Normal From Above

This is a YouTube aerial video of Normal, Illinois. Not sure I recognized anything, though. I doubt that someone could fly over this town without (literally) running into a bunch of geese!

Normal Mayor Mingling with the Politiratti

Mayor Koos in a photo with President Obama and a bunch of other mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayors. No gate-crashers at this event, I'm sure!

Normal of the Future: Bamboo Bikes?

New "green" bicycle frames made from bamboo. Will these become popular in Normal??

Normal New Year

A toast to Normal for 2010:

May Uptown continue to take shape and thrive!
May residents be involved in and supportive of town efforts!
May the weather be unexciting!
May crimes and accidents be few!
May town staff and elected leaders continue their dedication and hard work!
May developers respect community values that aren't aimed at making money!
May the trees stay healthy, the squirrels stay alert, and the bicyclists remain upright!
And may all of the students start or continue their education with enthusiasm!

Normal Green Hero

The Governor named Normal Mayor Chris Koos as one of the recipients of the 2009 Environmental Hero Awards. According to the Illinois government website, these awards are "given in recognition of a strong commitment to the health and protection of the environment in Illinois." Also, Normal is listed as an example of "greening" best practices: "The Town of Normal is including cutting-edge environmental standards in the creation of new buildings and other construction uptown. Their approach is to follow the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards for Neighborhood Development."

I'd say that this recognition is another feather in Normal's cap, but that kind of implies that a bird has been harmed. I'll have to think of a more environmentally appropriate way to describe it. In any case, it's a reason for taking pride in our community!

Normal Snow

It's snowing, and snowing, and snowing, and snowing...in Normal. Yes, it's a winter wonderland. And the rabbits can no longer move about unnoticed!

Normal Cinemas Saved

Ok, so I was wrong about housing replacing the University Cinemas. For now, at least, the property will stay as is (sorry, Jeff). As I watched the Council meeting and listened to the discussion about what businesses might locate on that site if it stays B-1, I was thinking about what could go there. A neighborhood hardware store might be nice. Or, of course, it would be a nice new location for the Normal Post Office. Right off of Main St. and enough property for a new facility to be built!! I'm always scouting about for a new, MORE CONVENIENT, location for the Post Office. (The old building has obvious historical value so I'm not suggesting tearing it down. Just move the Postal services to a better location.)

Normal University Cinemas

It appears that housing will be built on the site of the University Cinemas on Main Street. I rarely go to movies but I'd say about half of the movies I've seen since I moved to this area have been at the University Cinemas (the other half were at the Parkway). I prefer the "smaller" theaters over the multiplexes, although they aren't as nice as the old one-screen theaters. It just seems like there's more attention to detail when there is only one screen (plex?) for management to handle.


I sympathize with residents in the Main St. area who are upset about multi-family housing being built there. I hope that things work out better than they expect. Change is about the only constant in the town of Normal, but that doesn't make it easy for those impacted by the change.

Normal Barbee

Just in time for Christmas: Normal Barbee! You’ll enjoy getting Normal Barbee ready for her day at State Farm, dressing her in one of her many corporate outfits. Then, get her to work in her new SUV, remembering to stop at her favorite coffee establishment to get a latté. After work, Normal Barbee passes the time in the local rush hour traffic by chatting with friends and family on her new cell phone. She rushes through yellow-to-red traffic lights, weaving from lane to lane. Uh oh, is that the front end of an NPD car sitting at the entrance to a subdivision? Better help Normal Barbee slow down or her nosy coworkers will see her additional speeding ticket listed on the McLean County Government web site.

When Normal Barbee gets home, she takes time to read the Pantagraph and then gets ready for an evening out at the newest local restaurant. A quick check of the Weather Channel to see if there are any weather emergencies (tornado warning, winter weather advisory, etc.) and then she’s out the door!

