer Don Gasaway already was thinking about spring.

Cold? What cold? Gasaway already is making plans for spring.

That's okay. As I pointed out in a recent news release it's 9 degrees warmer on average during January in Williamson County compared with Chicago. Plus the wind chill isn't that big an issue like it is near Lake Michigan.

Either way word is getting out about the great opportunities we have here in the Southern Illinois outdoors. It's also a great article, check it out.

Cypress Creek NWR Gains New Leader

Mark Brown, formerly with Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge now drives to work a few miles to the south these days. He's the new refuge manager to Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge along the Cache River.

The Southern's Les Winkeler has the a story.

'My Deadly Valentine' Stikes Pavilion Love Birds

“Bloody Williamson” takes on a whole new meaning this Valentine’s Weekend when the Williamson County Pavilion hosts “My Deadly Valentine” murder mystery dinner theater on Friday, February 15.

Vendettas and valentines may not seem a likely match-up for a romantic dinner but we’ve wanted to host a murder mystery for quite a while. In addition to the dinner and entertainment local lodging operators are offering special room rentals for the weekend.

As part of our promotions we will encourage couples to extend an overnight into a two-day stay. They can check out one of the many wineries in the area on Saturday and stay for some country music at the Southern Illinois Opry Valentine’s Dance Saturday night in the Expo Hall of the Pavilion.

The Random Acts thespian troupe of Ohio will provide the entertainment at the dinner Friday night. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the elegant dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person which includes a catered dinner, glass of wine and the performance. Group table discounts will be offered for tables of eight.

The dinner will also include dinner music and wine tastings from area wineries.

For more information contact the tourism bureau at 618-997-3690.

New Year Brings New Fishing Season

I know it's just the day after Christmas, but it's never too late to start planning those late winter fishing trips to Williamson County as Don Gasaway notes in his latest column sent out this week as a news release.

MARION, Ill. - Groaning through the mists, the bass boat slips away from the ramp and out on to the lake. The driver gives it more throttle and the boat goes up on plane and disappears into the pre-dawn fog. Long after it is gone from sight, one can hear the roar of the big engine carrying the anglers to a meeting with Mr. Largemouth Bass.

Bass fishing in southern Illinois begins to heat up in March. Warming temperatures, tending to average about 10 degrees warmer than the northern part of the state, spark the activity of both fish and angler. Williamson County contains several prime bass lakes. They contain many fish in the 2- to 6-pound class.

Crab Orchard, Little Grassy, Devils Kitchen, and Lake of Egypt all hold good populations of trophy size largemouth bass. Together they provide some 11,200 acres of water available to the angler in search of fishing recreation.

There's more online at www.wctb.org, just click on news.

Maid-Rite Seeks Suitor For Marion Franchise

The Marion Daily reported yesterday that long-time restaurant chain Maid-Rite whose closest restaurant is in Christopher is now seeking franchisees for a new store in Marion.

It's part of the company's aggressive expansion of the established brand that's been around since 1926.

MARION — Maid-Rite, famous for its ground beef sandwiches, has targeted Marion as a priority city to open one of its franchisee-owned sandwich shops.

“In our opinion, a Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe restaurant in Marion would be very successful because of the population size of the city of approximately 17,000 residents, plus with the traffic from Interstate 57, along with your city council’s recent approval for a new major retail distribution center,” said Bradley Burt, President and CEO of Maid-Rite.

“The entire community would enjoy our famous sandwiches, thick Blue Bunny malts and shakes and our homemade pies.”

For more information check out the story.

Herrin Chamber Seeks Fireworks Sponsor

The Herrin Chamber of Commerce is seeking a new entity to produce the "Fireworks in the Park" event next July 4th. The chamber produced it in 2006 and 2007 using donated funds.

Their board has decided not to sponsor the event in 2008 so they're calling on all civic organizations in Herrin to see if another entity would like to take over the sponsorship.

They have $1,357.70 in donated funds to give to that organization if one steps forward. Interested organizations should contact the chamber office at 618-942-5163.

Boat and Fishing Show Returns Feb. 1-3

MARION – The Southern Illinois Boat and Fishing Show sponsored by Marion Toyota will return to the region during the first weekend of February.

The Williamson County Events Commission, in partnership with the Youth Outdoor Education Foundation, will produce the event at the Williamson County Pavilion behind the Illinois Centre Mall in Marion on February 1-3.

“The first show we did last February turned out great with nearly 7,200 people flocking to the event,” said Jon Musgrave, executive director of the Williamson County Tourism Bureau which operates the Pavilion.

“Last year we promised a hard-core boat and fishing show for the sportsmen of Southern Illinois and their families and it’s still going to be a hard-core boat and fishing show this year, just bigger and better,” promised organizer Ron Allen.

“We’re expanding a bit this year. We have some boat dealers from Kentucky coming up. One of the most important things we are proud of is that it will still be free to the public,” Allen added.

The 2nd Annual Southern Illinois Boat & Fishing Show is the only such show south of the St. Louis MetroEast. Hours will be 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 3.

There will be a $500 cash drawing on Friday night and bluegrass entertainment on Saturday afternoon, in addition to a number of seminars throughout the day.

Interested vendors can contact Allen by phone at 217-787-8862 or 217-725-7602, or by e-mail at allen92@insightbb.com. Interested persons can also contact Musgrave at the Williamson County Tourism Bureau at 618-997-3690 or jmusgrave@wctb.org.

The Youth Outdoor Education Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization, the mission of which is to assist in providing free or low cost programs to educate youth in the safe and responsible use of the outdoors.

The Williamson County Events Commission is a non-profit, charitable organization organized to build and develop the city-owned Williamson County Pavilion conference center and exposition hall.

For more information on the event check out the show’s website at www.BoatAndFishingShow.com.

Is Target Targeting Marion?

The Southern Illinoisan is reporting today that Target is apparently the corporation looking to build a regional distribution center east of Marion southwest of Route 13 and Crabtree School Road.

Last night the Marion City Council annexed the property for the new center after the city engineer Glenn Clarida publicly provided more details about the project.

