Illinois is where the nation’s greatest rivers meet. It’s where the largest Native American city once thrived. Where the most trains cross and daily flights soar. Where automobiles and hard roads got a start. Where sound movies began. Where a nuclear chain reaction was first controlled. Where the first transistor gave rise to the computer age. Where the theory of superconductivity was born. Where the biggest fair in the nation’s history was held. Where the mail-order catalog and the warehouse of goods behind it got its start. Where the Blues echo and comedy is king. Where more than a quarter million men volunteered to fight to end slavery and save the Union. Where the nation’s biggest plant helped make the world safe for democracy. Where the biggest restaurant company, biggest makers of mining equipment, aircraft, and tractors are based and where hundreds of start-up companies each year keep the engine humming. We are #IllinoisProud.
Join City of Mattoon leaders and the community as the Bicentennial Flag is raised at Mattoon City Hall Monday December 4th at noon. The flag raising signals the beginning of a yearlong celebration in Illinois of culminating on December 3rd 2018, the official 200th Birthday of Illinois. The celebration will include a media campaign called “born, built, and grown” which honors the tremendous people, places and things that make Illinois so enduringly strong, kind, and beautiful.
For more information about the yearlong Bicentennial celebration go to https://illinois200.com/.