You’ll have endless hours of fun with Normal Barbee – getting her through all of the construction zones around town, clipping weekly coupons for her to use at local department stores, and keeping her informed about all of the local special events. You can also watch Normal Barbee go from a Normal newby to an experienced town resident, writing letters of complaint to the Pantagraph, expressing her opinions anonymously on web sites, and letting Town Council members know her concerns about proposed developments. For fun, Normal Barbee can occasionally send humorous items to local columnist Bill Flick.

[Clothes, SUV, coffee cup, cell phone, NPD car, Pantagraph, and TV sold separately.]

Coming soon: Normal Ken – a bespectacled ISU Professor, complete with his own razor for shaving off his thinning hair, his own SUV, and a bottle of blue pills.

Normal Carol Parody

Uptown Normal’s Nearly Complete
(To the tune “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”)

Oh! You better watch out
You better not cry,
You better not pout,
I’m telling you why:
Uptown Normal’s nearly complete!

It’s taken a while,
It’s been a real pain,
But now we can smile
And drive through again.
Uptown Normal’s nearly complete!

The Marriott is open,
The curbs are all in place.
And when you use the Parking Deck,
There’s no scowl upon your face.

But there’s no need to drive,
The Trail’s right there.
So hop on a bike
And get some fresh air.
Uptown Normal’s nearly complete!

The residents come.
The students do, too.
They think it’s awesome,
So shiny and new!
Uptown Normal’s nearly complete!

The landscaping is pretty.
The Traffic Circle’s fun.
And we’ll have a great big party
When this project’s finally done.

So, take time this fall!
There’s no more delay!
Come see what Normal
Looks like today!
Uptown Normal’s nearly complete!

From the past two years:

Uptown Wonderland
(To the tune “Winter Wonderland”)

Detour signs do confound us
While the cranes all surround us.
It’s a chaotic sight
That’s got us uptight
Driving through the Uptown Wonderland.

When you come, you’re a-hopin’
That the street will be open
But parking’s alright
Well, just late at night
Driving through the Uptown Wonderland.

In the morning you can come for breakfast
And enjoy the quiet, there’s no doubt.
But if you leave when too much time has passed
Beer trucks will be blocking your way out.

Thank Mayor Koos, when you see him,
That there’s no Coliseum!
Enjoy our town
Even though it’s torn down
Driving through the Uptown Wonderland
(Can you say “work zone”?)
Driving through the Uptown Wonderland!

It’s Beginning to Look Too Much Like Normal
(To the tune “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”)

It’s beginning to look too much like Normal
Everywhere you go.
Try to get to the Garlic Press
Avoiding construction mess
And there’s another detour through the snow.

It’s beginning to look too much like Normal
Traffic cones in stacks.
But the scariest sound you’ll hear
Is the Amtrak’s whistle near
While you’re on the tracks.

A finished circle for cars as they go to the bars
Is the wish that drivers would send.
A bike path that’s clear with pedestrians near
Is the best environment’s friend.
And Chris and Mark can hardly wait for all of this to end!

It’s beginning to look too much like Normal
Traffic lights galore –
Towanda and Shelbourne’s gain;
What a hassle at Raab and Main!
And there’s the one outside the new Shnuck’s store.

It’s beginning to look too much like Normal
When will it be done?
‘Cause our patience is running out
And I’m sure they hear us shout
Down in Bloomington.

Normal Money Crunch

After hearing the discussion about finding new sources of revenue and making cuts in order to maintain general fund reserves in the Normal budget, I thought about how these changes might or might not affect me. Increasing property and sales taxes will have a slight impact on my finances, but increases to towing fees and parking fines will not (hopefully). Ending electronics recycling will affect me when my “old model” TVs die. I guess I’ll have to put them on the curb, unless there won’t be any more bulky waste pick-up. In that case, I’ll have to get creative and find new uses for them (coffee table stands?) or find alternative recycling opportunities.

If there is no more brush or leaf pick-up, I think someone should start a business providing curbside mulching for Normal residents. I can mow over leaves as long as they’re dry, but I don’t know what I would do with all of the branches that I prune off the trees and bushes. I’d rather see a less frequent brush pick-up instead of no brush pick-up.