The property - 149.5 acres - is owned by Marion attorney Ron Osman. On Monday, the council, at Osman's request, annexed his property from the county into the city. That makes the city responsible for infrastructure improvements at the site, including road, water and sewer.

"The site development plan calls for a 1.3 million-square-foot warehouse with a 35-foot ceiling and 253,000-square-foot shipping center with a 24-foot ceiling," Clarida said. "Combined, that's 200,000 square feet larger than the Circuit City distribution center."

To measure it another way. That's more than 35 acres under roof.

Other details revealed included a new entrance off of Route 13 into the new industrial park as well as improvements to Crabtree School Road; plus new water and sewer lines, all totaling around $2.2 million. Clarida and the city expect the state will help on the roadwork and additional grants or low interest loans will likely be made available for the other infrastructure.

The city still isn't releasing the name, but apparently the contact number passed out to the media last night is for Target Communications of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

To give an idea of how active a distribution center might be consider the new one Target is building near Allenwood, Pennsylvania. There the company plans to send "have a truck in or out of the facility every seven minutes each day except Christmas."

According to the company's 2006 Annual Report Target built 113 new stores last year in 36 states, closed some older ones for a net gain of 91. At the time they planned another 100 net new stores each year for the "foreseeable future, potentially doubling" the current store base by 2021.

As to distribution centers they added three in 2006 for a total of 25 and planned to open two more this year. The company had 79 stores in Illinois in 2006. Based in Minnesota the company has been around since incorporating in 1902.

Old Executive Inn May Reopen

The shuttered Executive Inn may reopen in 2008 as a Garden Inn with 100 rooms, but major hurdles remain.

The city has started the process of condemnation and major health and life safety issues remain in the building shut down by the courts after numerous fire code violations.

The owner, Dr. Yuseph Tai, told the Southern Illinoisan last week a $4 million two-phase renovation will begin soon.

"We're starting soon," Tai said of the remodeling effort. "The first phase is to get the building in compliance (with city fire and county health codes) and get 100 rooms open to the public."

Tai said phase one will cost him about $1.2 million. The next step would be to get the additional 100-plus rooms and banquet hall up and running. Total cost is projected at upwards of $4 million.

Tai said his hope is to open next spring possibly in connection with the Hilton Garden Inn chain, but he said he hasn't worked out a deal with the corporation.

Built as the first motel west of the interstate in Marion as well as the largest motel with 200 rooms, the building first housed the Holiday Inn before it first lost its franchise and the owners picked up the Travelodge brand. After losing that national brand it became the Executive Inn.

Perry County Development Still Alive

The Southern Illinoisan is reporting this afternoon that plans for a new Branson-like development in Perry County are still underway despite the lack of formal public progress.

Jacquie Vick, senior vice president for the Glen Carbon-based Toney Watkins Company, said “it’s just a manner of trying to finalize some things” before the company will be able to announce more details of its plan.

Published reports have suggested that the development near Pinckneyville, about 70 miles southeast of St. Louis, would be a recreational theme-park tourism destination featuring music entertainment venues, golf courses and a BMX bike-racing area.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch last the last update on the venture back in September.

Workshop Tonight on Smoke-Free Illinois Act

The Carterville Chamber of Commerce sent out this e-mail today regarding the new law banning smoking in public places that will take affect in a few weeks:

The Smoke-Free Illinois Act will require all workplaces in Illinois to be smoke-free beginning January 1, 2008. You can view the entire act by visiting the Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department website at www.bicountyhealth.org.

A workshop will be held to clarify the law and enforcement issues as well as possible. The Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules is busy developing the specifics of the rules on enforcement and clarifying issues with the law. There is a possibility they will be finalized this month. This workshop will address questions regarding: whom the law affects, signage, enforcement, and cessation resources. The date and time is listed below:

Monday, December 10, 2007 6 – 7 pm John A. Logan College, Room F119

Illinois Department of Public Health is currently developing a website to assist workplaces in complying with the law. There will also be an online complaint system accessible through the website as well as a toll free number for complaints.

The website will also have signage available to download that meets the requirements of the law. The website is www.smoke-freeillinois.gov. The website is currently under construction and will be online soon.

IDOT Puts Route 13 Plans Online

The public apparently likes what it sees when it comes to the Illinois Department of Transportation's plans for Route 13 widening and expansion between Marion and Carterville.

Today's Southern Illinoisan reported feedback from last month's public unveiling of the plans here at the Williamson County Pavilion proved to be mostly positive.

According to IDOT, about 170 people attended and 226 comments were submitted with 115 supporting the project, 38 supporting with suggestions for revisions, 63 opposing the project and 10 who were neutral.

"We were pleased with the overall results from the public meeting," said Carrie Nelson, program development engineer at IDOT.

The biggest complaints came from the Crainville area which would lose their four-way intersection at Main Street and Route 13 (Pioneer Log Cabin restaurant), but would gain a diamond interchange at Wolf Creek Road and Route 13.

The proposal for the highway expansion is also now online at the agency's website.

Part of the website shows the updated 2007 traffic count for Route 13, as well as what it projected by 2025.

Route 13 and Halfway Road, the first stop light west of Interstate 57 sees 38,100 vehicles a day. With a projected 3 percent growth rate, IDOT is projecting 64,800 vehicles on average to be pulling through there in 2025.

Down the road at the next stoplight at Williamson County Parkway where the Pavilion has its sign in front of Steak 'n Shake sees 29,800 vehicles passby each day and is expected to grow to 50,700 daily by 2025.

Father west the traffic count stays pretty steady. Even at the west end of the project at John A. Logan, 28,100 vehicles pass by daily with a 2.5 percent growth coming out to 43,800 vehicles daily by 2025 at Route 13 and Greenbriar Road.

Federal Funding Announced for Scenic Byways

Southern Illinois will receive a good chunk of $2 million in federal funds announced yesterday for scenic byways in the state. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's office released the details Thursday.

According to Durbin's office the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded the following National Scenic Byways Discretionary Grants to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for the Ohio River Scenic Byway.

