Party Like It's 199 + 1 - Help us Celebrate the Illinois Bicentennial!

This is a virtual event. Everyone can celebrate anywhere! We are hoping to have new boxes planted that have some connection to Illinois - a vacation, a friend, an actor, music, etc. Please read the event listing and see if you can think of a reason to help us celebrate. Boxes can be planted anytime in 2018.

TeachJR

So exciting for Illinois; I hope 200 boxes get planted throughout the country; I think there are 2 boxes in Michigan (hoping others will plant more!).

Here's the link to the event:

Party Like It's 199+1

I'm going to plant one. Somewhere. My brother-in-law and his wife live in Effingham/Funkhouser, IL and he runs an auto repair/towing business. Can't wait to see how the stamp turns out. Not sure where I'll plant it yet.

I have one finished and plan to plant it on my way east next weekend. The clue probably won't be posted until the following week.
A second box is in the carving stage.
~ shh-hh-h

62 boxes planted so far!

This is the first virtual event that I have organized and it has been such fun to do! Letterboxers from all over Illinois and from many parts of the USA have written to me sharing their connection to Illinois. Some grew up in Illinois and some have relatives here or went to school here. Many are seeing this as a reason to plant letterboxes to keep our hobby going.

Keeping our hobby going with new boxes is one of the reasons that I set up this virtual event. And oh... the wonderful ideas and themes for boxes is amazing!

Did you know that Olney has white squirrels? Did you know that red SOLO cups are made in Urbana, IL? Illinois was the first state to ban elephants performing in the circus? Do you know who came up with the idea of the DQ Blizzard? or that Dick Van Dyke, Janet Lynn, Shadrach Bond, Ronald Reagan,and Caroline Barnes are from Illinois? What is the Hambletonian?

A wonderful person contacted me about this event sharing that she has been letterboxing since the earliest known times in the USA following an article in Smithsonian Magazine. There were no websites with clues so they went to sporting goods stores that posted clues. She grew up in Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois. She still loves letterboxing to this day!

Several letterboxers around the country and in Illinois are planting boxes about interesting things, places, and favorites. Emails from letterboxers have proven to me that virtual events are a good way to network and increase letterbox planting. I thank everyone who has participated and invite others to join in.

Happy 200th Birthday, Illinois and thank you to everyone who has helped. Angel Winks would like to see 200 boxes planted during 2018 - can we do it?

TeachJR