Illinois is known as the “Land of Lincoln.” Abraham Lincoln gave a speech here in Peoria on October 16, 1854 that has been noted historically as the turning point of his anti-slavery campaign and of his political career.
I thought it only fitting to turn our Friday focus on Abraham Lincoln and feature him in a series of three posts below. Enjoy the Lincoln trifecta!
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Lincoln At The Peoria County Courthouse
On October 11, 2018 a large scale Abraham Lincoln mural was installed on the outer back wall of the Peoria County Courthouse. It was a project initiated by the Big Picture team and created by local artist, Doug Leunig. The title was “Abraham Blue.”
The image was celebrated the previously mentioned Peoria Lincoln speech and it was tinted blue to help people recognize Lincoln’s life-long struggle with depression. You can see the installation and read about it by clicking here.
Last October they took the original down and installed a new version titled, “Abraham Blue 2023.” Here’s a shot of it and the courthouse from the driver’s seat of the MBIP Mobile.
Let’s get out and take a closer look.
Here’s two shots from the courthouse square. What a cool piece of art and you can scan something at the library with your phone and he talks to you or something…but I didn’t want to do that.
You can read about both Lincoln art and installations by clicking on this link.
Fantastic work by the Big Picture and Doug Leunig!
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Giant Lincoln Invades Peoria And He’s Royally Pissed Off!
In September of 2017, a giant Lincoln and Perry Como invaded downtown Peoria. I was lucky to be there armed with the trusty MBIP Camera and was able to record this unbelievable moment in Peoria history!
The giant Lincoln has a tight grip on Perry Como...
And he appears to be very angry and more than a little perturbed. Look how red he is in the face! And Perry Como understandably looks very nervous.
Oh no, Giant Lincoln looks like he’s going to hit Perry Como over the head with his huge stovepipe hat. That thing must weigh over 100 pounds and it could crush Como’s skull. Let’s hope giant Lincoln is just trying to scare giant Perry Como. I’d hate to see things get violent here!
Giant Perry Como looks very shaken and scared! The blood has drained from his face and he’s even whiter than he was in the ‘70’s!
All of a sudden, Lincoln strikes!
Giant Lincoln has ka-bonged giant Perry Como over the head with his 100 pound stovepipe hat. Ouch, that had to hurt!
This is horrific! Giant Lincoln has killed giant Perry Como and he’s showing no remorse. Instead he looks thirsty for more blood, mayhem and death!
I did what anyone would do in this situation…I went to lunch!
You can read the original blog, with special guest star, Carl, in all its 2017 glory and entirety by clicking here.
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What Would Lincoln Do?
You’re in a tight jam, a problem has risen and you think to yourself…”Hmmm…what would Lincoln do?”
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A Burglary
You’re at home enjoying a nice dinner when all of a sudden out of the blue, three masked burglars with shotguns burst in and demand all of your money and valuables.
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What Would Lincoln Do?
He’d glance up from dinner, look the burglars right in the eyes and forcefully say, “Hey, I’m Lincoln! You don’t seriously think you’re going to rob me do you?”
The burglars think for a few seconds and then realize that it would be a huge mistake to rob Lincoln. They leave and Lincoln goes back to enjoying his baked mutton chop and biscuit dinner.
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A Flat Tire
You have a very bad back condition and you’re driving to the hospital in your car and all of a sudden your left front tire blows out. You pull over but there’s no way you can change the tire with the condition your back is in. Suddenly, out of the blue, a group of unruly drunken teenagers pull over and get out of their car. But they just mock you, shout out drunken insults and refuse to change the tire.
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What Would Lincoln Do?
He’d shake his head at the teenagers in disbelief and then loudly declare, “Hey, this is Lincoln speaking! Now get over here and change my tire so I can get to the hospital and get some painkillers. And speaking of painkillers, give me one of those beers!”
The teenagers quickly give Lincoln a beer and then proceed to change his tire like they were a pit crew at the Indianapolis 500.
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Needing NyQuil
You wake up with a horrific head cold. All you want to do is guzzle some NyQuil and go back to sleep, but you’re all out of NyQuil. So you get up and go to the Walgreens in Pioneer Park, but you can’t find any NyQuil. When you ask the store manager, he tells you it’s on back order and you’re out of luck.
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What Would Lincoln Do?
He’d scowl at the manager and then in loud and angry tones say, “Look, you’re dealing with Lincoln here! Get me some NyQuil, right now!”
The manager sends a clerk to the CVS Pharmacy on Big Hollow Road to buy a bottle of NyQuil and then he gives it to Lincoln free of charge.
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Asian Massage Parlor
You go to an Asian massage parlor and the the woman who greets you tells you that it’ll be two hundred dollars for a nude massage with a “happy ending.”
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What Would Lincoln Do?
He’d scoff and demandingly say to the Asian woman, “Hey, that price is a little steep, you do know that you’re dealing with Lincoln here, don’t you?”
The Asian woman flatly says to him, “You pay two hundred dollars. I don’t care if you are Lincoln. You’ll have a good time and a happy ending. Well worth the money, you’ll see.”
Lincoln shrugs and pays the two hundred dollars. The Asian woman gives him his massage and stimulates the Lincoln Log. And I’m thrilled to finish this story off with a happy ending!
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Related Post: The Friday Focal Point: Hamburger Helper.