• Pulaski County — $262,561 in funding for the design and construction of an overlook of the Ohio River including parking, a walkway, an overlook platform, landscaping, interpretive signs and directional signs.
  
  
• Cairo — $275,000 in funding for the re-creation and re-construction of Fort Defiance as it existed during the Civil War. Fort Defiance was used by General Grant to lead the great Western Campaign of the Civil War. This funding will be used as part of a $2.6 million park improvement program by the City of Cairo.
  
  
• Southeastern Illinois — $25,000 in funding for the implementation of the Corridor Management Plan which will enable the byway coordinator to coordinate and manage initiatives and projects while developing a marketing plan to promote the byway.

In addition to these projects funds were awarded to the Historic National Road byway which runs through Vandalia and three projects for the Meeting of the Great Rivers Byway in the St. Louis MetroEast area.

Improvements Set for Cairo

Monday's Southeast Missourian had a good story about some of the improvements taking place in Cairo.

CAIRO, Ill. -- This community once envisioned to become a great Midwestern metropolis has suffered from an economic depression for at least half a century. But flickers of life have appeared recently. Biodiesel and coal gasification are two of the industries considering locating in Cairo. There's talk of relocating the airport to make room for other industries.

Another sign of life can be found in attempts to preserve Cairo's history. In a few weeks, construction is scheduled to begin on a design that will rehabilitate and expand the vacant tollhouse next to the Ohio River bridge into a museum that will reflect Cairo's Civil War and transportation history. The $1 million project is being funded through a variety of sources but primarily the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Cairo's history offers tremendous potential for tourism development. It's good to see a new administration in the city working toward that goal.

New Convenience Store Opens Below Hill

The new FiveStar Food Mart convenience store opened yesterday at around 2 p.m. located at the northeast corner of Route 13 (West DeYoung) and Halfway Road just west of Exit 54.

The store is the first Illinois location for Newcomb Oil Co., a Bardstown, Kentucky-based company.

It's also the first of what will hopefully be several new projects on the former site of the old Wolohan Lumber Co. The parent company sold most of its stores and morphed into a real estate development company focusing on its real estate holdings such as the Marion land.

The convenience store is just one of several projects underway on the city's west side.

Big New Industry Targeting Marion

It's not on their website yet, but WJPF News Radio is reporting a large national retailer may be just weeks away from announcing the selection of Marion for a new regional distribution center employing hundreds.

Marion Mayor Robert L. Butler told the station he's not been given the go-ahead to identify the name of the company but added that an announcement could come before the end of the month.

The new plant is a distribution center that could employ between 300 and 400 workers. Marion is already home to the large Circuit City distribution plant.

The Circuit City building is so big it's measured in acres rather than square feet. The new distribution center could very well be on the same scale. If so, that will be good for the hospitality industry. Construction jobs that big often involve specialized workers who come in and stay at area motels.

The new plant would be located east of Marion in a new industrial park on the south side of Route 13. The city council authorized a Phase I archaeological survey on the grounds earlier this summer. Later when U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello announced a multi-million dollar grant to extend a water line from Rend Lake to Marion Butler again commented about the number of jobs this would initiate.

Eagle Tours Registration Begins Dec. 10

Reservations open next week for the Bald Eagle tours at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. The tours take place the third and fourth weekends of January and begin at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and last 2.5 hours. The dates are January 19-20 and 26-27.

Reservations open on December 10 and may be made by calling 618-998-5933.

Each Eagle Watch tour begins at the refuge visitors center on Route 148 with a brief overview of the species and what visitors might expect to see on the tour. The tours use the refuge's vans and travel to places where bald eagles have been visited in the past.

Last year, of the six nests on the Refuge, five had at least one chick fledge. The new nest in Crab Orchard Campground was successful and hatched two eaglets. Eagles were seen at the other new nest on the east side of Little Grassy Lake near thedam, but they didn't actually produce any eaglets.

With six nests on the refuge, there should be at last 12 eagles on or near the refuge year round. Immature bald eagles usually remain near their nest for a couple of years after they've hatched, too. Wolf Creek Causeway near the fishing piers is a good places to spot one of the young eagles.

Bald eagles that winter at Crab Orchard NWR spend their summers in the northern United States and Canada feasting on fish. In the midst of the Southern Illinois winter, eagles often feed on sick and injured waterfowl.

According to the refuge's newsletter "Wild Times" every Eagle Watch tour over the last decade has seen at least one bald eagle.

Agritourism Conference Set for January

The Illinois Specialty Crops and Agritourism Conference is set for January 9-12, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza hotel & Convention Center.

Wendesday will be for workshops for specialty crops. There's one on using high tunnels and greenhouses to extend seasons and the other is on growing grapes in Illinois.

Sessions on Thursday and Friday are split into five tracts: Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, Agritourism and Cross-Cutting Issues.

I attended this conference last year and it offered a number of good ideas and discussions.

Check out the group's website for more information.

Little Egypt Off-Road Wins State Grant

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources just awarded a $210,000 grant to Little Egypt Off-Road east of Crab Orchard earlier this month. The money comes from the state's Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreational Trails Program.

Little Egypt was one of six sites that will share $1.4 million in grants announced Nov. 9.

The OHV Recreational Trails Program is funded through the title fees on all-terrain vehicles and off-highway motorcycles, and through the sale of public access stickers that must be displayed on all off-highway vehicles using grant-assisted facilities. The program provides up to 100 percent reimbursement for approved project costs, which may include land acquisition from willing sellers, construction and maintenance of OHV trails and related facilities, restoration of areas damaged by OHV use, and for education and safety programs.

Local governments, not-for-profit OHV clubs and organizations, businesses and private individuals may apply for grants through the program. Projects are reviewed and recommended for funding by the Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Advisory Board composed of representatives of motorized recreation groups and organizations.

The grant to the Little Egypt Off-Road Motorcycle Club will help the group's 718-acre site south of Route 13 east of Marion.

