McLean County and Central Illinois are gearing up for America 250 with a bunch of events, everything from a community drone show on July 2 to readings of the Declaration of Independence at Connie Link Amphitheater in Normal and in Downtown Bloomington. It's not the first national anniversary involving a big celebration. Let’s go back 50 years to hear what they did for the nation’s Bicentennial.
“Months of planning by many people paid off handsomely Sunday afternoon and evening when “The Sound of America” billed as a star-spangled tribute to American music was presented on the stage of the Illinois State University Union Auditorium.” – The Pantagraph May 17, 1976
This time around, saying “America 250” is easier than floundering through the obscure and formal "Semiquincentennial."
In both cases the nation marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the foundational phrase, “All men are created equal.”
The Bicentennial came after a tumultuous period. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated in 1968. The Vietnam War had engulfed the country. The Kent State massacre was followed by the Nixon presidency and the Watergate scandal, the energy crisis and the oil embargo.
“There was kind of a general feeling in the nation in the mid-1970s that the United States had lost its mojo, that the morale of the nation was somewhat deflated and people were looking toward this 200th birthday party to kind of recapture the energy and the vim and the vigor of the American spirit,” said Bill Kemp, Librarian, McLean County Museum of History.
Spring
In McLean County the big week of the Bicentennial was actually in the first half of May. A Bicentennial parade went south from then Normal Community High School, now Kingsley Junior High, south to Franklin Park in Bloomington. A long-running art show at several venues had works based on county historic sites.
“What also was part of local Bicentennial activities was the laying of the cornerstone for the fifth courthouse in McLean County's history. We know that, of course, as the McLean County Law and Justice Center, which remains the county's courthouse,” said Kemp.
The center did not become a working courthouse until 1977.
V.L. “Bud” Fairfield, a social science teacher at Bloomington High School, organized a student-led campaign to raise money for a statue to the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. ISU art professor Keith Knoblach got the commission. His statue of Lincoln, called “A. Lincoln — Circuit Rider” was dedicated in 1977. That’s in the Law and Justice Center today.
"Wasn’t the Bicentennial great? Wasn’t it just great? I’m sure your town and my town celebrated in similar ways. A few early morning firecrackers woke us and web began our day. Men gathered lawn chairs. Women packed picnic baskets and we headed for the city park.
There we found our places around the bandstand, settled down for church services. Above, “Old Glory” waved across a pure blue sky- just like in all the photographs." - Helen Smith writing a letter to the Pantagraph July 14, 1976.
Eastland Mall was in its golden age during the American Bicentennial.
“In many ways, Eastland Mall was kind of the main street for the community, so you had all sorts of activities going on there, from cake sales to fundraisers, a grade school art exhibit. You had square dancing exhibitions. You had a Bicentennial van and a Bicentennial police car on display,” said Kemp.
The McLean County Riding Club staged a horse show at the county fairgrounds, then located off Veterans Parkway and state Route 9.
Probably the largest scale event was a two-hour musical production called The Sound of America, held at the Illinois State University Union Auditorium, now Braden Auditorium. It included about 200 local and area musicians, singers and dancers. There were two performances on Sunday, May 16, 1976.
"Babies cried. A motorcycle roared in the distance. We felt special joy in the perfect weather and in being together – all faiths, all ages. Wasn’t the scene about the same in your town?" - Helen Smith July 14, 1976.
“The scale of this was something I would find hard to believe we could pull off today. You had a full pit band, you had the Singing Y-ers, a boy’s chorus sponsored by the Bloomington YMCA. You had the Union Baptist Ensemble choir from Bloomington, a Wesleyan dance troupe, the big local barbershop contingent, the Sweet Adelines, the Chaunce Conklin Theater Group and who knows what all,” said Kemp.
The program followed the course of American music from 1776 onward. The capstone was We Shall Overcome, sung by Joe Dowell, the only McLean County resident to score a hot 100 Billboard No. 1 hit. Dowell did that in 1961 with Wooden Heart in 1961.
Summer
When the actual Independence Day holiday rolled around many communities in the county staged activities. Carlock buried a time capsule. Stanford put on a pageant. Heyworth had go-cart races. Towanda had a flower show.
“Normal dedicated its new city hall, which is now the old city hall,” said Kemp.
Danvers had an ice cream social and band concert. [They still do that every year in Danvers.] And the Miller Park fireworks happened in Bloomington as it does today.
Kitsch
“I suppose we were all a bit tired of Shell’s historic moments, 1776 bargain sales and bicentennial commemoratives vying for our money, but when the smoke from the last skyrocket drifted across the ball diamond and the last tired baby was bundled off to bed, and Walter Cronkite said, “And that’s how it was July 4th, 1976,” weren’t you happy that you lived in America? I was.” – Helen Smith July 14, 1976.
“What are people also doing during the American Bicentennial? Well, they're collecting a lot of things. We're Americans, after all. We like to collect things. We're a consumerist culture economy, right?” said Kemp.
The Knight family of Normal donated a Bicentennial collection of memorabilia to the Museum of History a couple years ago.
“You get a Community Players program. They staged the musical 1776. That makes sense…You'll find the Bloomington-Normal phone book from 1976 which, of course, is going to feature the American flag on the cover. Revolutionary War placemats from Bob Johnson's Brandtville Restaurant, which was an iconic local eatery on Route 150 and the Route 66 Beltline. [Veterans Parkway.] There's a bicentennial comic book distributed by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.”
Kemp said one of the more interesting items is the Rules of the Road booklet published by the Secretary of State. That year, Michael J. Howlett held that office. Howlett was a Chicago politician who was the first Democrat elected to a statewide office four consecutive times. Howlett lost an election for governor to Republican Jim Thompson later that year.
Rules of the Road is still published every year so young drivers can learn.
“But who's on the cover [in 1976]? None other than 11-year-old Kelly Jordan of Normal, Illinois,” said Kemp. “She had the winning design for the Illinois State Bicentennial license plate.”
