Columnist

Braidwood's double election, a first for the state

Published by admin on Wed, 02/21/2018 - 9:00am

    Perhaps one of the least known facts about Braidwood is that it was there in 1876 that the State's first “do-over” election was held. Today we explore this somewhat dubious honor.
    April of 1876 was a time of turmoil in Braidwood. Besides the normal issues of pay and strikes at the mines, the town was divided over the city and township elections. There were three parties involved, the Republican Party, the Democratic Party and the Independents.

Garfield sweeps Will County, Republicans rejoice

Published by admin on Wed, 02/21/2018 - 9:00am

    When last we met, we were at the huge Republican demonstration on the Island in October of 1880. One thousand people from out of town were gathered there to hear John A. Logan speak. Logan was to become Republican candidate for Vice-President four years later.

State budget does opposite of what Rauner says

Published by admin on Tue, 02/20/2018 - 2:49pm

    Last year’s state budget caused some real consternation among local government leaders because the General Assembly cut their funding.
    The budget slashed their share of the state income tax by 10 percent for one year and skimmed two percent off the top of several local sales taxes.
    Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed that budget. His veto was overridden, but the governor’s new budget recycles those same two ideas and the overall concept of off-loading state costs onto local taxpayers.

Hot Buttered Rum to warm your bones on a cold day

Published by admin on Wed, 02/14/2018 - 9:00am

    The holidays may be behind us, but officially we have over one full month of winter remaining. Unofficially, we could have closer to two months of winter remaining.
    There is no time like the present to whip up some warming drinks, and there is nothing quite as warming as a good Hot Buttered Rum to warm your bones on a cold winter day.
    What exactly is Hot Buttered Rum? It's exactly what the name implies. It's hot, contains rum and achieves a wonderful smooth texture when melted butter is added.

Republicans in Wilmington, or rallying for a winner

Published by admin on Wed, 02/14/2018 - 9:00am

    I suppose you've noticed we're coming up to an election. In fact there is one just a few weeks away and we will have to endure constant politicking for many months to come.
    So, in that spirit, let's look at another election, this one a presidential one, in a two-part series about the 1880 election.
    Our story starts with James Garfield, one of two presidents who are known to have visited Wilmington.
    When a young man, Garfield attended and later became president of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (later named Hiram College) in Hiram, OH.

There's gold in them there hills, or not

Published by admin on Wed, 02/14/2018 - 9:00am

    During Braidwood's early years, it was a city of transients. Miners would come in to work for a season then move on hoping to find greener pastures further west.
    By 1870 the great Wild West was beginning to open up, and in 1874 an event occurred which affected even  Braidwood. Let's go back to 1874 and listen to the call of gold from the Black Hills, SD.

The Electric Shark - a spiced rum cocktail

Published by admin on Wed, 02/07/2018 - 9:00am

    Spiced rum is here to stay, much to the chagrin of rum purists everywhere. Leading spiced rum brands, Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry and Kraken, make up a large percentage of both U.S. rum sales and overall U.S. liquor sales both in the retail setting and in bar service.
    After a 30-plus year audition, the American cocktail community has finally embraced spiced rum to the point that even high-end bar menus now include cocktails made from Captain Morgan and Sailor Jerry.

February 1918, things were rough all over

Published by admin on Wed, 02/07/2018 - 9:00am

    One hundred years ago the War to End All Wars was raging in Europe. Our doughboys were on their way to the front. Some had already made it to France, others never made it out of camp being struck down by disease.
    At home commodities were scarce as were jobs and money. Set the way-back machine to February 1918 and watch out for all those dark clouds.
    On Jan. 17, 1918 a new edict came out of Washington, DC. We read about it in the Wilmington Advocate.

Gold fever, Will County citizens were not immune

Published by admin on Wed, 02/07/2018 - 9:00am

    Throughout written history, gold has been searched for, fought over, hoarded and in general brought men much misery.
    But nonetheless, people looked to it for their salvation and were willing to throw everything they owned away to posses it.
    This was especially true in the 19th century. Before the black diamonds of the coal fields were harvested, Will County caught the fever in a bad way.

The Rosita, a little known tequila cocktail

Published by admin on Wed, 01/31/2018 - 9:00am

    What do you get when you cross a Margarita with a Negroni? At some unknown date in an undetermined location someone added tequila to Campari and vermouth launching one of the great cult classic cocktails, the Rosita.
    Little is known about the origin of the Rosita, but kudos to Greg Boehm for keeping the recipe alive in the various printings of his cocktail guide, “Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide.”
    Outside of the Margarita, Paloma and Tequila Sunrise there are very few mainstream tequila cocktails. There are a few reasons for this.