in this issue: April / May 2020
features
Let’s Go Exploring
It’s the perfect time of year to get up and get going, so be prepared to try something new this spring. We did the research to help you gear up for adventure, learn the ropes and have fun in the process. Enjoy!
cover illustration by Shani Goss
Stand Up Summer
The opening of Splash Cove, Overlook Adventure Park’s newest family feature, will have visitors swimming through summer with unique elements, including the first stand-up slide of its kind in the U.S.
The Other Brickyard
Built in 1946 on the site of an old brick factory in Macon, Illinois, Macon Speedway celebrates 75 years of racing action this season on an oval dirt track with a storied history.
Lure of Fishing
Don’t let the unassuming facade fool you — Mike’s Tackle World, run by Joanna Lowe, is packed with wall to wall, floor to ceiling fishing gear that’s sought after by customers from across the country.
Axe Throwing
Contributor Zach Shields joins some friends to explore the supposedly fun activity of drinking beer and throwing axes in Decatur.
columns
business
Beyond the Gates
Greenwood Cemetery’s history includes rumored hauntings, but the rolling hills and 63,000-plus graves also serve as the final resting place for the Native Americans, early settlers, Civil War soldiers and many Decatur icons.
Journey of Joy
It started with a man making candles in the small kitchen of his Decatur home and grew to over 6,600 square feet of manufacturing and retail space in downtown Arthur, Illinois. We follow his road to success.
arts & entertainment
Served with Rainbow Sprinkles
Inspired by a birthday wish, a favorite soft serve dessert from long ago was brought back to Decatur in 2013 and is now a featured concession at Overlook Adventure Park.
Pedal Power
Former paramedic Jason Gross turned his love of old bicycles into art by creating upcycled, one-of-a-kind custom pieces that have taken his life in a whole new direction.
travel
Shaken Up
When January earthquakes rocked Puerto Rico, it wasn’t just locals who experienced the tremors. Decatur’s Olga MacLean offers an eyewitness account of the 6.4 quake that sent people running into the streets.
Hooked on Bass
Bass fishing is experiencing an increase in competitive high-school programs statewide. Members from Warrensburg-Latham and St. Teresa high school teams share insights into what has them hooked.
home
Deadwood Sculptor
A dead tree doesn’t have to leave homeowners stumped about who to call for its removal. An alternative option: chainsaw artists who can give any size tree trunk a beautiful new purpose.
She’s a Brick House
It’s not just fashion and hairdos that go out of style. DIY-ers Laurie and Butch Burnett transformed the exterior of their 1970s brick home using limewash, a cost-effective and modern technique.
departments
CONTRIBUTORS*
HERE & THERE*
PARTY PIX*
CALENDAR OF EVENTS*
CHARITY DATEBOOK*
DINING OUT*
ONLY IN DECATUR*
*Available Online
