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MLS soccer in Collinsville-"We're really really close"

Fox 2 News has a video update on the future of MLS soccer in St. Louis/Collinsville during an interview with owner Jeff Cooper.  It appears as though Cooper is more than optimistic about the chances of this area being awarded a team, as he concluded in the video, "We're close, we're really really close."

What's interesting in this video from Fox 2 is the background scenery.  Take a quick look at the progress of this season's corn crop, a crop I assume is sweet corn.  It's barely up.  It doesn't appear as though we'll be eating sweet corn from local farms by the fourth of July this year.

The views shown of the St. Louis skyline from the spot of the planned stadium are very striking.  I watched this video several times just to take in the local surroundings.  There's an odd bit ahead of the Collinsville report on "what New Yorkers think" and it goes away very quickly.

E-waste collection a big success

The E-waste recycling effort in Collinsville today was a big success from all accounts.  I dropped by with one of those old computer monitors, the beige kind made before the flat screens came into being.  Everyone working the event seemed to think it was a huge success. 

There were two huge tractor trailer containers, both close to being crammed with drop off stuff.

There was only one way into the the library parking lot, the police department D.A.R.E. car made sure of that.

I guess library patrons all parked on the street today unless they closed for this event.  Which doesn't seem likely.

The people working the e-waste recycling day included members of the Sierra Club, Rotary, City of Collinsville, and some of the police explorers.

E-waste collection reminder

Saturday from 9 to 4 on the parking lot of the Library, Collinsville will be having its e-waste collection. 

You have a couple of days to round up all that stuff.

Southern Illinois Songwriters Festival

Tomorrow on Main St. in Collinsville, events beginning at 2 and continuing through the evening. 

26 musicians and bands, some from Chicago and Nashville will use 10 stages, 3 outside and 7 in local businesses like Hurricane's, Friday's, Jacques, Johnny's Sidebar, Fifth Quarter (?) and The Local Pub. 

Festival wristbands will cost $5 and will allow entry to all events.

Horseradish Fest 2008-images

The annual Collinsville Horseradish Fest is now history.  Two days of mid-ninety degree weather, but with a stiff breeze which made it bearable.  The horseradish capital of the world celebrated.

What comes to mind when you think of horseradish?

Yep.  A steady business here.

I worked in the Collinsville Progress/Chamber of Commerce beer, soda, water stand which was right next to the main stage which featured various bands all day long.  There was a lot of "Excuse me, what did you say you wanted?" kind of questions to customers because the music was very loud.

There was a root golf competition.

The idea is to drive the knob end of a horseradish root as far as possible.  Straight, you don't have to be.

There was also a car show today and the entrants were packed into the park.  A popular color for restoring vehicles this year is green.

Everyone's going green it seems.  But red us still very popular.

And for some reason, orange made a good showing as well.

zoom zoom

But this guy was really crazy.

I mean, for Pete's sake it was 95 degrees and he was tootling around the park, in the sun, all afternoon dressed in a very stifling bear outfit.  But always with a smile.

Horseradish Fest 2008

Tomorrow and Sunday Collinsville will be the site of its annual Horseradish Fest in Woodland Park.  Festivities begin at 10 on Saturday and end at 10.  On Sunday things begin at 11 and close around 6 or 7.

There will be camera crews from several entities filming the events and the people all weekend.

After hours on Main Street

The Collinsville Chamber of Commerce's monthly Business After Hours took place uptown on Main St. tonight.  For $5 each person was able to sample food or drink items from several downtown establishments.  The starting point was Hurricane's where they served small Bloody Mary's which were packed with heat and spice. 

This was the place everyone paid their five bucks and received a name tag.

Then it was on to Jacque's at the Bank where they served hors d'oeuvres and a variety of coffees.

The coffee was good and the cool indoor temperature felt really good in there after the heat on the sidewalk.

On to Friday's where they served us really good pizza.  Friday's really packs the place, it would have been crowded even without all of us from the Chamber.

Mayor John Miller on the right, talks with Kai Redman in the center who I remember from his days as a student at Holy Cross Lutheran School. 

Then it was across the street to Johnny's Sidecar wine bar.  This is a very sleek kind place which specializes in wine, but also has beer and some mixed drinks.  No food for sale, but anyone is welcome to order food from Friday's across the way and bring it in to Johnny's.

It was in Johnny's where I finally got a picture of the downtown economic director, Melissa Leavy. 

Melissa is on the left along with Brandon from the Chamber office and Pat and Donna from Collinsville Progress.

Johnny's also has a very neat wall mural which is a great backdrop for photos.

Jim and Carol Walters whose two children ran Kahok cross country and track with our daughter.

Pat is the proof that Johnny's makes a mean Manhattan Martini.

The night ended with dessert at the Oatman House.

All in all, a lot of entertainment for 5 dollars.

Collinsville E-Waste collection

The long awaited collection of electronic equipment will be held on the parking lot of the Collinsville library on June 21st from 9-4.

They will take anything with a circuit board, plug, motor or battery.

There will be a fee for the following:
Televisions  $15
Computer monitors  $10
Large appliances    $5

No freon containing appliances or hazardous waste.

The boy scouts will remove hard drives for $3.

Kahoks baseball and the Super-Sectional

The Collinsville Kahoks baseball team played their way all the way to the state final 8 and into yesterday's Super-Sectional game in Champaign.  Alas.  They lost 5-0 to Naperville Neuqua Valley.  Congratulations to the team for a great season, filled with many memorable moments, some of which are highlighted by a photo gallery on the Journal web site.

When I saw they would be playing Naperville, my heart sunk.  Who won the boys state cross country championship?  Naperville Neuqua Valley.  Who took third at the boys state volley ball championships?  Naperville Neuqua Valley.  Won won the class 8A football state championship?  Naperville North.  Second place in state Water Polo?  Naperville Central.  Not Neuqua Valley, but still.  Who took second place at the state soccer championships?  Naperville Neuqua Valley.  Who took first place in the state swimming and diving championships?  Yes, they did. 

But here's an interesting point on the Super-Sectional baseball games.  Collinsville was the only team in the final 8 not from the Chicago suburbs.  The Kahoks, in effect, were the only team left to represent the entire state other than the Chicago suburbs.  This is quite the feat, but troubling on one level.  How can Collinsville, way down state near St. Louis, be in the same sectional as Naperville, a western suburb of Chicago?

Everyone should be proud of the Kahoks and their success.  Well done.

Pat Gauen, the name pops up

During a lunchtime conversation last week, local metro east/Collinsville/Highland Post Dispatch reporter, Pat Gauen's name came up.  His name reminded me that I hadn't noticed his byline in the paper for some time and wondered if he'd retired or taken a buy out or some such.  But as often happens in things like this, I stumbled on Gauen's byline in the P-D today as he gave answers to a quiz on past local events he must have published last week.  So he is still around.

A couple questions caught my eye.

Fairmount Park in Collinsville is the only horse racing track in the region.  Why did it close for a while in the mid-70's?  Answer:  The grandstand burned to the ground.   I didn't know that and have never heard any conversation about it.

A developer planning to build homes on a tract near Caseyville filed a federal lawsuit last year against the previous owner, alleging a failure to disclose the presence of 159,000 tons of what?  Answer:  Manure from Fairmount Park and some farms.  This strikes me funny, farmers have laid their livestock manure on their fields forever.  Why would it be a surprise?

What star of the silent screen was from East St. Louis?  Answer:  Lillian Gish.  Was she the "it girl"?  No, that was Clara Bow.