A little late but... Did you know...

So it completely slipped my mind to post this when I was in Collinsville. Apologies. I know you just couldn't live without these fun facts about the South Western IL.

Collinsville is the self-proclaimed "Horseradish Capital of the World", and sponsors an annual Horseradish Fest. The area is said to produce 85% of the world's horseradish, of such high quality that Germany and China (key users of the herb) import it for gourmet use. Known for having a large ethnic Italian population, Collinsville, ahhh thats why it smells like garlic, and hosts an annual Italian Fest in the Fall.

During World War I, a Collinsville mob lynched a German-American citizen, the only such murder in the country. (all men held for trial were acquitted. obviouslyyyyyyy)

Birth place of George Musso, pro Football Hall-of-Famer for the Chicago Bears.

Michael Stipe, lead singer of rock band R.E.M., spent his high school years in Collinsville, and graduated from Collinsville High School in 1978.

Collinsville: the Paris of south eastern Illinois

After a 5 hour drive I've settled in down here in Collinsville. Good new, my hotel is located directly between an arbys and a white castle. Gonna be some awesomely unhealthy eats this week.

In case you aren't familiar with this rural gem, heres some info. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 26,016. Collinsville is approximately 12 miles from ST. Louis. So everybody here is pretty much a missourin (is that a word?). They follow the cardinals, Missou tigers, st Louis blues.

Oh snap, I just found out the worlds largest ketchup bottle is located in Collinsville! And it has a website



Things are looking up around here.

Snow-mageddon

Its happening. The snow is hitting, the buses are stopping, the world is ending. So we went exploring.





and then there was this.



And our power went out for 12 hours. That was a chilly night. But we survived. If there is ever a zombie apocalypse I really hope it doesn't happen during a blizzard. I don't think I could survive both.