Reagan statue will be centerpiece in Dixon (where he was lifeguard)

Reagan statue will be centerpiece in Dixon

DIXON, Ill. — Ronald Reagan is remembered for dozens of films and two terms in the White House that helped end the Cold War, but he said saving 77 lives as a riverfront lifeguard in his small Illinois hometown was one of his proudest moments.

By decade’s end, a bronze statue will give the late president a lasting legacy on the shores of the Rock River, just a couple of miles from the beaches he patrolled for seven summers before moving on to Hollywood, Washington and a place in history.

The 9-foot sculpture of a film-era Reagan on horseback will be the centerpiece of a $3.2 million riverfront development project that officials predict will spur tourism, housing and retail growth in this city of about 16,000 people.

“There’s so much interest in Reagan that it will be a big, big attraction, I think, to bring people to the riverfront,” said Dixon Mayor Jim Burke.

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/01/09/news/local/doc43c20e101da86911531381.txt

Red Square. Does not seem right to me.

The statue and base are about 6 feet tall. Good tourist attraction-which I'm sure is why Dixon followed Chester's lead.

a little over one each month (for just the summer season). Sounds like another Reagan super hero myth, the same as him ending the cold war.

when i was a kid in the 50`s i used to swim where he was a life guard and yes it was really easy to get in big trouble..

Wonder if they could use a little help.

Give me the big ol' bar of Ex-Lax.

just ducks and geese....no ex-lax for those critters..

i`m not sure where they are going to put the statue but i`m sure it will look reallly ,really tacky. 2.5 million came from fat denny from the highway bill and i guess the rest is coming from the taxpayers. well if you come to dixon check first--in the spring it`s the mayflys, then the river starts dropping and by august it smells like dead fish..well there are dead fish.it`s a joke but i guess we are stuck with it. dixon is one of the sites of the lincoln douglas debates and a nice statue of a young abe lincoln so it kind`a balances out.
i was going to post this along time ago in the general forums but i couldn`t bring myself to do it