I don’t apply for Harmon Arts Grants, so suspending that program won’t affect me. And I can read the Newsline newsletter and P&R booklets online. “City Vision” has some information that I don’t usually seek out on my own but if Normal is no longer included in the broadcast, I’ll just have to make more of an effort to locate any information of interest.

Raising summer camp fees and discontinuing preschool programs won’t directly affect me, although there might be an indirect effect if young children in Normal are left to their own devices and wreak havoc in the area.

And I sure hope I won’t have to pay an “auto extrication fee,” although the older I get, the more difficult it has become to climb out of my subcompact car!

Normalevolence

Normal is surprisingly scary at Halloween. Large cranes overshadow the Post Office, like giant arms ready to reach down and grab unsuspecting Uptowners. Orange and white barrels form mazes which vehicles enter only to disappear forever. Railroad crossing gates go up-and-down randomly, daring us to try our luck at passing beneath them without getting cut in half. Darkened patches of rough surface on College Avenue yawn ahead like camouflaged tar pits, waiting to swallow and preserve us for future research. Squirrels with sharp little teeth dart about, looking for pedestrians to bite. Budget cuts and increased fees are discussed by Town Council “men and women” (or are they aliens?), frightening all residents. The Marriott Hotel reduces the IQ of those who enter late at night, even putting them into a trance. Some streets (East Beaufort) are opened while other streets (Ft. Jesse) are closed, adding a fun-house like confusion to the driving experience. Stores display Halloween items right next to Christmas items, determined to cast a pall over the yuletide. And the scariest of all: those drivers around you, talking on their cell phones, swerving and running red lights. Self-absorbed dolts or ghouls out to get you? Enjoy a frighteningly Normal Halloween!!

Normal Agriculture

This is actually more about McLean County than about Normal, but I wanted to share it since I don't usually write about agricultural information. At the Normal Public Library's sale I purchased the book Five Golden Decades 1914-1964, published by the McLean County Farm Bureau in 1964. It's a history of the Bureau during those years and I found a few interesting items as I looked through it. First, the "McLean County System of Swine Sanitation" was developed in 1919 by Lyle Johnstone as a way to prevent runt pigs (it was thought that runt pigs were caused by round worms) (page 86). Second, a couple of outbreaks in McLean County's history: "One of the worst hog cholera outbreaks McLean County ever had occurred in the Fall and early Winter of 1931. Without doubt the worst grasshopper outbreak occurred in the Spring of 1937" (pages 108-109). (And we complain about aphids and beetles!) And third, from the chapter "Artificial Breeding Program in McLean County," it seems that there was a problem with "poor bulls" in McLean County in the 1930s. The solution was to join a breeding co-op in the 1940s. An exciting breakthrough in this program is described: "One of the great boosts to the artificial insemination program came when frozen semen which could be stored indefinitely became a reality, making possible the availability of any bull at any time" (pages 161-162). Any bull at any time. Oh, there's a joke or two one could make based on that phrase. . .

Normal A to Z

A is for Amtrak -- hopefully soon pulling up to a new multimodal transportation center!

B is for baseball -- next year, take someone out to the ballgame and cheer on the CornBelters!

C is for Constitution Trail -- whether you walk, run, bike, or skate, it's a great way to exercise!

D is for debt --ok, so Normal has some debt; it would be difficult to invest in the future without it

E is for environmentalism --"going green" seems to be a growing (pun intended) trend in Normal

F is for Fell, Jesse Fell -- Normal founder, tree planter, with a park and a street named for him

G is for geese -- it seems like geese are constantly flying around and landing in Normal

H is for Heartland Community College -- it continues to grow and meet community needs

I is for ISU -- it has such an impact on Normal in so many ways

J is for Junction -- one of the former names of Normal

K is for Koos, Chris Koos --Mayor, business owner, bicycling and historic preservation advocate...

L is for Linden -- a major north-south thoroughfare in Normal (with many squirrel crossings)

M is for Marriott -- many, many conferences and special events are in this hotel's future

N is for Normal -- of course!

