A couple of Sunday’s ago I had the an intense urge to “get out of the house and do something!” A sure sign that my social distancing and staying in had passed my level of tolerance. What to do, what to do?
It was then I remembered seeing the large statue of the old comic strip character Popeye in a small park and welcome center just after crossing the Chester, Illinois, bridge over the Mississippi River on returning from a trip to Kentucky. I had been intrigued at the time by the appearance of the statue and wondered how it came to be there. My first thought was that maybe canned spinach was a product manufactured in the town and Popeye was, of course, the perfect icon to tout the benefits of the green, leafy veggie.
I still remember one of his famous and oft-repeated lines from both the Sunday comic strips and Saturday matinee cartoons, “I am strong to the finish…cause I eats me spinach,” usually boisterously announced after conquering his latest adversary with his battering-ram fists after tossing down an always-handy can of spinach. Many a little kid from my era was enticed into eating spinach by their moms implying they would automatically be transformed into a Popeye-like fearless hero. (Regrettably, in my case, as a kid I was more a prototype of Popeye’s gangly and uncoordinated girlfriend, Olive Oyl.)
There was a treasure-trove of information about the Popeye statue and the town of Chester found online. Seems the character of Popeye was created by Elzie Crisler Segar, a cartoonist who came from the town and in 1919 created a comic strip in New York’s Evening Journal called Thimble Theater. Popeye made his debut in the strip as a new character in 1929, making the famous sailor 91 years old today! Wow!! Maybe spinach is the fountain of youth in a can!
An interjection here, Popeye may be invincible, but unfortunately his statue wasn’t. Two preceding statues were vandalized and had to be replaced. The one now standing at the welcome center park by the bridge is the third edifice of the squinty-eye, heavily-muscled-outsized-armed legend.
Since the statue of Popeye was placed prominently as the first thing seen after crossing the bridge from near Perryville to Chester, the community has made the Popeye character their mascot. The statue was first erected in 1977, and since then many other murals and statues of the brawling old sailor and his entourage of supporting characters have found homes in various locations around the town.
A "map of the stars" has been produced that shows where each individual statue is located (mostly in front of or beside businesses, community buildings, schools and restaurants) and gives general — very general — directions on how to find them. When the map was last updated in early 2020, there were 16 different sites to visit. I know this for a fact, as it was the destination for my Sunday excursion.
I did actually find and see at least one mural and eight of the statues (a few of them are simply busts mounted on a pedestal) as I drove around. No easy feat, as I was trying not to hold up the cars behind me or to run into those in front of me as I went along State Street where most of them are situated.
The map — while accurate — doesn’t go into great detail, nor include the fact that it takes at least two people (my dog wasn’t a reliable guide) to spot the many attractive, pearlized-finished statues along the indicated route. One person is required as the driver to carefully and cautiously follow the narrow, winding and hilly streets. Another is needed to do the navigating and, hopefully, also spot the statues in time to give an advance warning to the driver before it has been passed.
Actually, a third or even fourth passenger would be helpful as the statues and murals appear on both sides of the busy main thoroughfare. There are also several others that are found only by crossing onto side streets, a tricky maneuver at best as these require tackling streets that either go straight up or straight down (think Matterhorn) with no advance warning! Chester is most definitely not a town for those who can’t stand heights or for wimpy drivers!
Undaunted by the undulating terrain, the townspeople and visitors come out in force for the enjoyable annual event of Popeye’s Picnic that is held on the weekend following Labor Day and consists of food, rides, games, music and fireworks! A large Popeye Parade is held on Saturday morning that is preceded by a walk and run for anyone who wants to participate. Both the parade and walk/run bring out creative efforts showcasing Popeye and his friends. Check with the Chester Chamber of Commerce before making plans to attend, as it is very possible the events will be canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
My visit that Sunday afternoon, was spent entirely in the car, with only a drive-thru stop to pick up a drink and sandwich at the local MacDonald’s (and yes, there is a statue there of Sea Hap Bernard, I think the map stated, shared with the neighboring Walmart). A head’s-up here: large signs for both of the businesses are easily seen from State Street, BUT, the two businesses themselves aren’t. To get to either one, or both, you make a right turn off State Street and immediately go down a hill before turning into a valley and their parking lots.
While I was in line at the drive-thru I heard a tremendous crash where two cars were obviously both trying to make the turn at the same time. The result was very messy and serious. When I very cautiously came up another exit on the opposite end of the parking lot, I saw a large congregation of firetrucks, police cars, ambulances and towing trucks. As I said, it pays to be extra careful when driving in Chester… especially if you’re from out-of-town.
My only stop to get out and stretch my legs — and give my patient and furry companion, JayC, a wee break — was just before leaving for the approximately 60-mile drive home. We parked at the welcome center park (closed due to the epidemic) where we had a quick lunch at one of the available picnic tables with only two other sightseers stopping to admire the remarkable birds-eye view of the Mississippi River, and the flat and lush farmland that lines the opposite side.
I admit, I did take a couple of pictures of JayC: one of him viewing the bridge and the Mississippi River and the other of him pondering the Popeye statue, probably with intentions of leaving a mark showing that he had been there!
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August 27, 2020 at 06:48PM
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