Mattoon is in eastern Illinois, about halfway between St. Louis and Indianapolis, just west of Eastern Illinois University. Centrally located, but not a big tourist destination. Only four claims to fame:
1. Lincoln and Douglas stayed here before their debate.
2. It's the home town of Hope Summers, who played small-town gossips, snobs, snoops, and other foils on
My Three Sons, Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, Petticoat Junction, and other 1960s sitcoms, and Jackie Moran, a 1930s teen idol who played Buster Crabbe's sidekick in the 1939
Buck Rogers serial.
3. In the fall of 1944, the Mad Gasser squirted a paralyzing gas through the windows of a dozen residents, mostly women whose husbands were off fighting World War II. An eyewitness described him as tall, gaunt, and not entirely human. Mass hallucination, a real gasser, or a little of both?
None of those, unfortunately, are commemorated in any way.
4. it's the home of Lender's Bagels (those frozen hockey pucks you buy when for some reason you can't get the real thing). Every summer there's a Bagelfest with a fun run, a beauty pageant (for girls), and other small-town festival attractions.
5. And the original Burger King (no connection to the chain, which they unsuccessfully sued). It's a tiny, old-fashioned eat-in restaurant downtown.
But there are a lot of beefcake opportunities.
1. Mattoon High School offers swimming, track, cross-country, and wrestling.
2. There's also a community college, Lake Land, and Eastern Illinois University is only a few miles away.
3. Ben Booker (top photo) is the owner of Second Chance Fitness in nearby Arthur, Illinois. His philosophy is that "fitness is for everybody.," regardless of age. Seniors from 60 to 100 are invited to participate in his Senior Classes.
4. In April 2018, Mattoon hosted a Special Olympics Powerlifting Competition.
5. There's a Mattoon Weightlifting Club, but it seems to be mostly for kids.
