Gay in the Heart of Illinois Part 2 0f 3

This is the second of the three part series of being gay in the heart of Illinois. Some of us are permanent residents of the area, some go to one of the many colleges and universities that Central Illinois has to offer and some people have relocated to this area to work at one of the many business headquarters located in Bloomington or Normal.

Bloomington-Normal, located in the heart of Central Illinois, is halfway between Chicago and St. Louis and within a 450-mile radius of 12 major metro areas.

With the Twin Cities' combined metro population of 146,800, Bloomington-Normal is large enough to offer the amenities of a big city while maintaining a friendly, small-town attitude. Two universities offer a variety of cultural fare including concerts, symphonies and plays. Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University are also home to fine sports teams.

Golfers in the area are pleased with the Arnold Palmer signature golf course. Golf is a popular sport in the Twin Cities, as evidenced by the numerous private and public golf courses in McLean County. The Constitution Trail, a popular hiking and biking trail that winds through the towns, has recently been expanded. And Miller Park Zoo continues to attract visitors.

There is Gay History in Bloomington that takes us back to the late 70's and possibly before, however I was unable to find a source to take me back any further. So, starting back at a bar called My Place on Main Street in Bloomington in the mid to late 70's. My Place had a side by side dance floor, a pool table area and closed in early 80's.
Then in 1983 Bloomington had Terry's on Tuesdays because Terry's was only gay on Tuesdays but then was opened as a gay bar every night but only lasted that year. After Terry's closed, Twyla's place opened and soon changed its name to Butch gardens they closed in the middle April and never re-opened. Set to open Jan 2nd, they thought they would be sly and open on NYE. When the City Fathers found out, the bar was fined and closed in April. They never opened again. It wasn't long after that The Bistro opened on Main Street in Bloomington as most of the other gay bars in Bloomington history. With The Bistro going strong, for several years, another bar opened. This was the only time in the history of gay Bloomington that there were two gay bars open at the same time. Unfortunately, Bourbon St. was very short lived.

The Bistro was bought in 1983 by a wonderful woman named Jan Lancaster. She has an incredible story to tell. So here it goes.

Most of my youth and adult life has been spent in Bloomington-Normal. I was involved in the arts through ISU and began my working career at 18 as a personal assistant to the owner of a car dealership in Bloomington, this job I held for about 15 years. When the dealer decided to sell I felt it was time for something new and went to work for The Music Shoppe in Normal. That career lasted through the opening of The Bistro and continued until I purchased the restaurant in 1998.

I was working at The Music Shoppe and going with friends to various bars and restaurants in the evening. I heard about a new bar, The Bistro, which had just opened in downtown Bloomington. As soon as I walked in the door I felt I was home. With encouragement from the owner, I bought the business and the building in 1993 and continued the bar under The Bistro name.

I moved upstairs from The Bistro, it had electricity and running water that was about it. I continued to work at The Music Shoppe during the day and evening averaging about ninety hours a week. Then I would come down and work at the bar. It was a pretty rocky start.

I have always be involved with the community and volunteered in many organizations. I feel the community saw my intent, trusted me and knew that I wanted to keep the bar, not just for me but for them. I always get scolded by my CPA that I need to keep something for myself but I feel giving back is so important. Helping people through tough times is what we try to do. This is done by either by giving them money for their electric bill or having a cocktail with them and giving them someone to talk to. This is very important.

The Aids epidemic hit hard, I think we all felt we were immune to it. The loss of many close friends has taken its toll but we continue to strive for a cure and to support those that need us. As far as the equal rights amendment; this was put up to vote in Bloomington not long after I got the bar. We formed a committee that turned into the Advocacy Council for Human Rights which still exist today. We held public meetings and I was so heartened by the number of people that spoke out some for the first time. This was a very emotional struggle that we lost. We then forged ahead in Normal and had better luck, passing on the first time. Finally the issue was brought up again to the Bloomington Council. We hit the issue hard and to the last minute I was unsure what some of the council members would vote. We Won, another thrilling achievement!

There are too many things to try and pinpoint one thing that has changed my life but perhaps one that comes to mind is the "kids" that come through my door. Some kids were unable to be out to the families and friends. They need a home a place they can be themselves to express their feelings and just be who they are. I feel The Bistro offers such a place. Some of "my children" have brought their parents in to meet me after they have come out to them. Many parents contact me for explanations and what to do now. The answer is to LOVE them! After eleven years it is still great to be called Momma.

