Little Rock
Today, John Choura Jr. brings us down south to Little Rock, Arkansas. Here’s what he says about it:
“Truly, I just LOVE the song ‘I’ve Been Everywhere,’ by Johnny Cash. And I can just about nearly sing (and sometimes mumble when it gets too fast), the whole first verse of the song with out messing up. But! I did learn some interesting things about the city of Little Rock, Arkansas during my research. It’s a city that rests along side the Arkansas River, with a small handful of bridges for traveling to and from. Nearby there is a large bluff called Big Rock, and the French settlers from way back in the day decided to name their town after it, calling it ‘la Petite Roche’ or as we know it, Little Rock.”
Kingston
Today, Jeff Jarvis brings us Kingston, New York. Here’s what he has to say about it:
“I don’t have any immediate connection to Kingston. I’ve actually only been there once, but it is just about halfway up the Hudson river between where I live now in New York City and where I grew up near Albany. Kingston has a long history, being one of the original three (along with Albany and New York City) Dutch settlements in New Amsterdam and was New York State’s first capital city.”
Black Rock
Today, Justin Mezzell brings us out to the Nevada Desert to Black Rock. Here’s what he says about it:
“I, myself, have never made my way over to Burning Man. In fact, I knew absolutely nothing about it before embarking on this design and, in truth, know nearly as much about it now as I did before. What I can tell you is that there are some truly remarkable monuments erected for this week of self-expression that include anything and everything under the sun from gargantuan snails, rickety buildings barely braced enough to survive the softest of winds, any number of wooden humanoid structures towering over the desert landscape like a still from a low budget production of Gulliver’s Travels, and per offerings via Google Image Search, a lot of bra burning—amongst other things. I’m going to go ahead and assume that, while Burning Man is but a week-long ordeal, there’s not much else to speak about going on the rest of the year. Regardless, here’s my tag for Black Rock City. No, there are no burning effigies. There are also no burning bras. Fire is hard to illustrate so step off.”
Springfield
Today John Boilard, A.K.A. JP Boneyard, represents his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts and it’s rich history. Here’s what he says about it:
“Springfield Massachusetts is one of many US cities that considers itself a ‘city of firsts’ but this Springfield is really it (settled 1636). Having grown up here it’s hard to pick a favorite of the cities firsts. Sure the assembly line, interchangeable parts, vulcanized rubber, Merriam Webster’s dictionary, the first American horseless car and the great sport of Basketball are pretty impressive Springfield born inventions but the Indian Motorcycle (one of the first American made motorcycles) has always been my favorite. Here’s to two wheel freedom and an industrious city that will always feel like home to me!”
Toronto
Today, Fatti Burke brings us north of the border to Toronto. Here’s what she says about it:
“My reasoning behind my piece is that when I lived near Toronto, for a year when I was nine, I didn’t think that the city was bigger or scarier than our cities in Ireland. The thing that struck me most were the blue jays (not the team). I had never seen a blue feather before and I thought that they were the most beautiful creatures in the world. The fact that there’s so much fauna hanging around a city is really special. And that’s why I love Toronto.”
Dodge City
Today, Colin Hesterly gives us a view of the Old West in Dodge City, Kansas. His Words:
“Dodge City, Kansas - 1872. Longhorn cattle center of the world and wide-open Babylon of the American frontier - packed with settlers, thieves and gunmen.”
Fond du Lac
Today, Andy Luce brings us to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Here’s what he says about it:
“Fond Du Lac or ‘The foot of the lake’ is just across Lake Winnebago from my dad’s hometown of Winneconne, WI. I remember road-trips when I was a kid to visit family on the lake - paddling, canoeing and fishing. I remember watching the sailboats in the afternoons. Living just South in Chicago, heading north to the lake is one of my favorite summertime adventures with my wife - stopping at Mars Cheese Castle along the way of course.”
Fargo
Today, Jill De Haan takes us up north to Fargo, North Dakota. Here’s what she says about it:
“I originally chose to design the Fargo tag because of my love for the Coen Brothers’ film, “Fargo”. However, I soon learned from researching the city that not only was it the location of a great film but it is also full of interesting historical and geographical highlights such as: the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad that allowed the city to became known as the “Gateway to the West”, that the city sits on the western bank of the Red River of the North, that it features long, cold, windy, and snowy winters, and the most engrossing (and slightly hilarious) fact that I discovered was that the city of Fargo is extremely prone to disaster. Not only did it survive a massive fire in 1893 but an F5 tornado in 1957 and annual Red River flooding issues that run throughout the middle of the city. Not to mention being known as the “divorce capitol” of the midwest in 1880 due to lenient divorce laws. In the end though, I decided not to take the “disaster route” when illustrating my tag and have learned to simply appreciate the quirkiness of this city’s history. ‘Real good then’.”
Tampa
Today, Kendrick Kidd takes us on vacation to Tampa, Florida. Here are his thoughts on the place:
“Tampa, it’s where Floridians vacation.”
Baltimore
Today, native Marylander Alyssa Nassner lets us visit her hometown of Baltimore. Here’s what she says about it:
“I’m a Baltimore native. My entire family was born and raised in the city, and I attended college at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Baltimore holds a very special place in my heart - it’s an amazing, vibrant community filled with beautiful neighborhoods and people. I chose to illustrate our state bird - the Baltimore Oriole to represent Baltimore. Not only is Baltimore it’s namesake, it is a symbol that everyone in the city can recognize and connect to.”