O is for opinions -- Normal citizens have opinions on everything; just ask!

P is for parks -- Normal has so many wonderful parks

Q is for quad -- a surprisingly pleasant place to temporarily host the Sugar Creek Arts Festival

R is for Redbirds -- ISU teams (represented by a bird's head stenciled on town streets)

S is for Sugar Creek Arts Festival -- a very nice annual event for those around in the summer

T is for traffic circle (aka roundabout) -- better than a 3-way stop? we'll see...

U is for Uptown -- even if you don't like the new title, you'll like the new experience!

V is for vinyl siding -- so many subdivisions, so much vinyl, so few colors

W is for windy -- Normal could become known as the "Windy Town" (that refers to weather, not politicians)

X is for X chromosomes -- too many XX singles in Normal, not enough XY singles!

Y is for yield -- please remember to yield to all pedestrians and bicyclists

Z is for zig-zag -- that's how you'll have to drive to get around all of the construction in Normal

Normal Signs

At the October 5 Normal Town Council meeting the Council voted to spend money on street signs and "district map" signs for the Uptown area. (District map signs are the you-are-here type of signs.) Originally, there were more types of signs proposed but the bids to do all of the signs came in too high. So, going with a few signs now will save some money and more signs can be added later.

I have to say, I really like the "primary gateway boundary" sign that identifies Uptown, although I don't know the best place for it -- on the east, west, north, or south end of Uptown? I also like the "pedestrian directional" signs that list the major destinations along with arrows pointing the way. All of the signs have a nice style so I hope that more are added in the future. Residents probably think that it's silly to have signs for such a small area but people who come for conferences or to deliver their ISU students to the campus might miss out on some great destinations without signs.

Normal's Bicycling Proponent, et al.

There was an article in Sunday's (9/27/09) Parade about the Mayor of Columbia, Missouri, promoting bicycling in that town. He wants to transform it "into one of the nation’s premier cycling cities." The Mayor of Boston also advocates cycling. And, of course, our own Mayor of Normal, Chris Koos, is the quintessential bicycling proponent. Hhhmmmm, what is it with Mayors and bicycles??

Normal Skateboarding Ordinance

At the September 21 meeting, the Normal Town Council will consider approval of an ordinance prohibiting skateboarding in Uptown Normal. I "bing-ed" "skateboarding laws" and found that San Francisco has addressed this issue very thoroughly. They have a Skateboarding Task Force and the San Francisco City and County law regarding skateboarding states that they prohibit skateboarding "on any city street at any time, on any sidewalk in any business district at any time, and on any non-business district sidewalk commencing 30 minutes after sunset and ending 30 minutes before sunrise (Traffic Code, Section 100)."

Is the need for such an ordinance due to: a) an overabundance of skateboarders in or near Uptown; b) a lack of knowledge on the part of "young" people (some are probably not so young) who skateboard regarding where it's inappropriate to do so; or c) unnecessary concern about this potential problem?

Skateboards: Not In Our Uptown!

Normal-See (Normalcy, get it?)

Wouldn't it be great if someone climbed to the top of that stairway and took some pictures?

Normal 9/11 Memorial?

The New York Times has an article about how a local government can acquire a piece of steel collected from the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. It's a way for people to create a local memorial out of actual material from "Ground Zero." Many of the pieces are quite large but they also have smaller pieces. No charge for the steel but the recipient has to pay to have the piece transported to their location. I wonder if anyone would be interested in having a 9/11 memorial in Normal.

Normal Needs Your Vote!

Less than 2 weeks until the winner of the Toshiba contest between Normal and Boring is announced. Normal is far behind in votes at this point. PLEASE VOTE EACH WEEK!

Go to www.boringvsnormal.com , wait for the page to load, click on the "Normal" button and fill out your information in the pop-up box. Then vote by clicking on the "Normal" button AGAIN. A thank-you should pop up. (I haven't received any spam as a result of giving my email address.)

Wouldn't it be great to win? PLEASE VOTE!