Supporters meet to protest canal closing

SHEFFIELD — It’s a sad day when the citizens of Illinois have to beg their governor to keep open something the citizens already own, according to Sheffield Mayor Bill Rosenow. Rosenow was among an estimated 200 people attending Saturday’s Pack Our Parks event at the Hennepin Canal State Parkway, about three miles east of Sheffield.

Rosenow addressed Saturday’s crowd about the importance of keeping the park open for area residents and tourists and also about the need for people to keep opposing Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s decision to close the state park on Nov. 30.

On Monday, Rosenow said the Hennepin Canal State Parkway is used by people from every walk of life, from throughout the local area and beyond.

“Considering the hard economy, I think this is absolutely the saddest time to be closing our parks,” Rosenow said. “This is a beautiful place where people can go and enjoy the outdoors, have a picnic or go for a walk, and not have to spend a bunch of money.”

Personally, Rosenow said he’s been going to the park since he was a boy, when the canal was owned by the federal government. He swam, fished and boated in the canal and camped overnight along the banks. If anything, more money should be put into the canal to raise up the water level and to develop the park even more, Rosenow said.

In his opinion, closing the park to the public and trying to maintain the 104-mile canal with only one person just doesn’t make sense, Rosenow said.

“To think they can keep the park up with one person is ludicrous,” Rosenow said. “I think the governor should put the citizens of Illinois first and keep our parks open.”

Bud and Ramona Wedding of Princeton also attended Saturday’s Pack Our Parks. Bud said he and his wife support the canal and think it should remain open.

The Princeton man estimated he’s been going out to the Hennepin Canal for probably 50 or 60 years. He and his wife still take bike rides along the canal and, as a longtime Boy Scout leader, he knows the Scouts have used the Hennepin Canal park for years. The canal’s also a great place for fishing, he said.

On Monday, Friends of the Canal spokesperson Cathy Foes said she was very pleased with Saturday’s turnout. Supporters came from as far away as the Quad Cities, Ottawa, Marseilles, Utica, Dixon and Prophetstown, as well as throughout the Bureau County area.

However, the fight to save the Hennepin Canal State Parkway is far from over, Foes said. People still need to write their letters, call the governor’s office and sign petitions opposing Blagojevich’s decision to close the state parks, she said.

“The question I ask is when is it going to end and when are the taxpayers’ interests going to be listened to by Gov. Rod Blagojevich?”, Foes said.

Foes and other supporters of the Hennepin Canal attended a meeting Monday morning to discuss the next step to take to protect the future of the canal. The group will continue to do its best to raise awareness of the canal and its importance historically, from a tourism standpoint, and as a natural treasure. The group hopes to have something in place for its “next level” plan by January, Foes said.

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