According to the state's news release the project will include "construction of a shower and bathroom building, a picnic shelter with 20 picnic tables, the purchase of two utility ATVs for trail maintenance/security/rescue operations, the development of 12 additional miles of OHV trails, and funds for advertising the site."

Also in Southern Illinois Williams Hill Pass Association in southern Saline County will use $188,700 for improvements to their 220-acre OHV park on the north side of Williams Hill. There, "funds will be used for improvements to the showers, to widen and upgrade the entrance and site interior road, to install a water line to the welcome center/shower building, and funds for advertising the site."

The next round of grants will be accepted from January 1 to March 1, 2008. For more information check out the IDNR Division of Grant Administration.

Kerasotes to Donate Varsity to Stage Co.

Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole unveiled news this morning at his annual State of the City Address that Kerasotes Theatres will donate the shuttered Varsity Theater for the new home of The Stage Co.

Just yesterday, I spoke with one of the Kerasotes’ brothers, and after several years and more intensely the last several weeks and months, I am proud to announce today that the Varsity Theater will soon be donated to the community and will be available to become the permanent home of The Stage Company and hopefully some other not-for-profit organizations, such as Carbondale Community Arts.

That property will then become the Varsity Arts Center, a community-oriented, visual and performing arts center that will combine the nostalgia and romanticism of the past with the modern conveniences of the present.

Now, there is still much work that needs to be done, to renovate the property and to build proper offices, community rooms and staging areas, but this is a dream come true for many. It is certainly something I am very excited about and it will return the Varsity Theater to an active, integral part of the downtown entertainment atmosphere.

Several people are responsible for making this happen. First, of course, the Kerasotes family and Kerasotes Theaters company should be thanked and thanked again. Also, we should thank Trace Brown and Charlie Brown and Associates for doing a thorough inspection of the property and detailing an appraisal that makes it financially worthwhile for the company to donate it to us. And, without a doubt, all the people that have supported me behind the scenes (pun intended) to work with the property owners to get to this point… that specifically includes people like Blanche and Fred Sloan and Trish and John Guyon, who have all kept hoping and pushing to see something come to fruition. I hope they’re as excited about this as I am.

Congratulations Carbondale, not only will this be a boost for the Stage Co., but also for the Strip along South Illinois Avenue

Las Vegas Flights Cancelled Before Take-Off

Dreams of direct flights from Williamson County Airport to Las Vegas dissipated over the weekend with Friday's announcement that the flights scheduled to start in February would be canceled due to high fuel prices.

The Southern Illinois has more in Friday's article as well as more today in a follow-up.

Friday also marked the final day of air service from Williamson County to Chicago courtesy of Mesa Airlines in Phoenix. Only air service to St. Louis remains. There are two flights a day through Great Lakes Airlines in Cheyenne, Wyo.

"If there is a silver lining, it's that an airline like Allegiant did have interest in us and someone else will again," Kimmel said.

Crab Orchard Refuge Updates

I attended last night's annual meeting of the Friends of Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. There are were a number of projects I heard updates about, some were new, some I just knew were in the works.

Here's a summary:

• Bogard Point Fishing Area — While there is already a fishing dock and benches at Bogard Point on the west side of Wolf Creek Road on the north shore of Crab Orchard Lake, the Friends approved a bid last night night to pay for a new 690 feet long walking path to extend from the existing parking lot, as well as five new picnic tables.
  
  
• Bike Trail — The Friends has a committee working on developing bike trails inside the refuge and a surveying class at SIU-Carbondale is helping to do some of the planning work. They are generally looking to develop the first leg from the old northeast entrance of the refuge at Timmons Station Road on Marion's southwest side then following the old railroad grades across the north side of the refuge over to Wolf Creek Road. They are currently working on a grant to help cover the costs of doing this and replacing some of the bridge crossings.
  
  
• Devils Kitchen Campground — The campground at Devil's Kitchen Lake will reopen next year on Memorial Day as a primitive campground. Amenities will include the shower building and plus another 9 or 10 tent camping sites.
  
  
• Turn Lanes on Route 148 — Refuge Manager Dan Frisk told the group that the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Transportation have worked out a plan to provide turn lanes on Route 148 in front of the Visitors Center. As part of the project the intersection of Pigeon Creek Road and Route 148 will be realigned to match the entrance with the visitors center. Construction on this project should begin next summer.

The Friends of Crab Orchard NWR meets the first Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the refuge Visitors Center at 8588 Route 148 South.

Court Oversight of Shawnee Forest Continues

The Daily Register is reporting that U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert has decided to continue court oversight of the U.S. Forest Service's operations of trails and public guide and outfitter permits.

The Forest Service wanted out from the scrutiny.

Environmentalists and equestrians, usually at odds over forest use issues, joined together in supporting another year of oversight, which Gilbert saw as a positive step. Everyone seems to be working together at the Lusk Creek area — the flashpoint of debate in the case. Any cooperation between environmentalists and horse riders has to be seen as progress, the judge said Tuesday.

I used to cover the judge and the various lawsuits concerning the Shawnee National Forest in the 90s. Gilbert has been hearing those cases for more than a decade and has little patience for squabbling.

Corps Announces Winter Rules for Rend Lake

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is blaming its budget which they say will limit public access to parts of its Rend Lake complex this winter.

The following is from today's news release:

Benton, IL – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is announcing some changes to the operation of two areas at Rend Lake for the upcoming winter months and the 2008 recreation season.

During the period of 1 December, 2007 thru 3 March, 2008 the Rend Lake Dam Road will no longer be open for public travel. The road will be gated and remain closed throughout the winter months. Access to this road will be made available on 3 March 2008. This closure is due to constrained resources for operating recreation areas at Rend Lake.

The popular “short cut” road which crosses over the Rend Lake dam will be gated to the west at the intersection of the Rend Lake Dam Road and the Rend City Road and to the east, slightly north of the intersection of the Licata and Mine 24 roads. The Sugar Creek parking lot will remain open for access throughout the winter season.

