Now, I am the least political person I know (much to the dismay of my husband who loves a good heated political debate) but this boils my blood. Governor Blagojevich, in his budget cuts is streamlining an already too lean Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)…I haven’t even explored that yet though because of the two state park closures that are extremely close to me and affect all of us in the Chicago Southland and beyond. While Governor Blagojevich was enjoying the DNC in Denver his office put out notice that over 24 State sites, including 11 State Parks and 13 Areas of Historical Interest are to experience closure as of November 1, 2008.
The beautiful Gebhard Woods in Morris, Illinois (just west of the most adorable historic downtown area in our region) is one of the state parks local to us. It’s beautiful and well worth a visit (it’s located just west of Morris’ beautiful downtown district). In my own backyard the significant to our community Channahon State Parkway (also known as I&M State Canal Park Trailhead) is also slotted for closure.
In response the community of Channahon is organizing a rally this
Monday, September 1 at 9 a.m. at the Channahon State Park


Please join us in voicing your opinion on the loss of our community treasure.
Other sites scheduled for closure are:
STATE HISTORIC SITES
— Dana-Thomas House, Springfield
— Lincoln log cabin near Charleston: yes, Illinoians, you read that right.
— David Davis mansion, Bloomington
— Fort de Chartres, Randolph County
— Vandalia statehouse: our original statehouse before Lincoln lobbied to have the state capitol moved to Springfield
— State center at Bishop Hill, Henry County
— Carl Sandburg birthplace, Galesburg
— Cahokia courthouse
— Bryant Cottage, Bement
— Jubilee College, near Peoria
— Apple River Fort, Elizabeth
— Fort Kaskaskia, Randolph County
— Pierre Menard home, Randolph County
STATE PARKS
— Castle Rock State Park, Oregon
— Lowden State Park, Oregon
— Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Sheffield (it’s a gorgeous parkway in a beautiful out of the way part of Illinois, there’s an amazing bed & breakfast that way if you are so inclined)
— Illini State Park, Marseilles
— Channahon Parkway State Park, Channahon***
— Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris***
— Hidden Springs State Forrest, Strasburg
— Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood
— Moraine View State Park, Leroy
— Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton
— Wolf Creek State Park, Windsor
Southern Illinois’ The News-Gazette made a beautifully valid point in this quote:
Although the world will be watching Illinois in February 2009, when Lincoln’s adopted state celebrates the Kentucky-born 16th president’s 200th birthday, several sites associated with Lincoln will close, including the Lincoln Log Cabin, his parents’ last home, near Charleston, and the Vandalia statehouse, where Lincoln served in the state Legislature before Springfield became the state capital.
"It’s going to be devastating to local communities that depend on these sites for tourist revenue," preservation agency spokesman David Blanchette said.
State Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, called the move "ridiculous."
"I think it’s a shame and disgrace to do this as we go into the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birthday," he said.
Though he said the governor "has a very legitimate concern in that the budget was not balanced," he "slashes with a dull ax."
"When we go back to veto session in November, we’ll try to find places where we can restore money," Black said.
What sort of legacy is Blagojevich leaving? Not much different than George Ryan, IMO.
Beautiful images. Congrats to the lovely couple! I bet they’ll love this wedding album as much as they loved the day 🙂
They are so beautiful, classy, and elegant. Great job capturing all the moments and details!
beautiful wedding!
Amazing details. Wonderful moments you captured! These look fantastic! Although this is just a sneak peak, I can visualize their story so well. Well done.
Oh my WORD Mare!! Can you believe I’m sitting here planning how I can talk hubby into renewing our vows just so I can have you photograph the event? Seriously – WOW! The details, the moments. I’m not kidding, I want to fly you to Florida so I can have memories like this decorating my walls. What a treasure!
These are stunning! You did an amazing job.
Beautiful- each and every image. It looks like a perfect day, captured forever.
Oh!! It’s always such a treat visiting your blog…these are of course nothing short of amazing and I’m totally jealous..I wish my wedding pictures where half as gorgeous!! Hmmm…maybe we need to renew some vows..haha
These are absolutely GORGEOUS! You totally ROCKED this wedding!! Stunning work!
The KISS!!! OMG!
These are STUNNING! I love the one w/ the little girl looking at the cake.
Wow! #5 just mesmerizes me. These have so much depth to them (both artistically and emotionally). Beautiful work.
GORGEOUS Mare!
Love the way you do weddings! And great job with those little details that they won’t want to forget. Fabulous.
We were there and thought it was beautiful, but you captured moments that were perfect!!! Great job…
Your pictures make me want to get married all over again! Truly stunning!