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The
workshop will provide insights from experienced B & B
operators and patrons, along with information about
zoning, health department regulations, business plans,
financing and marketing techniques. A $10 registration fee
will cover the cost of materials and breakfast. Anyone
interested may call the Chamber at 735-2385 for more
information.
Representatives
of several area organizations said they believe the
Lincoln area offers opportunities for those wanting to
start such a home-based business.
"Currently,
Logan County does not have a ‘home-style’ place to
stay," says Bobbi Abbott, Chamber director. She says
that more and more travelers are looking for such
accommodations for both weekend getaways and business
trips. They find the advantages of staying at a B & B
include the opportunity to mingle with other guests and to
learn more about the area from their hosts, along with
less traffic congestion, more amenities and sometimes
lower rates than traditional accommodations.
"I
get calls from all over from people wanting to know if
there is a B & B here," says Thressia Usherwood,
executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Tourist Bureau
of Logan County. "I think B & B’s could become
very successful here. People love them."
Usherwood
thinks that as the Looking for Lincoln project gains
momentum, more and more tourists will be coming into the
area. The Looking for Lincoln project, funded by a state
of Illinois Heritage Tourism grant, will identify
important Lincoln sites and publish a guidebook so that
tourists can follow a "trail" of places
important in the history of our 16th president.
"There
is a wealth of Abraham Lincoln history here,"
Usherwood said. Sites in Logan County that will be listed
in the guidebook include the Postville Courthouse, the
Mount Pulaski Courthouse and the Lincoln College Museum of
Lincoln memorabilia. She also noted that Lincoln is a
popular stop for the Illinois Route 66 Association, which
will be holding its Hall of Fame banquet here this year.
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According
to Abbott, studies show that B & B patrons often spend
more time and money in the community than those who stop
in off-the-highway motels. She notes that unique
restaurants, antique malls and specialty shops are of
particular interest to people who stay in B & B’s.
"We have many small, local businesses that can
benefit from B & B tourism. The Chamber and Main
Street will help market our local businesses to these
patrons."
Wendy
Bell, Main Street Lincoln program manager, also supports
the workshop. "There are marketing opportunities
through Amtrak and Main Street that do not exist in other
areas. A bed and breakfast would complete the package of
good food, interesting shops, and a unique place to
stay."
The
March 30 workshop is designed to offer "information
and inspiration," Abbott said. "There is
absolutely no obligation. We’re hoping this forum will
appeal to anyone with a curious to a serious interest in
this type of home-based business.
"We
presently have two persons with serious interest. We’d
like to attract a few more. Clusters of bed and breakfasts
tend to draw more tourists than a single offering,"
Abbot continued.
"The
operators will eventually be able to put together
attractive packages featuring unique travel experiences—riding
the train, bicycling, or driving Route 66," she said.
[Joan
Crabb]
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A
not so sweet fruit
[MARCH
9, 2000]
The
brown fruit of the sweet gum tree is creating problems for
local homeowners. The
sweet gum tree is a tall, stately tree that grows
throughout most of the United States, with Central
Illinois being at the northernmost perimeter of its
region. Its
fruit is a brownish spiny ball that remains on the tree
throughout the winter.
This fruit plugs up drains, continuously litters
yards and is a big nuisance, says Don Osborne, street
superintendent of Lincoln.
“The city’s policy has been not to remove trees
unless they are dead, diseased, dying or dangerous,” he
continued.
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There
is no chemical control currently labeled in Illinois for
preventing the formation of sweet gum balls. There are a
few compounds available that will cause some abortion but
it is costly, hard to apply and again not registered for
use in Illinois. For those residents who are adamant about
removing their sweet gum tree, there may be a remedy.
An
Illinois group of old-house enthusiasts says the only
control to prevent sweet gum balls from forming is a chain
saw used at ground level. The city of Lincoln may now
agree. Osborne mentioned, "We don’t want to get to
the point where residents are just removing trees."
But due to the number of complaints received from
residents with sweet gum trees on their property, the city’s
forestry committee has made a recommendation to the city
council to try to alleviate this problem for residents.
Osborne
said, "If the recommendation is approved, residents
would have to first obtain a free permit from city hall
and agree to bear the full cost for the tree removal. They
would also have to pledge to replant a tree in the same or
surrounding area. The exception to replanting would be if
the tree would have a negative impact, such as on
utilities, blocking the view at an intersection or some
other legitimate reason for not replanting. The city of
Lincoln has a list of prohibited and acceptable trees that
can be used to replenish the trees that may be cut down.
Tree replacements can be picked from this list such as
oaks, several varieties of maples and others."
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The
sweet gum tree produces a gummy compound called stroax
that is used in making perfumes, adhesives and salves.
Sweet gum wood is fairly hard and heavy. It is often used
to make veneer, cabinets, boats, toys, boxes, fuel and
other products. The leaves are star-shaped, with a
pleasant fragrance when crushed. The bark is deeply
furrowed into narrow scaly ridges; hence another common
name, the alligator tree.
The
sweet gum tree is a common broadleaf tree, a good shade
tree, and amongst the most brilliant in autumn. Native
Americans and early pioneers chewed the hardened clumps of
sap that exuded from the bark of the tree when cut. They
used it for medicinal purposes, as chewing gum and with
some tree varieties as a breath freshener.
Local
lore says a Lincoln naturalist who obtained the trees as
seedlings brought the sweet gum trees to Lincoln in the
early to late 1960s. He then gave them to the city of
Lincoln to plant.
[Kym
Ammons-Scott]
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