10-29-09 Vacation 2009 in Mid-West – Special Sites Mall Of America- Miller Brewery etc

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10-29-09 Vacation 2009 in Mid-West – Special Sites Mall Of America- Miller Brewery etc– Last in Series

As we planned our route, I realized how close we were to Moline Illinois. We planned a stop although it was raining that July 21. As a boy growing up on a farm in Oconee County, Georgia, I had seen the John Deere and Moline, Ill decal on many a John Deere Tractor and equipment in my youth. AVOC . October 25, 2009 . Vacation 2009 in Mid-West – Special Sites Mall Of America- Miller Brewery etc– Last in Series . By Wendell Dawson, Editor, AVOC, Inc . The United States is a huge country with many places to see and visit. It would take more than one life-time to really do justice to so many places of nature, history, climate, geographical landmarks and national parks. We saw many places and sites of interest in the Mid-West.Some of the most interesting and most fun were kind of surprises that we decided to do “on the road”. . WINDSOR, Ontario, Canada . We had planned to take the Tunnel from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, Canada. We spent a part of two days and a night there.It was an interesting city.It was large enough for many hotels and a Caesar’s Casino. It was also small enough to tour and enjoy without the feeling of being rushed. The first afternoon there, we noticed a crowd in a City Square.A performer was there with comedy and magic show.It was a pretty afternoon with a leisurely pace and the crowd was enjoying the performance. . Windsor Canada Public Square on a Saturday Afternoon 7-18-09 . On Sunday morning Betty and Jennifer went shopping and I enjoyed the scenery. There was a beautiful mural on the wall of a public street in a Theatre District. On the opposite side was a restaurant offering “Southern Food” and biscuits. We had already eaten but saw many folks going into the restaurant. . Street Mural in Windsor, Canada – Sunday 7-19-09 . COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME- South Bend, Indiana . College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend IN – 7.20.09. . On Monday morning (July 20), we toured the Notre Dame campus and enjoyed that.. After lunch at Vines on Michigan Ave, we went to the College Football Hall of Fame in the center of South Bend - Very impressive. Many GA Folks: Wally Butts, Frankie Sinkwich, Johnny Rauch, Fran Tarkenton, Vince Dooley, Herschel Walker.Jim Donnan was inducted this year for his Division II A record at Marshall. One needs to allow sufficient time to tour this place.Since our visit, I have heard the College Football Hall of Fame may be moving to Atlanta. If so, it will probably attract many visitors. . Moline, Illinois – Home of John Deere! . As we planned our route, I realized how close we were to Moline Illinois.We planned a stop although it was raining that July 21. As a boy growing up on a farm in Oconee County, Georgia, I had seen the John Deere and Moline, Ill decal on many a John Deere Tractor and equipment in my youth. . Moline, Illinois, Home of John Deere . John Deere Trademark – Moline, ILL – . We drove east of the City to see the John Deere World Headquarters. We took pictures but it was too wet to tour the place by foot. . John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, ILL 7-21-09 Raining…. . We toured the John Deere Pavilion downtown and saw a lot of huge modern equipment along with some old models. There were videos and displays of the history and state of American agriculture. We were inside and the heavy rain did not bother us too much. We were able to get some souvenirs in the Gift Shop. . At the pavilion, we saw many persons of senior vintage (like me).I commented that I still pictured the small B John Deere and the later A model John Deere we owned in the early 50s.One gentleman from Wisconsin (?) said he started with a B John Deere in the late 40’s and now owned a 7550 Model, a monster of a tractor! We saw some plowing with 16 row cultivators! . John Deere B Model Ca 1950 – Like one on Dawson Farm . John Deere 7550 atJohn Deere Pavilion on July 21, 2009 – Wendell Dawson . John Deere Pavilion in Moline, ILL 7-21-09 . John Deere Pavilion in Moline, ILL – Betty Dawson 7-21-09 . John Deere Pavilion Plaque in Moline, ILL . MALL OF AMERICA . Mall of America has an amusement park inside of it.It is huge and has 3 or 4 levels. On our last night, Betty and Jennifer visited the Mall for about two hours. They