Fall/Winter 2010

“There was the life that has shaped my body and mind for all the years to come,” said President Ronald Reagan in reference to Dixon, Illinois, the small town where he grew up. The 40th president would have turned 100 on February 6, 2011, and in honor of the centennial, Dixon is throwing a yearlong birthday bash in Reagan’s honor and inviting visitors to come see where the Gipper began his journey. 

The first stop is Reagan’s boyhood home, a two-story white frame house that has been refurbished to its 1920s state and is complete with period wallpaper, an old wooden ice box and the barn where Reagan and his brother Neil raised rabbits. Just up the street you can visit Reagan’s grade school, now The Dixon Historical Museum, housing a portrait of Reagan made from more than 14,000 jellybeans (the president’s favorite snack). If you’re feeling adventurous, head out to Lowell Park, where Reagan served as a lifeguard and is rumored to have saved 77 lives.

As part of the birthday celebration, the town has commissioned “Reagan in Illinois,” an original piece of music celebrating his life and legacy in the Midwest. The piece will premiere on February 19, 2011, at the Historic Dixon Theater, where Reagan first fell in love with Hollywood.  
A few miles away sits Tampico, Illinois, a farm town that would go by unnoticed if it wasn’t for the little sign on Main Street that reads “Birthplace of Ronald Reagan.” The town celebrates February 6 every year with cake and refreshments, but this year they are stepping it up and throwing a gala event on February 4 and all are invited, including President Reagan’s family.

- State - Illinois

- Type - Historic Tours

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