Welcome to I Like Illinois

Dolly in the Prairie State

Dolly Parton, American singer, songwriter, actress and champion of children’s literacy philanthropy passed away on Tuesday. Parton leaves behind a legacy of kindness and generosity, and her influence extends to families across Illinois.

Parton made her Illinois debut in 1968 at the Champaign County Fair with the Porter Wagoner Show.

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This day in history: The first Lincoln-Douglas debate

On Aug. 21, 1858 over 10,000 residents gathered in Washington Square Park in Ottawa to hear Abraham Lincoln and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas debate as they ran against each other to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate.

There were no seats and the crowd was so boisterous that the debate was delayed by half an hour.

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The Udderly cool story of the State Fair Butter Cow

The Illinois State Fair is filled with traditions, from carnival rides and concerts to livestock competitions and plenty of fair food. But for generations of fairgoers, no trip to Springfield is complete without stopping by the Dairy Building to see one of the fair’s most recognizable attractions... the Butter Cow.

The Butter Cow has been an unofficial icon of the Illinois State Fair since the 1920s. Each year, approximately 500 pounds of unsalted butter are carefully sculpted by hand to create the life-sized cow. The process takes several days, transforming an everyday dairy product into a work of art.

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Passing it on: A Springfield resident receives recognition for blood donation

• Springfield
• Fresenius Kabi National Blood Donation Hall of Fame
• Recognition

For Springfield resident David Butt, what started as a one-time blood donation to learn his blood type turned into donating blood 400 times.

Butt has been donating blood since 1990 and has now reached the 400-donation mark. In honor of that milestone, the Fresenius Kabi National Blood Donation Hall of Fame will recognize him this year.

Twice a month, Butt makes his regular Power Red donation, which removes the platelets from his blood for donation. He used to donate whole blood, which can be done every 56 days, but he switched to platelet donation in 2008.

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