CBS News in Chicago recently did a story about Funks Grove Maple Sirup in Shirley, Illinois, and how repeatedly warmer winters are shortening the sap flow of the family farm's maple trees. The gist is that climate change definitely is affecting Funks Grove's annual harvest. https://youtu.be/N6OKuhKXwZA?si=mBzoSoN9uBL6hNwy Funks Grove tends to sell out of its maple … Continue reading Progressively warmer winters affect harvest at Funks Grove Maple Sirup
Tag: Shirley
Several Illinois Route 66 sites get state funds from tourism, transportation programs
Several spots on Route 66 in Illinois were among the 89 that will receive a total of $22.5 million from the state's Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant program. Also, several Route 66 sites also received funds from the state's Transportation Enhancement Program. Here are the Route 66-related tourism recipients and the total grant: $25,187 to … Continue reading Several Illinois Route 66 sites get state funds from tourism, transportation programs
New farm operation complements Funks Grove Maple Sirup
A new organic farm run by three members of the Funk family is bringing new and complementary products to the sixth-generation Funks Grove Maple Sirup off Route 66 in Shirley, Illinois. Katie and Jonathan Funk and with her fiance, Jeff Hake, started Funks Grove Heritage Fruits and Grains. They don't plan to supplant Funks Grove Maple … Continue reading New farm operation complements Funks Grove Maple Sirup
Route 66 Bikeway in Illinois lands grant for extension
The Historic Route 66 Bikeway in McLean County, Illinois, this week won a $1.92 million grant from an Illinois Department of Transportation program to extend the bicycle path another 1.1 miles. According to a document from the agency, the grant aims to extend the bikeway from south of Shirley, Illinois, to Funks Grove, Illinois. The the … Continue reading Route 66 Bikeway in Illinois lands grant for extension
McLean County in Illinois extends Route 66 Bike Trail
The board of McLean County, Illinois, this week voted to extend the Route 66 Bike Trail another 3.25 miles from Shirley, Illinois, to the hamlet of Funks Grove. The current trail runs from Towanda, Illinois, through the Bloomington-Normal metro area to Shirley. The new extension will bring its total length to nearly 19 miles. According … Continue reading McLean County in Illinois extends Route 66 Bike Trail
More 1990s video from Route 66 in a 1959 Cadillac
Anthony Reichardt recently uploaded more videos to YouTube from his travels on Route 66 during the early to mid-1990s in a 1959 Cadillac. At the least, the videos are valuable for historic reasons. Some of the places Reichardt visited have disappeared or changed radically. The first video is a chat with Glaida Funk of Funks … Continue reading More 1990s video from Route 66 in a 1959 Cadillac
Governor visits Funks Grove Maple Sirup during small-business tour
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner recently paid a visit to Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup as a part of a tour as part of National Small Business Week in Illinois. The Bloomington Pantagraph reported Rauner downed a shot of the company's signature maple sirup at the Route 66 landmark near Shirley, Illinois, then went back for seconds. … Continue reading Governor visits Funks Grove Maple Sirup during small-business tour
Warmer weather decreases sap harvest at Funks Grove Maple Sirup
An unseasonably warm winter decreased the annual sap harvest by a third at Funks Grove Maple Sirup near Shirley, Illinois. The co-operator of the fabled Route 66 business also said climate change may mean a permanent change in when maple sap is harvested at the nearly 200-year-old farm. I recently saw a report a warmer-than-usual winter led … Continue reading Warmer weather decreases sap harvest at Funks Grove Maple Sirup
Illinois Route 66 gets $2.16 million for trails
The Illinois Department of Transportation on Wednesday awarded $2.16 million in grants for bicycle and walking trails along Route 66 in Williamsville and McLean County. The two projects were part of 33 statewide that received grants from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, slated for "biking and walking paths, trails, streetscape beautification work and other projects designed … Continue reading Illinois Route 66 gets $2.16 million for trails
Illinois county seeks another expansion of Route 66 bicycle trail
McLean County, Illinois, is seeking a federal grant to help add seven miles to a Route 66 bicycle trail outside of the Bloomington-Normal metro area. According to WJBC radio: The McLean County Board is expected to apply for federal funds to add a 4-mile stretch of the trail between Lexington and Towanda and a 3.25-mile … Continue reading Illinois county seeks another expansion of Route 66 bicycle trail