In addition, the South Marcum Recreation area will be open during the period of 15 July, 2008 thru 31 October, 2008. Areas that will be affected by this delayed opening will include South Marcum Boat Ramp, Shelter 9, Dale Miller Youth Area, and all campsites in the South Marcum Campground. No reservations will be taken for sites in the campground or the Dale Miller Youth area for the period of 1 April – 14 July, 2008. Any reservations which have been made prior to this announcement will be rescheduled.

For further information feel free to contact the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493.

The Southern Illinoisan already has an article available on its Afternoon Edition.

Marion Seeks Proposals for Old Hospital

Monday night the Marion City Council voted to seek proposals for redevelopment of the old Marion Memorial Hospital site. A Request for Proposal (RFP) went out yesterday.

Here's the RFP in part:

The City of Marion is seeking proposals from qualified developers to acquire and redevelop the former Marion Memorial Hospital located at 917 W. Main Street in Marion, IL.

Letters of intent must be submitted to Gail West, Director of Economic Development, City of Marion, 1102 Tower Square, Marion, IL 62959 by: 5 p.m., Friday, December 3, 2007.

The City of Marion will require the selected development team to enter into a redevelopment agreement with the City and commit to a timeline for improvements.

Background: The former Marion Memorial Hospitals sits on 7.448 acres, on Main Street and one block off of Route 37. The zoning of the site is C-1, General Commercial. The site is composed of three buildings, with a total square footage of 139,176 square feet. The largest building housed an 84 bed hospital and has 121768 sq ft. Attached to the main building is a 10528 sq ft one story building that served as an OB addition. The third Building also a one story brick building served as an insurance processing center and contains 6880 sq ft. Available utilities upon the site are city water, city sewer, electricity, natural gas and telephone. The topography of the site is generally level, drainage is adequate and landscaping is good. The driveway surface and parking areas are mostly asphalt covered. There are 135 parking spaces.

Redevelopment Objectives:
The City of Marion desires to encourage a development project that is innovative and will utilize either: (1) the existing structures or (2) by demolishing the existing structure(s), development of a project with retail, restaurant, and professional offices and/or mixed-use structures and which could include a combination of the following: street-level retail or restaurant and second level housing (town homes, loft-style apartments) and professional offices.

Available Incentives:
Acquisition: The City of Marion is willing to negotiate the cost of the building depending on the project scope and financial feasibility. A financial commitment will be required as a down payment.

The down payment and end use will both be used to judge the award of the proposal.

Hub TIF: The site is located in the Marion’s Hub Tax Increment Financing District. The City is willing to enter into a TIF agreement with the developer.

Williamson Snags Air Service to Vegas

Beginning Feb. 1, Southern Illinoisans will be able to fly direct to Las Vegas from Williamson County Regional Airport.

Airport Manager Doug Kimmel made the announcement this morning that Alligiant Air would begin service locally in just over three months.

Codell Rodriguez has the story at TheSouthern.com:

Flights will leave Williamson County at 1:25 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and arrive in Las Vegas at 2:55 p.m. with fares as low as $79 one way until May 15, 2008, when it will rise to about $99. Allegiant will use a 150-seat MD-80 jet, the largest plane the airport has ever used. Doug Kimmel, airport manager, said Allegiant expressed interest in expanding to Marion in November of 2006 because of the airports runway extension to 8,000 feet.

New Air Service for Williamson County

Officials with Williamson County Regional Airport will announce new air service tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct. 23) at 10 a.m. in the airline terminal.

It's been "win one, lose one" over the last few months with St. Louis service returning and Chicago service leaving next month.

In August airport manager Doug Kimmel told the Southern Illinoisan that negotiations were underway with Allegiant Air concerning service to vacation spots Orlando and Las Vegas.

No word if this is the announcement tomorrow, if it's Great Lakes Airlines taking over Chicago service, or something else entirely. Whatever, it's a step forward.

The media and public are invited to the announcement. Refreshments will be available.

WCTB Staff Take Part in ICCVB Conference

I normally wouldn't use the blog to talk about conferences we attend, but since the Macomb Journal has an article on it I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

The Illinois Council on Convention and Visitor Bureaus is the state trade association for tourism bureaus across the state. Macomb hosted this fall's conference.

"We're all doing the same thing, we're just doing it for different areas," said Kimberly Bless, chair of the ICCVB and President and CEO of the Elgin Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Tourism in Illinois is booming, relatively speaking. Back up to pre-Sept. 11 numbers, it's now in the top 10 industries that make up the Illinois economy.

"We've seen double digit growth in tourism money (spent) in Illinois over the last few years," Bless said.

One of the biggest assets ICCVB provides Williamson County is the opportunity to participate in trade shows and promotional events that would normally be too expensive for the bureau to do ourselves.

ICCVB has long had three niche committees - Tour Illinois, Meet in Illinois and Sports Illinois - which focus on the motorcoach/group tour markets, the meetings and conventions market and sports tourism respectively. A new committee, Market Illinois, held its first meeting this week and besides providing professional development opportunities for the bureaus' marketing directors plans to start attending travel writer conferences.

Log Cabins Opening and Under Construction

I spoke with Jim Grissley of Olde Squat Inn this afternoon about some pictures promoting log cabin stays in Southern Illinois.

Grissley's establishment is a virtual village of reconstructed historic log cabins a few miles east and a bit south of Johnston City and northeast of Marion.

The picture is of the inside of the "newest" cabin, the Church Cabin, so-named because much of the lumber used for trim inside came from an old church.

I took the picture last fall and the cabin opened for rentals this spring. That gives him eight rooms in five cabins.

Jim's cabins aren't the only ones in the county. Devil's Kitchen Cabins opened last fall with one cabin on private property between Grassy Road and Devil's Kitchen Lake.

The demand is so great that they started on a second cabin this summer. It should be ready for rent either by late winter or early spring.

Win One, Lose One

Just as we win a victory with air service resuming to St. Louis next month from Williamson County Regional Airport, Mesa Airlines announced this week they will be suspending air service to Chicago.

Airport Manager Doug Kimmel called the decision an "unfortunate situation" in an interview with the Southern Illinoisan.

