Archive for May, 2012

Statue of George Rogers Clark in Riverview Park in Quincy

Editor’s note: The Local Q is pleased to introduce Anna Oakley, our newest blog writer and The Local Q intern for summer 2012. Anna is pursuing her journalism degree at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. Before transferring to VCU, Anna completed two years of AmeriCorps, a national service program. Read more about her here.

Have you ever been to Riverview Park in Quincy? If so you have probably seen the statue of George Rogers Clark. As I was at the park recently, I saw a group of visitors looking at the statue as one explained to the others that it was the man from the famous Lewis and Clark expedition depicted with a bronzed, cool elegance. I know that I have heard that fact relayed before, but something about it just didn’t sit right. Now my westward expansion history leaves much to be desired, but I did remember that it was William Clark, not some guy named George who led the historic journey.

Ok, so slip of the tongue, no big deal right? I mean we all secretly think that half the facts we learn on any historical tour are fudged anyway. The whole incident got me thinking though. If the statue in Riverview Park isn’t that famous Clark, who is it? And why does everyone I ask seem to think it is William Clark?

Well with a little clicking I found a biography of George Rogers Clark on the Indiana Historical Bureau website. It seems that George Rogers Clark was the older brother of William Clark and had much to do with securing areas in Kentucky and Illinois for the newly conceived country.

So the next question is, why the big mix up among Quincyans? The statue that resides at Riverview Park was dedicated in 1909, and presumably for a number of years the citizens of Quincy knew the difference between the two Clark brothers. But then, as the collective memory begins to fade, one person misspeaks and facts are lost. One Quincyan remembers work at Quinsippi Island as a teenager in the ‘70s when the admission tickets perpetuated the falsehood. When park officials discovered the error, the teen was tasked with manually crossing out William Clark’s name from each ticket.

Oakley

While the mistake was eventually corrected, I think it was too little too late. For many Quincians, it was as good as fact that William Clark, leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition was memorialized in Riverview Park. Never fear though, I am here set the record straight for ya, George. As a girl who has been confused for one of my sisters more than once, I feel George’s pain. I would like to take a moment to validate George Rogers Clark and his accomplishments, and while his little brother William’s fame may have eclipsed his own, I am sure their mother loved them both equally.

Anna Oakley

Busch Stadium

Take Mom out to the ball game! This Sunday, May 13, is not only Mother’s Day, but also it is a Cardinal’s game in St. Louis. This is not just any Cardinal’s game, either: the Quincy Blue Devils Varsity baseball team will be playing against Pittsfield at Busch Stadium after the big game.

Schlipmann

I don’t know about you, but this is pretty amazing. How many of you get to say that you played in Busch Stadium? Not many. These kids are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. My only high school claim to fame is that I once got to sing on stage with Art Garfunkel, not even Paul Simon. While that’s still pretty cool (OK, not really), it is small fries compared to playing on a professional field.

Anyone can go. The two high school teams will be playing each other directly after the Cardinal’s game, and you can get tickets for just $30 by calling the QHS athletic office at 224-3771. The Cardinals are playing the Braves at 1:15, so forget the flowers this year: get your mom some peanuts and cracker jacks and root, root, root for the home team!

Abby Schlipmann

Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday. While I love our local Mexican restaurants and will most likely celebrate my “Mexican heritage” (Everyone is Mexican on May 5, claro que si!) at one of these fine establishments, I would like to offer an alternative to the cuisine that Americans think authentic. So break out the sombreros and have your amigos over for some bona fide nachos and margaritas.

Schlipmann

Original nachos are actually very different than those we know today. Unlike today’s nachos, the first nachos were a neat, precise, uniform snack. Each triangular fried tortilla was topped with a small serving of cheddar cheese and a pickled jalapeno. Invented in the 1940s for some soldiers who came to a restaurant after hours and wanting to accommodate the soldiers with a limited kitchen stock, Ignacio Anaya became the forefather of the nacho. While I am a huge fan of the sloppy, gargantuan pile of beans, cheese, meat and guac, sometimes it’s refreshing to get back to my “Mexican heritage” and keep it simple. To make, just cut corn tortillas into fourths, and fry lightly, both sides on low heat in a cast iron skillet. Take the tortillas out of the skillet and place on paper towels to drain. Put the tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with a hunk of cheddar cheese. Bake these at 400 degrees just until the cheese is melted. Top each tortilla with one pickled jalapeno. Serve these up with the most refreshing bebida in the mundo, and you’ve got a fiesta.

The true margarita has three — count ‘em — three ingredients: triple sec, tequila, and lime juice (and salt on the rim, que sabroso!). A shot glass of triple sec, two shot glasses of tequila and one shot glass of lime juice shaken and poured over ice is all it takes to make the original concoction that has somehow over time been degraded to a sugary, corn-syrupy , 0 percent juice margarita imposter.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!

Abby Schilpmann