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Still Waters,
the
em space, Where They Stand,
By
the Numbers,
How We Stack Up,
What's
Up With That?
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Promote
the real Route 66
By
Mike Fak
[JULY
12, 2001] I
really liked the question. A viewer on the show wanted to talk about
Route 66. The gentleman asked why Route 66 isn’t the real Route 66
anymore. Not being a native, I was unaware that the real route
actually went through the heart of Lincoln and not around the
beltline as the signs now direct.
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The
question was simple. In the event we are trying to promote tourism,
why don’t we want the nostalgia buffs associated with journeys along
the historic road to go right through town? Secondary thoughts such
as, "Wouldn’t this cause travelers to use our gas stations,
restaurants and other businesses?" immediately came into the
conversation. The caller has a good question. Why don’t we promote
the old Route 66?
The
history of the famous road is not as easy to determine as one would
think. More than 7,000 websites are directed to an inquirer about the
old highway. Many of them are in foreign languages, including Thai,
showing an investigator there is a world interest in this concrete
slab of Americana. A great many of the sites, unfortunately, are
commercial. "Buy this souvenir or that trinket" fills the
Web. Maps on the highway — to be kind, in my words — are poor at
best. Descriptions of the highway’s incredible number of nuances as
it snaked its way across the country are lacking in sufficient detail.
It has been a chore to find what I have, but allow me to share my
initial research with you.
The
original road was 2,448 miles and stretched from downtown Chicago to
Santa Monica, Calif. Crossing eight states and three time zones, this
early 20th century roadway wasn’t completely paved until
1937. Commissioned as a highway in 1926, the route used as many
existing portions of road as possible to link Illinois with
California. It is this meld of old and new that has given Route 66 its
legend. With twists and turns that make no sense except to a 1920s
federal road commissioner, the highway wriggles its way westward like
a drunken sailor.
It
is this nuance that gives the route its charm and attracts the lasting
fondness of nostalgia buffs. Unlike the highways of today, which speed
through or around the cities in this country, Route 66 caused
motorists to actually visit the towns on the way to Santa Monica.
[to top of second
column in this commentary]
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It
seems that in the 1950s, as America began its courtship with haste and
as Eisenhower’s national highway program went into full gear, routes
such as I-55, I-40, I-15 and I-10 were melded into the old route. This
left parts of the original highway, as well as the towns it dissected,
out of the nation’s travel itinerary.
In
fact, one of the route’s primary websites admits that there are
still stretches of the original Route 66 waiting to be discovered.
Talking
to Lincoln residents, I find that it seems we are still aware in this
area of the original road. Coming into town on the north end, by
Kickapoo Street, the road jaunted west on Keokuk until heading
southwest by following Fifth Street until it reached Washington
Street. A left turn snaked the road through the cemeteries and back
out to the service road headed to Broadwell.
This
makes it obvious to an observer like myself that a great deal of our
community and its businesses could become part of the itinerary of
travelers looking to relive a part of America’s traveling habits.
The fact that the original road went past Postville Courthouse as well
as the soon-to-be-refurbished historic well across the street begs us
to ask why Lincoln can’t get at least our part of the historic road
on the maps of perhaps millions of nostalgia buffs.
It
wouldn’t take a lot of time or money. Just a few interested citizens
and a set of road signs are all that is needed. I will be happy to
tell the world on the Web that Lincoln has the original road available
for their travels through our area. In an electronic moment, 7,000
websites and millions of history buffs will know about us.
Isn’t
technology amazing? Perhaps that’s why things such as an old,
meandering, time-consuming highway are becoming lost. Things are
getting easier and quicker, including car travel. I’m not convinced
that they are getting better.
[Mike Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak's commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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Statue
thoughts
Are we
ready to swallow our pride?
By
Mike Fak
[JULY
6, 2001] Bear
with me for a moment. I want to tell you a little story and then tie
it in with a point I am trying to make. At least that is my plan as
I bang on the keys.
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Three
decades ago, Walt Disney stood before the administrations of Orlando,
Fla., and the surrounding counties. He proposed to take several
thousand acres of unwanted property and turn them into what is now
Disney World, Epcot Center, MGM Studios, et al.
Now
if people care to delve into history, they will find that Walt wasn’t
the kind-hearted sweetheart he portrayed to millions of Americans each
and every Sunday night for two decades. Walt, when it came to
business, was as subtle as Vito Corleone was in "The
Godfather."
During
those meetings with officials, Disney promised to put the entire area
on the world map. He promised to make the entire area an economic
boomtown for years to come, with no costs to the taxpayers of the
area. Disney did have a set of stipulations that were tough for local
administrators to swallow. First, Walt wanted a promise to be left
alone. He would handle security, ala a police force. He would have a
fire department. He would even have his own sources of generating the
incredible amounts of electricity needed to run Disney World on a
day-to-day basis. Walt wanted no red tape. He didn’t want inspectors
breathing down his throat as he built thousands of condos and hotel
rooms. In short, Disney promised a gold mine to the area residents,
but he wanted to be, in effect, his own little country.
By
margins as close as 5-4 and 7-6, Walt was allowed to have his way.
What has happened to Orlando and all the towns within a three-hour
drive of the megalopolis is, of course, history.
To
anyone who has visited the area — I have been there twice in the
last five years — it is apparent that a once-docile part of Florida
is now an economic Valhalla replete with low property taxes, ample
jobs and affordable housing.
[to top of second
column in this commentary]
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Now
let me make my point. I believe the talk about building a giant Abe
statue complete with theme park is a great idea. In the event nothing
comes of it, the concept has still been an incredibly positive force
on the beaten-up psyche of the inhabitants of Logan County. Talk of a
major tourist attraction that won’t cost the taxpayers a dime can do
remarkable things for an area just waiting to enter the good times of
economic stardom. In the event something actually can come to pass,
the effects, such as lowering taxes, increasing services and property
actually going up in value like the rest of the state, would be
enormous.
