By Dan Dauw
Geneseo Current
Living Lands & Waters “Barge Party”
This is one big and fun event! Lorna and I have volunteered at the “BP” several times and it is nice meeting all the friendly people. Right now, I do not have all the particulars, but mark the date on your calendar. It will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at the Beacon Harbor Visitor Center, 101 Beacon Harbor Pkwy, East Moline, IL, 61244. Parking w/shuttle will be at the John Deere Harvester Works (follow signs). Unfortunately for me, I will be in Canada on a fishing trip. Ha! It’s tough, but someone has to do it. There will be a really nice dinner and entertainment included in the price of the ticket.
Lorna and her sister, Elneta, will be working the name tag tent. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time. I will have a reminder as we get closer to the event.
Passport to Local Adventures
There are 7 local museums that are participating in the “2024 Museum Hop, A Guide to Area Museums.” Here is how it works. If you visit any of the following listed museums and get your museum passport stamped (At least 3 different museums), you will qualify for a $100.00 drawing held on Sept 15, 2024.
The participating museums are:
Henry County Historical Society/Museum.
Mercer County Historical Society/Essey-Noble Museum.
Neponset Historical Society/Museum.
Princeville Heritage Museum.
Sheffield Historical Society/Museum.
Stark County, IL, Historical Society/Museum.
Warren County Historical Society/Museum.
Please mail the stamped page(s) of at least 3 different museums you visited and postmarked by September 1, 2024, you will qualify for the drawing.
Send to: Stark County, IL, Historical Society, PO Box 524, Toulon, IL 61483.
What is also nice is the handy little passport contains some information about each museum plus location and hours the museums are open. Donations are always welcomed. So, if you love history, antiques and learning about the wonders of our part of Illinois, come visit our museums.
Fen
The dictionary describes a Fen as an area of low, flat, marshy land, swamp; bog. Well, it is quite a bit more than that. It is very “rare!” Terry Brock, Cambridge, IL, is “the” authority on Fens. At the March meeting of the Geneseo Izaak Walton Club meeting, Terry gave an excellent presentation on the Fen.
The most interesting part of all this is that there is a Fen just east at the Ikes Park. At one time it covered a great deal more extending to Route 82, perhaps more. The Geneseo Ike’s Fen is a very wet place. It is at least over 6 feet deep.
It is a mixture of organic peat and sandy soil that is saturated with calcium rich surface and groundwater seeping from the base of the wooded sandy slope just above it. The Fen has ecological significance due to its contribution to plant diversity, water quality and wildlife/fish habitats. In Illinois, less than 1% of original marsh and Fen wetlands remain. Actually, there are very few places in our country that harbors such a unique place. There is so much more to tell about the local Fen, but space does not allow it. The Geneseo Izaak Walton League is going to “step up to the plate” and do some work on the path leading to the Fen.
24 – 40 Good Fish’n
Three weeks ago, on a Tuesday morning, Gary Dahlquist and I spent the morning fishing for crappies. We fished from shore on a private lake in Henry County. We each caught 18 crappies and I got one bass. Now we did not expect that same good luck on Tuesday, March 12. While the temperature was nice, the strong winds made us wonder if we made the correct decision.
Oh, yes! We made the right call that morning. We fished from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Gary caught 40 nice crappies and I got 24 including a bass. Gary caught a 3 lb. bass and a minute later he hooked on to an even bigger one, but it slipped off as he was bringing it to shore. I sure never thought we would catch much because of the 20 knot waves rolling over the lake. Who can figure?!
Silly Humor
Lorna and I call each other at least five times a day. It’s not as romantic as it sounds. She calls me so I can find my phone, and I call her so she can find hers.
Airplanes seem to be taking hits these days. On my last flight the pilot announced, “We’ll be on the ground in 15 minutes. Anyone needing to get off before that, talk to a flight attendant.”
On that same flight one of the flight attendants said over the intercom, “We’ll be on the ground in 10 minutes. Sooner if you all lean forward.”
Quote of the Week
“That is a good book which is opened with expectation, and closed with delight.” - Amos Bronson Alcott