St. Louis, MO to Chester, IL - 63 miles

Chester is the "Home of Popeye," where a six-foot, 900 lb. bronze statue of Popeye the Sailor Man stands in the Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park, which also honors Popeye's creator, Elzie Segar. The park is located next to the Chester Bridge. Several of Mr. Segar's characters were created from experiences with people of Chester. Chester's big event is its annual Popeye Picnic and parade, held the weekend after Labor Day. Popeye fans travel from all over the United States and the world to partake in the weekend activities. Most of the events and entertainment are free and family friendly.

New statues honoring the other Thimble Theater characters are added each year. This character trail is spread throughout Chester and to date includes:

"Popeye the Sailor Man"

"J. Wellington Wimpy" (2006)

"Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, and Jeep" (2007)

"Bluto" (2008)

"Castor Oyl and Whiffle Hen" (2009)

"Sea Hag" (2010)

Chester was also the filming location of scenes from the 1967 movie "In the Heat of the Night", the 1993 movie "The Fugitive", and the 1994 film documentary "Hoop Dreams".

The ride to Chester was not all that long, however it was definitely hot. The heat wave and the National Weather Service Advisory is still on and is not expected to be cancelled until possibly Thursday night...that is what they said last week...only time will tell.
The town is right on the Mississippi River and the Chester Bridge is interesting and the river scenery is beautiful.

We are staying at Reid's Inn Best Western

Tomorrow we are off to Carbondale, IL.