The trip to Oregon, Illinois

oregon17
Originally uploaded by frau cowtown

The flickr set is over here with all 34 photos.

So Kurt had to play in a dixieland parade last Sunday afternoon and we decided Oregon, Illinois would be a fun trip for the whole family. It began as a rainy, cold morning, so I took the kids to the Stronhold Castle for an indoor tour. As we emerged from the tour, the skies had cleared up. Rather than exploring the rest of the grounds, I told the kids we'll go back to town and watch the parade. No sooner had we arrived along the main street, we heard the dixie band playing... and saw them approaching our patch of sidewalk! Perfect timing. After their truck passed along and continued down the parade route, we decided to kill some time wandering around the craft and food vendors.

When Kurt's truck reached the end of the parade route, he called us and we all went back to the Stronghold Castle for another tour! It was also Renaissance Days with plenty of fools, jesters, Ladies and Lords running around.

On our drive back home we stopped at the Machine Shed restaurant in Rockford. This place has the most outstanding, home cooked meals fit for a hardworking farmer. If you have ever been looking for heartland America cuisine... this is the place!