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Due to its 2015 refresh, the 2016 Challenger combines a classic, retro vibe, with as much modern technology as the buyer chooses. Particularly with the improved, standard, 8-speed automatic and noticeably upgraded interior, the SXT Plus is a nice combination of looks and drivability, with...

Benson's Appliance has a fundamental business philosophy: "We're happy when our customer is happy," at every step of the way: Sales, Installation and Service. With three appliance store locations to serve customers, one on Brandywine in Peoria, one in Pekin and one in Bloomington, Benson's...

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright engineered the building of this bank which was constructed in 1905. It originally housed the real estate office and bank of Frank L. Smith, a prominent local citizen, U.S. Congressman and Senator. It is the only one of the three banks Wright designed still standing...

Edward Holcomb Plumb (June 6, 1907, Streator, Illinois – April 18, 1958, Los Angeles, California) (also credited as Edward Plumb and Ed Plumb) was a film composer best known for his work at Walt Disney Studios. He served as musical director of Fantasia and orchestrated and co-composed the score...

Road trips are easily our favorite way to travel, whether it’s jumping in the Challenger or Jeep to hit the road. There’s something so alluring about the open road with the freedom and spontaneity that comes with it. It’s the way the road snakes endlessly ahead, often-times surrounded by...

Back in the Summer of 2020 we were looking for things to do one sunny Sunday afternoon so we shot over to Peotone, IL and toured the towns Dodge Dealerships lot. Out on the north side of it they had constructed a little test track for prospective customers to Trail Test Drive the dealerships...

This beautiful old gas station was built in 1932 and served travelers on Route 66 until the mid 1960s when it stopped selling gas. This station then was used as a body shop until it closed its doors in 1975. Years of neglect took their toll on this old Standard station. The station would have...

Story Behind the Mural The Vermilion River flows in a northerly direction from its origin in Livingston and Ford Counties in north central Illinois, eventually emptying into the Illinois River, near Oglesby, IL. The building depicted on the right of the mural was known as the Williams' Mill...

"Marjorie 115 N." = Sweethearts Mural Location: Streator, IL Walldog Mural: WWII Canteen (2018) ...Zoom in on the photo and you'll see the gal's address! _ Also....The Roamer Cruise Night & Car Show! The largest car show south of Chicago, with over 500 cars and over 18,000 spectators this...

The "Let Freedom Ring" Garden The setting for this shot is a hop, skip and a jump from where we live in Kankakee. The Let Freedom Ring Garden sits on the grounds of the Kankakee County Historical Museum, across the drive from the Column Garden. Beginning in the circular border around its...

Streator is very much a baseball town. Streator had a semi-pro baseball team called the Streator Reds. The Streator Reds have a baseball history dating to the 1880s, having played major league teams in exhibition games. In 1908, The Streator Reds beat the World Champion Chicago Cubs in an...

Located in eastern Kankakee County, Illinois, and approximately 50 miles south of Chicago, Momence is a quiet, friendly community of 3300 residents, nestled along the Kankakee River. Historic Dixie Highway (Illinois Route 1) is the main north-south thoroughfare through the city. The City was...

The Kankakee River takes a leisurely path from its origin to a point near Wilmington, Illinois, where it joins the DesPlaines River to form the Illinois River. It has long been acclaimed as one of the cleanest rivers in the Midwest. The Kankakee River is one of the few natural and unspoiled...

Story Behind the Mural Farming has always been the backbone of the town of Pontiac, and all the surrounding towns in Livingston County. Every Labor Day week Pontiac hosts the Central States Threshermen's Reunion. The Reunion has been an annual event since 1949. This mural celebrates the...

Story Behind the Mural This traditional design is an example of the Walldogs' efforts to restore classic outdoor wall advertising designs throughout the world. Many of these earlier murals, some over a century old, can still be found as "ghost signs" - outdoor advertising signs which are faded...

The Story Behind the Mural The Route 66 Shield Mural is the oldest mural in Pontiac, IL. It was painted in 2006 by the wonderful artists at Diaz Sign Art. This shield is located on the outside, back wall of the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum. The bricks you see in front of the mural are...

Story Behind the Mural: The Chautauqua institution began in the summer of 1874 at Fair Point on Lake Chautauqua, NY. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers, and specialists of the day. The immediate...

The Face of Days Gone By... Even though the original Dodge Challenger was first introduced in 1970, when the muscle car era started its decline, it left an enormous mark on the industry. The classic Challenger was discontinued in 1974, and ever since, muscle car fans were begging for its...

“You know, farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower Many farmers feel that farming is more than a career. It is a calling. Lifelong farmers live and work following a set of principles commonly known as natural...

Dedicated in 2017, the Heritage Park Mural is the largest mural in Streator. This piece of art stands three-stories tall. Built by Westclox Studios, this mural took a rather plain wall and made it look incredible. The piece is actually backlit to make it look like lights are on in the building...

All Lined Up And...Ready To GO! Nothing better than a warm Saturday morning during the first nice weekend in Spring. Taking the car out for the first time makes a guy feel like he just took possession of a new Challenger in some ways. The long Winters sleep has no ended...

There are lots of places to take that first cruise after a long winter in our area. The tree's and flowers are just beautiful in late April and on into May/June. Here are some photo's I took in the Spring of 2021 on Lil' Twister's first outing. Sure was a fun drive that day and a great start to...

June 27 - July 1 2018 - Walldogs Arrive in Streator In conjunction with the celebration of Streator's Sesquicentennial in 2018, the Walldogs took over the entire town for 5 days adding 17 murals to Streator's downtown depicting the community's rich historical heritage. This half hour...

This beautiful old gas station was built in 1932 and served travelers on Route 66 until the mid 1960s when it stopped selling gas. This station then was used as a body shop until it closed its doors in 1975. Years of neglect took their toll on this old Standard station. The station would have...

Calbraith P. Rodgers began his bid 110 years ago to pilot the first American transcontinental flight. The Vin Fiz Flyer was an early Wright Brothers Model EX pusher biplane that in 1911 became the first aircraft to fly coast-to-coast across the U.S., a journey that took almost three months. The...

The WWII Canteen Monument honors the spirit of Streator's WWII Canteen. The canteen opened on Nov.26, 1943. During World War II, many of the troop trains came through the Streator Santa Fe station. Local citizens organized the Track side Streator Free Canteen, one of hundreds of canteen across...

Painted in 2008 by Curt Bedei, this mural features classic Hot Rods at a vintage service station. It is located at the A-1 Exhaust shop in downtown Streator. Location: A-1 Exhaust, 124 S. Park St., Streator, IL JUNE 27 - JULY 1, 2018 Walldogs Arrived in Streator In conjunction with the...

Barley Motor Car Co. was a manufacturer of automobiles in Streator, Illinois. The initial model introduced in 1916 was called the Roamer and it was in their lineup through 1929. The Roamer was marketed from its inception as "America’s Smartest Car." It was also successful in many early racing...

The eldest of six children, Clyde Tombaugh was born on a farm near Streator, Illinois. He attended high school in Streator and moved with his family to a farm in Western Kansas, where a hailstorm destroyed the family’s crops, dashing his hopes of attending college. Tombaugh continued to study on...

The man who created the famous Western character Hopalong Cassidy, Clarence Mulford was born in Streator, IL, in 1883 to a distinguished family that could trace its lineage in this country back to 1643, and in fact more than 20 Mulfords fought in the American Revolution. Hopalong...