Mesa came to Williamson County Airport in February as a result of the I-Fly fund that provided more than $100,000 each to the airports in Marion, Quincy and Decatur. Thomas Bacon, vice president of planning for Mesa Air Group said operating costs were too high and the exit is part of a strategy that will affect services throughout the company.

"We're very disappointed we have to leave the market," Bacon said. "The community's been great."

The only silver lining in the deal is that with the Marion-Decatur-Chicago route officially dead the possibility exists for a new Marion-Springfield-Chicago service which should service a greater demand.

St. Louis Air Service Resumes Next Month

Air service from Williamson County Regional Airport in Marion to Lambert Field in St. Louis will resume November 4.

Initially there will be only two departures and two arrivals at the airport with a morning flight leaving at 6:07 a.m. and arriving in St. Louis at 6:45 a.m. and an afternoon flight leaving Marion at 1:43 p.m. and arriving at Lambert at 2:21 p.m.

Flights from St. Louis at 12:55 p.m. with arrival in Marion at 1:33 p.m. and an evening flight leaving Lambert at 7:30 p.m. and arriving in Marion at 8:08 p.m.

Reservations can be made online at a variety of travel site, or directly from the airline at www.flygreatlakes.com. Fliers can also call the Great Lakes' reservation center at (800) 554-5111 or their local travel agent.

Drought Hits Rend Lake Water Levels

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is announced further temporary restrictions at Rend Lake today due to low water levels.

I ran into Matt Stroebel of SnS Guide Service at a convenience store on the way to work this morning. He knew of a number of fishermen who were getting boats and equipment damaged who were not used to how shallow the lake was getting in parts.

Today's announcement by the Corps deals with the closure of the Turnip Patch boat ramp on the west side of the lake in Jefferson County. Last week it was the temporary closure of the North Marcum boat ramp and restrictions on the use of the Gun Creek boat ramp to boats "which require less than one foot of draft when afloat".

Still, fishermen and boaters still have access to the remaining 15 boat ramps.

The following is from today's announcement.

Below normal rainfall during the summer season has left Rend Lake water levels near record low elevations. The pool elevation at Rend Lake is currently 403.97 NGVD (National Geodetic Vertical Datum), which is approximately 1 foot below October’s average pool elevation of 404.9 NGVD.

The all-time low pool elevation recorded for Rend Lake was reached in November of 1974 with a level of 402.95 NGVD. The lake reached recreation “normal” pool of 405.0 NGVD for the first time following its construction in the fall of 1973.

Low water levels can cause sand bars, stumps and other obstructions to surface in unexpected areas. As always, the Corps strongly encourages boaters to wear their life jacket and exercise extreme caution when on the waters of Rend Lake.

Additional information on current lake levels and low water restrictions by calling the 24-hour Recreation Information Network at 618-625-1828 or by contacting the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493 or by email at rendinfo@usace.army.mil.

Low Water Levels Restrict Rend Lake Ramps

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release today concerning low water levels at Rend Lake.

Due to the unseasonably low water levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is announcing the temporary closure of the North Marcum boat ramp and restrictions being placed on the use of the Gun Creek boat ramp.

The use of the Gun Creek boat ramp is being limited to boats which require less than 1 foot of draft when afloat. Both of these areas will re-open for unrestricted use when water levels return to levels which allow for the safe use of these facilities. No restrictions are currently in place for the remaining 16 boat ramps at Rend Lake which remain open for public use.

Below normal rainfall during the summer season has left Rend Lake water levels near record low elevations. The pool elevation at Rend Lake is currently 403.97 NVGD (National Vertical Geodetic Datum), which is approximately 1 foot below October’s average pool elevation of 404.9 NGVD.

The all-time low pool elevation recorded for Rend Lake was reached in November of 1974 with a level of 402.95 NGVD. The lake reached recreation “normal” pool of 405.0 NGVD for the first time following its construction in the fall of 1973.

Low water levels can cause sand bars, stumps and other obstructions to surface in unexpected areas. As always, the Corps strongly encourages boaters to wear their life jacket and exercise extreme caution when on the waters of Rend Lake.

For additional information on current lake levels and low water restrictions call the 24-hour Recreation Information Network at 618-625-1828 or by contacting the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493 or by email at rendinfo@usace.army.mil.

Chonda Pierce in Concert Oct. 12

Christian Comedian Chonda Pierce will be in concert Friday, Oct. 12, at the Williamson County Pavilion as part of a benefit for the Williamson County Child Advocacy Center.

Tickets can be purchased in the Williamson County Tourism Bureau's office at the Pavilion from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

General admission tickets are $15, Preferred Seating - $20 and Artist Circle Seating - $25. Tickets can also be ordered online ($1 processing fee added to each ticket).

General Admission - $16 each

Preferred Seating - $21 each

Artist Circle Seating - $26 each

Marion to St. Louis Air Service to Resume Nov. 4

The Southern Illinoisan is reporting that air service between the Williamson County Regional Airport and St. Louis' Lambert Field will resume November 4. This will end eight months of no flights to St. Louis after the Federal Aviation Administration shut down RegionsAir.

Great Lakes Airlines took over the contract in June but was unable to secure the planes necessary to make the flights.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin made the announcement yesterday.

Besides the service to St. Louis, Williamson County also hosts flights by Mesa Airlines to Chicago Midway.

New Developments Break Ground

Marion's west side continues to develop with nearly $8 million new building projects breaking ground this summer.

JWL Properties broke ground late last week for a new strip shopping center immediately north of the old Barnett Furniture building between Wal-Mart and the Illinois Centre Mall.

This is a $1.3 million construction project that should provide about another 20,000 square feet of retail space and possibly another restaurant. The address will be 2801 Civic Circle Drive on the inside loop around the mall.

Building permit applications show $4 million for the new Marion Toyota dealership on Route 13 across from Heartland Regional Hospital. The dealership will move the Toyota operation to the new site and keep the other automotive lines at the existing location.

On West Main Street the Bank of Herrin's new $1.8 million facility has started on the the steel work above ground. The new bank is beside its current facility (the originally TCBY building) across from Pepsi Mid-America and next to Comfort Suites.

