Thursday, October 11, 2012

Random Facts About Illinois

Well, I’m back in Illinois! Harvest is underway, the trees are red, orange, and yellow, and the weather is finally cooling down (maybe a little too fast). Knowing I’ll be here for the next year while I further my education at Illinois State University, I plan to explore parts of Illinois I didn’t get to see as a kid.

Here are a few fun facts you might not know about my home state:

  • Metropolis, Illinois is Superman’s hometown and was declared such by both DC Comics and the Illinois State Legislature

  • Square Dancing is the state dance and frequently taught in PE.

  • Sufjan Stevens dedicated an entire album to the state: Come On! Feel the Illinoise!
(It’s catchy and historical!)

  • Rock Island hosted a nasty prison camp during the Civil War - 17% of the detainees died. The entire prison was destroyed after the war.

  • Illinois hosts 6 professional sports teams: Chicago Bears,Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Fire.

  • Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site was home to the most sophisticated prehistoric society north of Mexico.

  • The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick’s Day

With so much to see, I’m pretty sure this is going to be a good year!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

AAAAANNNNNDDDD WE'RE BACK!!!


Since I'm unemployed and about to go back to school, I figured now would be an excellent opportunity to start posting again. I have, admittedly, been very neglectful of Away We Go, and the rest of the staff has been incredibly busy. On behalf of my writing staff, I would like to apologize for failing to keep you in the loop with our high jinks. It is with great pleasure that we re-launch our blog!

To all of you who continued to check up – Thank you so much! We're thrilled to be back. Thank you for your patience! We will begin regular posts on Thursday.

Sincerely,
Jaimie Gleissner