Stop by the Illinois Voices 250 booth at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market on Saturday, August 8, between 8 a.m. and noon on the Museum Plaza! We're excited to host this opportunity. Collecting and preserving the stories of McLean County is central to our mission. This is a unique opportunity to do so in collaboration with statewide partners as the nation marks its 250th anniversary.
Illinois Voices 250 is a statewide storytelling initiative led by Illinois Humanities. In partnership with the Illinois America 250 Commission and StoryCorps Studios, this initiative is capturing conversations from all 102 Illinois counties.
Conversations will be preserved in a special collection at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations. By documenting diverse stories, reflections, and memories from people across the state, Illinois Voices 250 will create a lasting time capsule of Illinois voices.
Participation is free, and a Do-It-Yourself option is available online at ILHumanities.org/ILVoices250.
Illinois Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities. Their work sparks conversation, fosters reflection, builds community, and strengthens civic engagement for everyone in Illinois. They envision an Illinois where the public humanities are central to making the state more just, creative, and connected.
Illinois America 250 is an inclusive, statewide effort that uplifts local stories, places, and programs, builds pride, and showcases how Illinoisans bring the ideals of the Declaration of Independence to life. Please visit www.il250.org to learn more.
StoryCorps is committed to the idea that everyone has an important story to tell and that everyone’s story matters. Their mission: to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time. Since 2003, StoryCorps has helped over 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives. These recordings are collected in the U.S. Library of Congress and in an online archive that is now the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit, sharing select stories with the public through weekly broadcasts, our podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.
Questions? Please click here to contact us.