At the corner of Route 13 and Halfway Road, Newcomb Oil Company's new $770,000 convenience store is will on its way as well. They buried the fuel tanks last week and the building will soon be fully enclosed. It's a very impressive design so far.

We're hoping there will be some more announcements soon as well, particularly in the travel side of the business.

Meanwhile what we do know is that Farmers State Bank is still presumably looking at building a new facility in front of Wal-Mart (they bought the land last winter) and Russell Oil Company may be looking at a new station on East DeYoung St. They took out a building permit earlier this year on a $285,000 project at 309 E. DeYoung, but haven't started construction.

Developer Still Eyeing Perry County

Kevin McDermott of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting today that the proposed Branson-like development targeted for Perry County appears to still be on the way.

Some state lawmakers have expressed concern at the continued lack of hard information from the enigmatic company. But political leaders around Pinckneyville — a rural community of 5,400 about 60 miles southeast of St. Louis — remain optimistic.

"I really believe it's going to happen. They've spent so much time and money already. ... This is really going to go,'' said Perry County Board Chairman Jim Booker. He said company president Anthony Watkins met with him in nearby Du Quoin last week to assure him the company was still pursuing the project.

The company wants to build a $100 million convention resort complex in the vein of Branson, Mo., which would include music venues, golf, a BMX bike-racing facility and other amenities. The project could ultimately involve 5,000 acres of land — roughly 10 times the acreage of Six Flags amusement park in Eureka.

Meanwhile the only official news release on the company's website dates back to Oct. 4, 2005 when the titular Toney Watkins was about to make a presentation to the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce on his MetroEast development project.

Sign's Messages Shine Bright

The new sign for the Williamson County Pavilion is up and working at the intersection of Route 13 and Williamson County Parkway.

This was one of those projects that took a whole lot of effort over a very long period of time. Most of the credit goes to two of the board members of the tourism bureau and the Williamson County Events Commission, the entity that actually owns the Pavilion.

Jeanette Sollami took on the long-delayed project last fall when she served as the bureau's interim director. Bruce Troutman, the treasurer for the commission (as well as the county), stepped in when it came time to secure the land for the sign. Kudos for both.

Of course, none of it would have been possible without the generosity of Steak 'n Shake which donated the few square feet necessary in a lease in order for us to have a place to erect the sign.

We still have a few minor items to complete around the base of the sign before it's finished but most importantly the message board is working.

I did a quick check of the traffic count on IDOT's website www.GettingAroundIllinois.com. Some 21,200 vehicles a day pass along that stretch of Route 13 in front of Steak 'n Shake.

By the way, the website also showed that more than 11,000 vehicles get off Interstate 57 every day at Marion; 8,500 use Exit 54 at Route 13 and 2,650 use Exit 53 at Main Street.

Right Attitude in Murphysboro

Last Thursday's Southern had a good article on state Rep. Mike Bost's recent presentation to the Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce where he talked up tourism and the region's growing wine industry.

Midway through the article Adam Testa inserted a quote by Barbara Dallas, Murphysboro's Tourism Commissioner, who noted that while help from the state was appreciated, "local relationships need to be improved before tourism can reach its full potential."

"We need to get over Friday Night Fever," she said. "We need to realize it's not Murphysboro versus Carbondale versus Marion. The only way we're going to build tourism is regionalization."

She's right on target!

New Owners Serve Up Lick Creek General Store

This week's Carbondale Times has a nice story on the old Lick Creek General Store off of Interstate 57 at Exit 36, 18 miles south of Marion in northeastern Union County.

The store had been transformed into a unique restaurant some years ago, but had closed. Carbondale Councilman Lance Jack and Emily Taylor reopened the restaurant earlier this spring, but have held off on their grand opening until today for their Labor Day Party.

"Up until now we have been relying on word of mouth and calls from the past," Jack said. "We have done no advertising whatsoever until this past week. We have been passing out fliers. We were working on a soft opening to make sure that we had all of our ducks in a row. Emily and I have known each other for years now but we want to make sure we could work together.

"We have come to the conclusion that we can work together without killing each other," he joked. "She likes to call me the best husband she's never had."

The restaurant is known for its unique nine course meals.

For more information contact them at 618-833-6360. They are located 1/8th of a mile east of the interstate on Lick Creek Road.

Whew! Governor Doesn't Cut Tourism

After weeks of delay the state of Illinois apparently has a budget according to The Capitol Fax Blog.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich submitted his veto message to the General Assembly earlier today. It included major revisions, but none on page 252 in the line item that directly impacts certified tourism bureaus across the state.

Therefore, it looks like the 10 percent increase for local convention and tourism bureaus is protected and should result in at least a 10 percent increase in our state funding for the Williamson County Tourism Bureau.

The funding in this program has stayed the same since the 2004 budget. The new money was only added by the General Assembly in this last budget bill passed.

UPDATE 5:34 p.m. August 22
However the veto pen did take a bite out of the Illinois Wine and Grape Council, slashing their line item from $165,000 down to $150,000. Considering the impact the wine industry is having on tourism in the state that won't help.

UPDATE 8:55 p.m. August 22
Looks like state funding for the Illinois Main Street program was wiped out totally - all $204,000 that flowed through the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

Food Network to Focus on 17th Street's Ribs

Bon Appètit declares Southern Illinois' 17th Street Bar & Grill the best rib joint in America and you can watch the episode on the Food Network this weekend.

The show will air at 4 p.m. Saturday and repeat at 5 p.m. Sunday (CDT). The show is the Food Network's special, "Top American Restaurants: Bon Appetit Picks the Best".

More on 17th Street can be found on the web at www.17thstreetbarbecue.com.

Developers Eye Gun Creek at Rend Lake

Today's Southern Illinoisan has an update on Rend Lake Conservancy District's efforts to attract private investors to develop the Gun Creek area northwest of Exit 77 on Interstate 57.

Three of the proposals call for the land to be developed into a resort or resort-type complex that could include such amenities as an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, hotels, shopping, cottages, condominiums, marina and a nature center.

