| My name is Jim Weyand. I live in
Ursa, IL located 5 miles from the northernmost edge of Quincy, IL, a self
contained community of about 50,000 that sits on the Mississippi river at
it's westernmost point (which gives Illinois it's "pot-bellied" look). It
is 150 miles north of St. Louis and 20 miles north of the smaller but
better known town of Hannibal, MO. We certainly don't have a legacy like
Mark Twain, but a few well knowns who lived in our fair city include
actors Roy Brocksmith and
John
Anderson, pro golfer D.A.
Weibring, aviation pioneer Thomas
Baldwin, Illinois governor John Wood,
singer/guitarist Micki Free
(Shalamar, Diana Ross), keyboardist Matt King
(Blood Sweat & Tears), Elmer Wavering (inventor of
the car radio), Paul
Tibbets (who pushed the big red button over Hiroshima), John Mahoney
(Frasier Crane's dad Martin), and most famous but never lived here
although made frequent visits because of Quincy's strategic location, Al
Capone. The gangster days are long gone, and life here is quiet and uneventful for the most part. In the summertime the bigger events include the World Freefall Convention (on hold for now), Mid-Mississippi Blues Festival, the Grand Prix of Karting , Gus Macker B-Ball, the National Shooters Convention, Little People's Golf Classic, the Knights of Columbus Barbecue (major party!), and the Wrangler Bass Fishing Tournament (click HERE for a complete list of annual local events). The nightlife here these days is mostly country or dance club mix, although back in the 70's you could catch a good rock band or concert every weekend. The best ones were at a run down dump called Turner Hall that only seated a couple hundred people but they would catch all the bands on their way between Chicago & St. Louis. It was great to be at arms length with bands like Rush, Nugent, The Police, Head East and many others. That stage is still my favorite to play on because I imagine some residual "vibe" from much hipper days. Regarding my personal background, I graduated Quincy High in 1971, was a Quality Assurance Technician for 13 years, Logistics Coordinator for Premium Waters for 4 years and currently am graphic arts designer for Freeman Specialty Waters. I've played the local music scene since 1972 and am currently with the band 8:58. Also, as I mentioned I live in Ursa with my wife of 28 years Susan who runs the local café downtown (which consists of a Harley shop, a bar, 2 churches and a gas station). My son JC., who lives in Hull, Illinois with his lovely wife Mariah, manages his own site MMAFURY.TV. Minor Notes consists of music and musician's resources, art, humor, software, free stuff, information, and observations made and things learned (and still learning). I am not selling anything on this website, the purpose of these pages is only that I have too much time on my hands and need a real hobby. Enjoy. |
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