Central Illinois Bed and Breakfast the Market Street Inn

The lovely and little known persimmon is the focus of a festival, known as the Persimmon Party, held annually on the grounds of the Christian County Historical Society in Taylorville, IL.  This is a unique event in that it is one of only 3 such festivals for the persimmon in the U.S.  Persimmons seemingly have diminished in importance and usage to the American public over the years and cultivation of the trees is not as prominent at it once was even though the tasty fruit has many important food and medicinal properties.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon .

Every year, when the persimmons ripen, members of the Chrisitan County Historical Society http://www.taylorville.net/Historical_Society.htm gather and “pulp” the persimmons and package and freeze the pulp and have it waiting for the folks who attend the Persimmon Party to purchase and take home to use in delectable dishes for their table.  What a great addition to your Thanksgiving Dinner.  This year the Annual Persimmon Party will be November 12 and 13, 2011.  What a great time to come to Taylorville for fun , food and festivities.  There are always a variety of foods, made from the persimmon pulp, to sample maybe including Persimmon Drop Cookies and Persimmon Pudding as shown belowCookies and Persimmon Pudding as shown below.  The Christian County Historical Society has two Persimmon Cookbooks for sale to provide ideas about how to use the persimmon pulp you purchase during your visit.

                                                                                                     

The Christian County Historical Society grounds are comprised of a variety of buildings of historical value including a Bee Castle and the original Christian County Courthouse in which Abraham Lincoln practiced law on the Illinois 8th Judicial Circuit.  Please take the time to pay a visit to our Facebook Page and like us.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-County-Illinois-Historical-Society-and-Museum/137053123008672

Come to Christian County Illinois for fun, history and good times.  The county seat of Christian County is Taylorville, Illinois where you will find all sorts of restaurants, lodging and even more history.  We are located just 30 minutes from both Springfield and Decatur, Illinois.

Many years ago it was a tradition to Parade in one’s Easter finery along the Avenue and meet and greet and see and be seen by one and all.  Several inspired young ladies of fashion in Taylorville are recreating this tradition on Saturday, April 23 at 1:30 PM around the National Historic Registry Taylorville Square.  

Come and participate in our Easter Parade (Promenade_)

  Note!!!  This is not only for ladies of fashion but gentlemen as well.  Ladies, wear your Easter Bonnet and your finery and gentleman, wear your chapeau and fine suitings as well.  Don’t have a chapeau or a bonnet?  Go online and Google Easter Bonnet and Easter Parade and create your own.  What we want is participation.

The Taylorville Square is on the National Registry of Historic Places and has buildings dating back to the late 1800″s.  What a great place to meet and greet friends, both old and new.

Here are a couple of young ladies who have been hunting Easter Eggs in their beautiful attire.  Did I mention Easter Egg Hunt?  Yes, there will be an Easter Egg Hunt on the green of  the Courthouse Square sponsored by the Taylorville Kiwanis Club.  Eggs will contain various stuffings for the pleasure of the lucky who find them.  You might even expect a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Beginning at 1:30 PM is the Easter Promenade and remember, “This is not all about the girls!”  Men, come out and show your manhood by dressing up and parading with a finely dressed lady.  Or, perhaps, “Man’s Best Friend.”

 Of course, well behaved dogs are welcome, especially when attired in the finest of fashion.

After the Promenade, beginning at 2:30PM, there will be a wine tasting in the Shumway Room at One East Market Restaurant and Jazz Lounge.  Please come and enjoy.  Make a dinner reservation, go home and change and come back in your dancing  shoes to enjoy the sounds of The Big Shake Daddies.  You will be glad you did.

Easter is the Celebration of the Rebirth of Christ and what a great to do this.  Of course, folks from Miles Around and other well known cities are invited to join in and make this celebration the success it should be.  Happy Easter from the Market Street Inn Bed and Breakfast.

This is just a simple note to wish each and everyone of you who may read this blog a Happy Thanksgiving from Central Illinois and the staff at our Springfield, IL and Decatur, IL area  inn.  We hope you are having or going to have one of the finest family and friend gatherings of your lifetime.  May you all be blessed throughout your lives.  Thank you to all of our guests past and future.

All the best to you,

Myrna & Joe Hauser

There is a small town in Central Illinois which has the opportunity for an internationally significant, Clean Coal Gassification Plant and an adjacent power plant. Clean Coal! NO Greenhouse Gasses realeased into the atmosphere! Approved by the Illinois Citizens Utility Board, the Illinois EPA and more, but…Party Politics is keeping this from being brought to a vote along with a lobby effort from jealous other producers of electricity. Please HELP us by emailing, writing or calling your Illinois District Representative and District Senator and ask them to demand a chance to vote on this important issue and to vote FOR it. It is clean, it will create in excess of 1500 temporary jobs and about 850 permanent jobs for Central Illinois. This project is called the Taylorville Energy Center and is being spearheaded by Tenaska. Taxpayer funds will not be used, this is all done via private investment. The Federal Government has approved a $417 million tax credit to foster this internationally worthwhile project. Please lend a hand before Thanksgiving 2010.

Who thinks about Persimmons today? Probably not a lot of folks but the Persimmon Fest in Central Illinois at the Christian County Historical Museum sure does draw a crowd from all over the country and then some. Actually the persimmon is a sought after fruit in Asian Countries.