A fourth group has proposed a residential housing complex for the site. [RLCD Manager Keith] Thomason said the group would like to construct 140 villas.

Hopefully the district will take one of the three proposals for tourism development rather than the residential development. I've got a problem with using eminent domain for what would be a luxury subdivision.

A mixed use development would provide additional lodging, sales tax and attractions that would bring in even more tourists.

The latest figures released earlier this summer showed Franklin County with the second worst rate of growth of any county in the state when it comes to tourism expenditures. As home of one of Illinois' Seven Wonders that shouldn't be the case.

To see what you're missing at Rend Lake, check out this video from YouTube.

Burden Falls Flows on YouTube

One of the Shawnee National Forest's hidden gems isn't hidden as much now with this user created video on YouTube taken last New Year's Eve.

Burden Falls is located in northern Pope County near Bell Smith Springs.

New Visitor Center Operating in Equality

Carolyn Baltimore, one of the volunteers with Gallatin County Tourism and the Ohio River Scenic Byway Visitor Center in Equality dropped by the office yesterday.

I've driven by the new facility which is located in downtown Equality, but not while it was open. It was funded with a transportation enhancement grant matched with another grant.

It's open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays from April through mid November to catch the deer season.

The address of the facility is 101 W Lane Street (which is the tip end of Route 142), Equality IL 62934.

Gallatin County is working on a brochure now and has a new website at DiscoverSoutheasternIL.com.

State Tourism Funding Up in Air

The budget passed by the Illinois General Assembly last week included a 10 percent increase for local tourism and convention bureaus, the first increase in four years.

That amount was up from what the governor proposed this spring and what the House of Representatives passed in their budget earlier this summer.

It's not clear though if the governor will use his line item veto to reduce the amount as he has threatened to do on other items.

The final budget is House Bill 3866. The appropriations are found in Senate Floor Amendment #1.

MMA Cage Fight Set for Saturday at Pavilion

The family that fights together, smites together.

Five sibling fighters, including the big sister will be competing Saturday at the Cage of Fury MMA event Saturday night at the Williamson County Pavilion.

The Marion Daily's Tom Kane took the photo on the left. Clockwise from the front, the five Holmes Family fighters are Detsonie Davis, 28 and 119 pounds; Zach Holmes, 15 and 145 pounds; Derrick Holmes, 23 and 155 pounds; Edward “Bubba” Holmes, 26 and 165 pounds; and Austin Holmes, 18 and 130 pounds.

Other local fighters on the fight card are Kenny Mayhall, Bill Irby and Robert “Bucky” Neal of Harrisburg; Darrell Coleman, Andrew Trammel and Steven Campbell of Marion; Dustin Bloodworth and Damian Jeffro of Herrin; Jason Hobbs of Desoto; Aaron Essary of Johnston City, Brian Sanders of McLeansboro, Jill Fickes of Carbondale and Hayeley Weintz of Christopher.

Saturday night’s fights start at 8 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets prices are $125, $75, $55, $45 and $25 and may be purchased at the Williamson County Pavilion, Bookworm in Carbondale or S&M Fitness in Harrisburg.

To place an order for tickets, or for more information, call the Williamson County Tourism Bureau at (618) 997-3690.

ATA Grand American Heats Up — Literally

The American Trapshooting Associations Grand American event kicked off Monday at the World Shooting and Recreation Complex up near Sparta.

This is one of the largest events to take place annually in Southern Illinois.

The Southern Illinoisan has good coverage so far:

• Grand American gets underway in Sparta
  
  
• Staff at World Shooting Complex trying to stay cool"
  
  
• Grand Opening: Pinckneyville High competes for the first time as varsity
  
  
• Charlie Daniels Band returns to Southern Illinois

Talent Search Begins for Southern Illinois Opry

It's time for the region's would-be country singers to start warming up.

Rick Johnson's Southern Illinois Opry will be conducting a talent search on Saturday, August 18, at the center court of the Illinois Centre Mall.

The top four or five singers will get to perform with a live band at the inaugural show of the Opry on Saturday, September 29, at the Williamson County Pavilion in Marion.

"We feel there is a lot of talent in this area," [Illinois Centre Marketing Director Penny] Strobel said. "There are a lot of people in this area who have beautiful voices that do not get the opportunity to sing. It's a chance to let our area know we appreciate all the talent here."

Johnson said he would like to showcase and bring forth local talent.

"There is going to be a lot of good times and it's going to be a good show for everyone," he said.

The event will also feature the Jackie Martin Band and the doo-wop group Blend.

Tickets for the shows on the 29th will be $12 for table seats and $10 for general admission.

Johnson said. "People can come out and have a good time without spending a fortune. I'm trying to keep the prices as low as I can for the people of Southern Illinois."

Tickets can be ordered online by credit card through PayPal.

Williamson Shoots for Third Airline

The Southern Illinoisan's new Williamson County reporter Megean Sexton broke the story this morning of a possible third carrier coming to the Williamson County Airport.

Airport Manager Doug Kimmel told her that the airport and Allegiant Air are "very near an agreement" to provide air service from Marion to such vacation destinations as Orlando and Las Vegas.

Allegiant specializes in flights two or three times a week from smaller markets to major vacation destinations. They currently fly out of MidAmerica Airport on I-64 near Mascoutah.

"We do believe there is an opportunity in this market for our brand of non-stop, low-cost jet service to vacation destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando," [Allegiant Air Spokesperson Tyri] Squyres said. "We generally start (flights) at two to four times a week — keep the seats full and that ensures we can keep our fares low."

Unlike the smaller planes used in the flights to Chicago (and soon again St. Louis), Allegiant's planes can carry 150 passengers.

The possible deal with Allegiant puts pressure on the airport now to replace its out-dated and soon to be too small terminal which is around 30 years old.

The Federal Aviation Authority awarded the airport a $1 million grant last month for three projects, one of which would pay for a terminal design study.

As to the grounded St. Louis service, no word yet when flights will resume.