- I made it to one of the last showings of Once at Boardman’s Art Theatre last week. If we’re lucky, Once will be re-released around Oscar time. This is a film that deserves to be seen by a wider audience.
- I overheard a gentleman at the farmer’s market talking about a new German restaurant coming to downtown Urbana. That’s all I know, folks.
- Check out the Pantagraph’s special report on Bloomington’s downtown and its issues. The article about feuding business owners is particularly illuminating. And the comments are pretty funny too (wish the N-G allowed comments on its Web site … )
- Enjoyed the Festival of the Arts‘ move to Downtown Champaign. I bet the businesses liked it, too. And the kids section kept my 5-year-old cousin occupied for a good hour. Hopefully the weather didn’t scare too many people away. Perhaps this move may spurn the Champaign art fair to become a regional attraction, in time (ala the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. OK, a girl can dream …).
- There’s a new billboard in the gotcha marketing campaign known as “Something Big is Coming to Champaign.” It says that it’s coming to the corner of State and Kirby. Besides being a terrible intersection (although I noticed that they recently took down the no-right-on-red sign), I can’t imagine to what it is referring. I’m thinking it’s the remodel of Jerry’s IGA, but could the IGA be that creative? Directly on that corner is a parking lot (the building that used to house Andy’s Shoes), an old Busey Bank that the company uses for HR, a jewelry store and the entrance to the Hilton Garden Inn.
raindrops keep falling on my head
August 21, 2007 · 13 Comments
Categories: Bloomington-Normal · Champaign · Culture · Rumor mill · The Business Section
13 responses so far ↓
Jenna Z // August 21, 2007 at 9:57 am
Those billboards were actually billboards for the new SUPER-electronic billboard now at Kirby and State. Lame.
prairiegourmet // August 21, 2007 at 10:28 am
I so wanted to see that movie at the Art, but I couldn’t make the trip there in time. Hopefully it will be back on the big screen somewhere close by. Otherwise, I’ll have to settle for DVD. It’s gotten so many good reviews.
prairiegourmet // August 21, 2007 at 10:29 am
I so wanted to see that movie before it left the Art, but just could make the trip in time. There have been so many good reviews of it. I wanted to see it on the big screen. Do you think it will be just as good on DVD?
lbotp // August 21, 2007 at 10:37 am
I saw them putting up that billboard, but from what I can tell it’s not electronic???
Jenna Z // August 21, 2007 at 10:42 am
It’s only electronic on one side, the west facing side. It changes images every minute or so.
Golden // August 21, 2007 at 11:52 am
You have got to be kidding that the “something big” was for the electronic billboard … that is so totally lame it can’t be described. Well if that’s the case it at least got Jerry’s to come into the 21st century as far as interior and exterior decor. Which is a blessing in and of itself.
Mrs. Chicken // August 21, 2007 at 11:56 am
We’ve seen that billboard and wondered what the heck it means, too, because it seems to have some sort of entertainer on it.
Hmmmm.
Leeanthro // August 21, 2007 at 12:41 pm
That billboard is horrible! I bet it causes accidents when unsuspecting people see it for the first time.
Just aweful. I long for the signage laws that they have in Vermont. Nothing like that would have ever been constructed.
Cassie // August 21, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Adams Outdoor Advertising is awful. Remember those Outhouse Springs billboards a couple of years ago? They seem to have a gift for totally lame self promotion. AOA also destroyed part of Red Bison’s prairie restoration site in Savoy in order to put a couple of their signs up there.
Lisa // August 21, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I agree with you about “Once.” Good movie.
Henny Penny // August 21, 2007 at 6:22 pm
I walk around downtown Bloomington and wonder if I’m seeing the same town the Pantagraph is talking about. It is a nice downtown. I’ve recently been there for beads, a haircut, and coffee. It cracks me up that lots of the complaints are about lawyers filling up the street level storefronts. Um, that’s where the courthouse is. People in the Pantagraph comments compare it to downtown Champaign and saying it’s not as good but they should be comparing it to downtown Urbana. Spent this morning in uptown Normal which is TORN UP, but loaded w/ groovy places. I think one of the main differences is that uptown is only a few short blocks, while downtown is really large. More like downtown Springfield than any other downtowns in the area.
Pantagraph comments are the whole reason I read that paper. They made me laugh and alternately question ever moving into town.
Me // August 21, 2007 at 6:39 pm
See… I have lived places where that have the electrontic billboard…. in bigger cities… more advertising can get across I guess… but I think it is stupid all together… I am one for getting rid of all billboards because they are such an eyesore… I have acctually lived in a city where they had none… and it was so nice. You could appreciate the trees and the beauty of the home more.
I agree… if that is the “something big” , then this town cracks me up :D.
prairie biker // August 22, 2007 at 10:49 am
“Once” was excellent.
I believe the standard for electronic billboards is they can’t change more often than every 30 seconds. The city looks the other way for the Assembly Hall sign.
The no right on red signs have been gone from Kirby and State for a couple years now. Now if they would put in a new signal with a left turn arrow ….
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