The Lovely and Versitile Persimmon

Persimmons are not ready to eat, at least by local standards, before they have undergone a “killing frost” and we have had one now so the persimmon harvest is coming in, they are being washed, pitted and mashed into a pulp for use in all sorts of tasty dishes including puddings, pies, steamed persimmon pudding, spiced persimmon cake and other baked goods.  Darleen Wilson is making 24 persimmon pecan pies for this event.  Abraham Lincoln would have loved Darleen’s pies.

Persimmon Bundt with Walnuts

Persimmon Bundt with Walnuts Recipe

 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Myrna, our chief innkeeper, is a survivor of  6 months. Our effort in promoting Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to invite you to a stay at the Market Street Inn Bed and Breakfast for the weekend of Friday and Saturday, October 29 and 30 or anytime through November 21, 2010 AND  10%  of your room rate will be donated to Cups for the Cure and/or Breast Cancer Research.  The donation will be in your name.

Some special events in Taylorville, IL   

** One East Market Restaurant invites you to make a $15 donation to attend a tasting of five fabulous wines and a complimentary, hand painted wine glass.  11 am to 5 pm    You may purchase any of the wines either by the bottle or case and all proceeds will go to breast cancer awareness and research in a ten-county area in Central Illinois.

** Lunch on the “Pink Plate Special” for $8.50 and $1.00 of each lunch will go to breast cancer research.

** The drink of the day at One East Market Restaurant will be the Flirtini Special for $7.50. Each Flirtini Special sold makes a $2.50 donation to Breast Cancer Research.

** There will be a 50/50 drawing and Gift Basket Raffles.

** There will be Art Bra’s on display, one by your innkeeper, and you may let your $$ vote for your favorite and, of course, all proceeds go to breast cancer awareness and research.

** There is NO COVER CHARGE for live music by 48 Connection from 5 to 8 PM. This band is known for their roadhouse blues and rock music.

Have fun, donate to a very worthy cause and enjoy Central Illinois finest lodging.  See us at www.marketstreetinn.com/

On Sunday, October 31st, Garlic Fest II will happen at the K of C Hall in Morrisonville, IL  just about 9 miles from the Market Street Inn Bed and Breakfast.  Tickets are $8 at the door and what a good time you will have.  Garlic!!!!  The doors will open at 1 PM and Bagna Cauda will be ready about 1:30 PM.  This gives you time to soak up a bunch of Bagna and beer preparing for the meal which will be at approximately 3:30 PM consisting of Garlic Sausage, Slaw & Mostaccioli.  There will be music by “The Music Men” from 3:30 to 7:30 PM.  Garlic Fest II is a revived area tradition and golly, did we miss it when it was gone.  Thanks for the revival.  You cannot have more down home fun than is available here.      

Bagna Cauda Recipe

Garlic Fest II Where Garlic is King

Yes, this is the main tree in the inn and for the past 5 years families have converged upon us from various points in the US and met at the Market Street Inn with their gifts and families and held their gift exchange in our front parlor. What fun they have and what fun we have along with them. Truly Christmas is one of the most wonderful times of the year. If the Grinch came in and stole all the gifts, our guests would realize that they have each other and in good health. Family is one of the real meanings of Christmas.

Throw your heart into the game, even if you are just watching.

Baseball season is underway. Fans gather around televisions, listen to radios, and fill stadiums in pursuit of this great American past time. The porch of our bed and breakfast in Taylorville Il is the perfectly spot to enjoy a pitcher of lemonade, a bowl of nuts, and the lulling voice of the announcer giving the play-by-play. Outdated, some might say, in this age of television. We have t.v., too, but sometimes it is worth revisiting old pleasures.

The front porch or the parlor chair in front of the television might just be as close as one can get to a major league baseball game here in Taylorville Illinois, but the spirit of the game is alive and well in the area nonetheless. Just a few miles up the road from our Central Illinois bed and breakfast is the B-R-S Baseball Museum. If you are a baseball fan, this museum is a lovely way to pass an hour or two while you are staying with us.

The Nokomis area of Central Illinois has produced many excellent baseball players; three of them not only made it to the big league, they made it the Hall of Fame: “Sunny” Jim Bottomley, Charles “Red” Ruffing and Ray Schalk. This museum is dedicated to them. Whether you are visiting the Springfield Illinois area for business or pleasure, if you have a spare hour, check out the B-R-S Museum.

Come and visit us in historic Taylorville for some of the best golfing Central Illinois has to offer. Our Springfield IL lodging is just minutes from some wonderful courses, such as Piper Glen.

We offer some of the best stay and play golf packages in Central Illinois. Allow us to schedule a tee time for you, and assist in any other reservations you may need to make, such as dinner or theater. These specials and service can only be found at a premier Lincolnland Bed and Breakfast.

Stay and Play Packages

GOLF PACKAGE #1 For 2 people, Monday-Thursday $250

GOLF PACKAGE #2 For 2 people, Friday – Sunday $275

GOLF PACKAGE #3 For 1 person, Monday-Thursday $ 200

GOLF PACKAGE #4 For 1 person, Friday-Sunday $225

• 18 holes w/ cart
• Dinner certificate for $50.00 for 2 at nearby restaurant OR
• Dinner certificate for $25.00 for 1 at nearby restaurant
• Overnight stay in queen bed room w/ double whirlpool
• Social hour & full breakfast
• Ask about adding additional nights
• Add $30 for King bedded Whirlpool room
• Add $100 for Carriage House Hunt Club, 2 night minimum

How could you ask for more? You’ll be sure to hit a hole in one with any of our stay and play packages!

See you soon!