A few things have changed since the last time I was in Dixon, Illinois, the boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan.
First the good news: Last August a new Ronald Reagan statue was unveiled at Riverfront Plaza, near where the Gipper was a lifeguard--he saved 77 lives. The 40th president is looking up Hennepin Avenue, where the family home, his church, grade school, and libary are. It's a significant improvement over the statue next to the Reagan house, the Great Communicator holding kernels of corn in hand just doesn't fit.
February 6, 2011 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Reagan, who was born in nearby Tampico--he's the only president who was born in Illinois.
Oh, I said there was bad news--it involves one of those Obama stimulus "campaign signs." Look for that post tomorrow.
Related posts:
Midwestern Presidential Pathway: Tampico, Ronald Reagan's birthplace
Midwestern Presidential Pathway: Dixon, a shining city upon a hill
Midwestern Presidential Pathway: Ronald Reagan's Dixon, Illinois
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4 comments:
My aunt and uncle live at Rochelle, IL, and they took us to see the Ronald Reagan house when we visited them. They are staunchly Democrat -- pay that no mind. It's always handy to have a Presidential shrine nearby. We take all our visitors to see the Jefferson Davis monument and birthplace, not far from our home.
I've only been to the Lincoln birthplace in Kentucky.
The statue at the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home does fit, and was important to the man who paid for the statue. Reagan loved Dixon, and as a farming community, corn is an important resource for the community
Also, the new Reagan Statue at Heritage Crossing is no where near where he was a life guard and saved 77 lives. He was a life guard at Lowell park, about 2 miles from Heritage Crossing.
I wouldn't quibble over 2 miles, as it is still near Lowell Park, relatively speaking! In any case, BOTH statues are great and I am sure Ronald Reagan would be proud of both.
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