When I first opened the bar I meet Rob Freitag and became very close friends with him and his partner that has now passed away. Rob had been in the restaurant business his whole life and for many years had worked with Richard Kurtz. Kurtz's opened a place in downtown about two blocks from the bar. Rob ran that place and I patronized it a lot. When it became apparent that Richard was going to sell Rob and I talked about buying it several times. I lived downtown, loved the restaurant but thought there was some room for improvement. I hadn't been in the restaurant business before but thought it couldn't be any worse than running a bar so in November 1998 we opened Lancaster's. For a small business to succeed your whole atmosphere has to succeed. I don't believe I would have considered opening a restaurant if it hadn't been in downtown. Lancaster's is a great place, lots of work but it's rewarding. Rob takes care of most things while I cook, which is something I enjoy.

I have been very involved in the downtown-serving on many boards and committees. Downtown is just blooming and I feel honored to have been a part of it.

My plans for the future--continue the bar as long as I can. I have great employees, some being with me from the beginning. Keep tending bar on the weekends and when needed to keep in touch with what's going on. To assure people I am here if needed. To keep cooking and to make Lancaster's a success. To spent time with my family and friends and hope to be called The Momma for a long time to come.

"The best things you achieve in life, you achieve through love."

I really think that Jan has summed it all up in just a few words. You can find out more about the club at www.thebistro.us They have a great space and a lot going on.

There seems to be a lot of things going on in the Bloomington Normal
area. I have put together a partial list of some of the organizations that are doing good things for folks in the Central Illinois area.

Bloomington Normal Volunteer Organizations

PFLAG
Bloomington/Normal, Illinois Chapter of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) has been helping families in Central Illinois for many years. I spoke with Jeanne Howard the Acting President of PFLAG since January 2004 and asked her a few questions to let you know more about what is going on here in this area and why. I asked her what brought about the need for a PFLAG chapter in the Bloomington/Normal area. She told me "There have been several families with gay children, not only in Bloomington/Normal, but in the smaller surrounding communities, that felt that there needed more support locally. There is an ebb and flow to the meetings, families seem to come to the meetings and as they become more comfortable with their gay family members and come to the meetings less often. Because of that reason, the meetings are a combination of topic meetings and discussion meetings as they families adapt. Jeanne added, "I think it is critical for all families to have help for all struggles, but when you are a parent of a gay kid, you remember that there are dangers that your kids can face. For more information about PFLAG in the Bloomington/Normal area call 309-438-8503

Jeanne is also a teacher at Illinois State University, where the staff and faculty have just been offered benefits for domestic partners. This has been a great step forward for the gay rights movement in Central Illinois and promises a brighter future for equality in many areas.

Bruce Lang with and Connections Community Center
MCATF McLean County AIDS Task Force
I had the great opportunity to chat with Bruce Lang, a very busy man, who sits on several boards for area organizations. He talked to me about the McLean County AIDS Task Force. He said, "The task force started in 1986 as an agency representative group with no budget. In 1988 they incorporated into an all volunteer agency. They had no facility until 1982 and with the money from the aids quilt display and donations from Dan Cochran they were able to rent an office where they have been since 1992. In 1997 they started having very successful fundraisers. Through prevention grants they have a part time technical advisor for a 25 county area. This includes training, guidelines, boundary issues, using Connections as a model facility. The task force is not an all GLBT group because of the demographics. The board is currently 50% gay and covers the demographics that HIV covers." He went on to tell me the other organizations that MCATF is affiliated with. "MCATF together PFLAG operates Connections Community Center, for youths who are questioning their sexuality. You can find out more about them on the web at www.opendooryouthcenter.org.

MCATF operates another organization called Men in 2 Men. This is a social and wellness group including friends in a meeting place for movies, games socializing, discussions and of course HIV education. They utilize the Connections storefront at 313 N. Main Street in Downtown Bloomington. To find out more about them go to www.MCATF.org and click on men in2men.

Plans for the future include more individualized counseling to make lives safer. Bruce went on to say that "in the future, we would like to do some bigger fundraisers. We had great success with "Dining with Friends" which is a 2 part event. You have a party at your home, with your friends, a formal dinner party, and a picnic, whatever. The second part is a finale where everyone is brought in for dessert and coffee with a silent auction. This social event is a great fund raiser and bears repeating."
MCATF is currently remodeling their facility to make it more useable for their clientele.

Other organizations in B/N are network with are: ACHR Advocacy Council for Human Rights, a political organization, Interweave a part of the Unitarian Church, Pride at ISU.

So you see there is life outside the suburbs of Chicago. If you are planning a weekend trip check with any of the advertisers from this 3 part series or drop me an e-mail at BOI@mchsi.com.