only made one trip through the amusement park and about ¼ of the way around one level.It is huge! . Mall of America in St Paul, MN 7-14-09 - Betty Dawson . MILLER Brewery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin . On July 17, 2009, we went to Miller Brewery and took the tour, interesting - lots of beer- ½ Million cases shipped daily. We took the free factory tour and saw and heard a lot of history. The buildings themselves have an historic look. We heard a lot about the beer ‘that made Milwaukee famous’. . Miller Brewery in Milwaukee, WI . Miller Brewery in Milwaukee, WI – Inside packing area 7-17-09 . Miller Brewery in Milwaukee, WI – Inside packing area 7-17-09 . Miller Brewery Building in Milwaukee . Miller Lite sampling by Betty Dawson at Miller Brewery on 7-17-09 . Betty has never cared for beer or really any alcohol.This photo shows her reaction to the taste! . Miller Brewing Factory Tour in Milwaukee, WI Miller Brewing Company . . Miller Brewing Company merged with Coors Brewing Company on July 1, 2008, to become MillerCoors. Prior to the joint venture, Miller Brewing was the second largest brewing company in the United States behind Anheuser-Busch and was based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was owned by SABMiller. Miller owns breweries in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas; Irwindale, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Trenton, Ohio, all of which have remained open since the MillerCoors joint venture.^[1] Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller when he purchased the small Plank-Road Brewery. The brewery's location in the Menomonee Valley provided easy access to raw materials produced on nearby farms. . On September 19, 1966, the conglomerate W.R. Grace & Co. agreed to buy 53% of Miller from Mrs. Lorraine John Mulberger (Frederick Miller's granddaughter who objected to alcohol) and her family. On June 12, 1969, Philip Morris (now Altria) bought Miller from W.R. Grace for US$130 million, outbidding PepsiCo. On May 30, 2002, it was acquired by South African Breweries from Philip Morris for US$.6 billion worth of stock and US$ billion in debt, to form SABMiller; with Philip Morris retaining a 36% share at that time, with voting rights of 24.99%. . On August 14, 2006, Miller Brewing announced it had completed the purchase of Sparks and Steel Reserve brands from McKenzie River Corporation for US$ 215 million cash. [2] Miller had been producing both products prior to this purchase.^[2] ^. On October 9, 2007, SABMiller and Molson Coors agreed to combine their U.S. operations in a joint venture called Miller Coors. SABMiller is to own 58% of the unit, which is to operate in the U.S. and Puerto Rico but not Canada, where Molson Coors is strongest. Molson Coors is to own 42%, but the parties are to have equal voting power.^[3] ^. Miller Lite—Miller's brand of light beer. Miller Genuine Draft—Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) was introduced in 1985 as the original cold-filtered packaged draft beer Miller High Life—This beer was put on the market in 1903 and is Miller Brewing's oldest brand. Miller Brewing Factory Tour in Milwaukee, WI . In 1855, German immigrant Fredrick Miller purchased the Plank Road Brewery. Surrounded by woods, the small brewing operation was no bigger than a Victorian house. Today, a replica of the Plank Road Brewery is just one of the historic highlights in Milwaukee’s Miller Valley—the home of the nation’s second largest brewer, Miller Brewing Company. . Walk outdoors and upstairs to Miller’s packaging-center balcony. A blur of cans roars along conveyor belts that wind through wet machinery, packing up to 200,000 cases of beer daily. . The next stop is Miller’s mammoth distribution center that covers the equivalent of five football fields. Typically, you can see half a million cases of beer. . In the brew house, Miller makes its beer, up to 8.5 million barrels annually in Milwaukee alone. Climb 56 stairs to look down on a row of towering, shiny brew kettles where “wort,” a grain extract, is boiled and combined with hops. Stroll through Miller’s historic Caves, a restored portion of the original brewery where beer was stored before the invention of mechanical refrigeration. . Finish your tour at the Bavarian-style Miller Inn and sample a Miller beer or soft drink. Be sure also to take a few minutes to inspect the impressive collection of antique steins. In the summer, you can enjoy your beverage in an adjoining beer garden enlivened by music.