But….
And this is a very large but. To assume, as the committee now seems to
do, that they will be able to maintain control of what will eventually
be created is not being realistic. The committee is saying they want a
corporation to dole out up to $150 million, plus be on the hook for
monthly expenses that will be millions and then not have complete say
in what is to be…. Well, that is pushing the envelope way past
actuality.
The
committee needs to understand that in the event they find a player to
harvest their dreams, the final result will be what the donor decides
and not what they wish. It is the corporation’s money and reputation
on the line, not a group of citizens who are trying their best to help
Logan County grow. It is the wealthy benefactor who will say the
statue is too big or too small. It is this infuser of capital into our
economic blood who will tell us what they will and will not do.
I
hope the committee understands this. Orlando almost didn’t 30 years
ago. Imagine where they would be if they hadn’t swallowed their
pride back then. Everyone in the world could be booking reservations
in Marietta, Ga., right now.
[Mike Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak's commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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The em
space is a staff writer's commentary section with observations about life experiences in Logan County and
beyond.
—
Mary Krallmann
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Life without links?
Links
are much more common than page numbers in my everyday work. It’s routine
to make links, check links and fix the ones that aren’t connected to the
intended places.
The
first few days of this month, several other kinds of links also came to my
attention, some of them on a holiday when I didn’t look at a computer
screen and didn’t visit a golf course either.
The first
connection was at church on a morning when the Genesis record of creation
was emphasized. I’m not sure if the phrase "missing links" was
used, but that’s what came to mind when the sermon referred to long-term
gaps in evolutionary theory.
A couple of
days later, the links in question were not just theoretical, and they were
only a few hundred years old at most. It was the best impromptu
entertainment I’d had in days when I found out about an exhibition and
sale of these links. Since I don’t want to offend the devotees, I should
explain that it was the first thing in the morning and not at all the sort
of material I expected to see just then. The more I read about all
highlights of the event, the funnier it sounded. Until then I hadn’t
heard of collecting cuff
links.
I shouldn’t
have been surprised at the idea, because people collect almost anything. I used to
know of someone at work who collected pencils and attended conventions
with other pencil collectors. If more than one of something exists, they
can be collected.
 Cuff links,
of course, come in pairs, so one function of related organizations is to
locate missing links and match up any singles. People can also get
appraisals and find out whatever the experts know about cuff links.
Since they’re
small, cuff links are easy to store, and they’re made of a variety of
materials in a variety of designs for added interest. Collecting cuff
links is described as affordable and as a hobby for successful people.
A late-night
television screen brought up the next kind of link, the weakest one. I
gathered that a person wouldn’t want to be that kind, unless he or she
enjoys unceremonious dismissal from the game.
A few links
in my jewelry box had long since proved to be the weakest ones, but they
weren’t cuff links, although I did own a pair once by informal
inheritance. I originally bought them myself in downtown Lincoln to
fulfill a gift suggestion. When the sentimental value waned, I gave them
away again, along with the shirt they fit, which didn’t really fit me.
The only links remaining in the jewelry box were in the chains of
necklaces, two of them broken.
 On the
afternoon of the Fourth of July, those inexplicably became my top
priority. Sitting with a pliers in hand, a magnifier nearby but no spare
hand to hold it, and a bright light on the desk in front of me, I intended to put those broken links back together or at least give it a
try. To justify the importance of the job, I had notes from a doctor’s
bulletin board copied on a piece of paper in the desk drawer.
One of the tips for reducing stress and leading a healthier life is to fix
anything broken. Never mind that these chains had been broken for months
and that I had almost discarded the one my aunt brought back from Austria.
Trying to
focus on those tiny metal connections and trying to hold my hands steady
under the light bulb, I felt the perspiration running down my arms and
noticed a big drop of sweat on the glass desktop. Talk about stress. At
least half a dozen broken links later, both necklaces held together. (I
didn’t pull too hard when checking them.)
The money I saved by not buying
a new chain could go toward a set of cuff links of my choice. I already
decided against the $2,200 pair in gold and ruby. I didn’t care for the
appearance. Of course, there is one other fundamental problem. I don’t
have any cuffs that need links.
[Mary
Krallmann]
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Where
They Stand
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Where
They Stand is a commentary section that poses a question about a
specific issue in the community. Informed individuals present their
position with facts, opinions or insights on the issue. The
following commentaries have been printed, unedited, in their
entirety, as they were received. If you have further comment on the
issue, please send an e-mail message, complete with your name,
address and telephone number to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com.
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By
the Numbers
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Population
estimates in Logan County
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| 30,798 |
Total population,
1990 |
| 15,380 |
Rural population -
49.9%, 1990 |
| 15,418 |
Urban population -
50.1%, 1990 |
| 2,875 |
Projected births,
1990-1998 |
| 2,736 |
Projected deaths,
1990-1998 |
| 3,143 |
Persons below poverty
level - 11.8 % |
| 258 |
Average marriages per
year |
| 135 |
Average deaths per
year |
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Alexis Asher
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| Logan
County high schools: 1960-2000 |
| 1962 |
Middletown
High School consolidated with New Holland |
| 1972 |
Atlanta
High School became part of Olympia School District |
| 1975 |
Elkhart
High School consolidated with Mount Pulaski |
| 1979 |
Latham
High School became Warrensburg-Latham |
| 1988 |
New Holland-Middletown
High School consolidated with Lincoln Community High School |
| 1989 |
San
Jose High School consolidated with Illini Central (Mason City) |
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