August Artist of the Month: Alison Krauss, a Bluegrass legend

Every month here on I Like Illinois, we highlight a wide variety of artists and musicians, showcasing the diversity and uniqueness of our state and its role and impact in the music and creative industries. This month, we are highlighting a Bluegrass legend: Alison Krauss.

Born in Decatur in 1971, Alison grew up in the Champaign-Urbana area with an early influence of the banjo and acoustic guitar from her mother. From age five, she was given classic violin lessons until age eleven. Her mother, Louise, was a pivotal figure in her life, encouraging her to delve into the musical world at a young age as an artist and illustrator of magazines and textbooks herself.

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National Roller Coaster Day ─ Six Flags Great America

National Roller Coaster Day on Aug. 16 is a day to go out and celebrate by having your stomach drop and hands go up on some of the thrilling rides Illinois has to offer. This year we highlight Six Flags Great America. This amusement park in Lake County has 16 roller coasters and is among the top 20 in most visited amusement parks in North America!

Let’s start with the brand new Wrath of Rakshasa. This ride is the steepest and most inverted dive coaster in the world. Towering ominously at an impressive 180 feet, this dive coaster invites you to ascend into the shadows before surrendering to a heart-stopping 171-foot drop at a record-breaking beyond-vertical 96 degrees that feels like a descent into the abyss. As the world’s most inverted dive coaster, Wrath of Rakshasa sends you into a whirlwind of five inversions that will test your limits and leave you breathless. It reaches speeds of nearly 67 miles per hour as you race through the demon’s lair, soaring through 3,239 feet of steel track.

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Centralia Hot Air Balloon Fest

Centralia Balloon Fest is an annual three-day hot air balloon event that takes place on the third full weekend of August in Centralia. The event is held at Foundation Park, a 300-acre nature park.

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Illinois wins the 38th Annual Tug Fest

On August 7-9, Le Claire, Iowa and Port Byron, Illinois hosted the 38^th Annual Tug Fest. The “tug” refers to a tug of war game between Illinois and Iowa with a 2,700-foot long rope that stretches across the Mississippi River. This year, Illinois won all eleven rounds of tugging to continue their win streak to over a decade.

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