| 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 perched on the windy bluffs of 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 have graced our fair city include actors Roy Brocksmith, John
Anderson and Mary Astor, pro golfer D.A. Weibring, Illinois governor John Wood, singer/guitarist
Micki Free (Shalamar, Diana Ross), composer Ralph Carmichael, trombonist Bob Havens, Elmer Wavering (inventor of the car radio), Paul Tibbets (who pushed the
big red button over Hiroshima), Baltimore infielder Jim Finigan, John Mahoney (Frasier Crane's dad Martin), Augustine Tolton, and a frequent visitor 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 Blues in the Park, the Dogwood Festival, Gus Macker B-Ball, Little People's Golf Classic, the Knights of Columbus Barbecue (major party!), Tin Dusters, Gems Baseball, Parrothead Street Dance, and the Wrangler Bass Fishing Tournament (click HERE for a complete list of annual local events). The nightlife here these days is mostly country, classic rock or dance club mix (with a recent surge of new young bands), although back in the 70's you could catch a good rock band or concert every weekend. The best ones were at Positively Front Street and 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, Head East and many others. That stage is still my favorite to play on because I imagine some residual "vibe" from much hipper days. 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. |
