Fogelberg Foundation of Peoria
Take the tour...
While you are in town for the Dan Fogelberg Celebration Weekend, we encourage you to get out and enjoy a few sites that we have found are significant to fans during past gatherings in Peoria. This tour is self-guided and every attempt has been made to give you enough information to find your way around town. Our original audio recorded tour was found to be too outdated for use this year, so is not being offered here so that we don't create a more confusing experience. A detailed map will be added to this page if possible later this week, so please check back.
1.) The Dan Fogelberg Memorial
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Located in Riverfront Park, 100 Morton Street, Peoria IL. Some parking is available directly at the park, but it is also possible to access the Memorial from the RiverPlex building parking lot at 600 Northeast Water Street and walk the walking/cycling path upriver into the park. There are small lyric boulders that line the pathway leading into Riverfront Park from this location, and if you keep to the right when the pathway splits you will walk right to the Dan Fogelberg Memorial.
2.) Honorary Fogelberg Parkway
Named in honor of the entire Fogelberg family, Honorary Fogelberg Parkway begins at the corner of Abingdon Street and NE Adams and extends to the northwest to the East Bluff neighborhood at the corner of East Frye Ave. and North Prospect Road.
3.) Woodruff High School
Dan’s alma mater located at 1800 NE Perry Ave. where his father was the band director during Dan’s young life, and where Dan graduated in 1969. Woodruff closed as a high school many years ago, and is now used by the Peoria school district as a career and technical training center. The Woodruff building sits adjacent to Honorary Fogelberg
Parkway.
4.) Glen Oak Amphitheater
Heading up the hill to the north from Woodruff High School, take a right turn on N. East Street and then turn right again into the parking lot near the Glen Oak Lagoon. If you explore in this area, you will find Glen Oak Amphitheater where Dan performed a joyous homecoming show in 1975 on the night that he was awarded Best New Artist of the year. The amphitheater’s address is listed as 2218 N. Prospect Road, but is easier to access as described above. The amphitheater is not always open to the public, but can always be viewed from the outer fencing.
5.) Dan Fogelberg Convenience Store
The Short Stop Food Mart, better known to fans as the Dan Fogelberg Convenience Store is located at 1302 E. Frye Ave. The remarkable and heartfelt scenes that Dan describes in his timeless classic, Same Old Lang Syne, played out for real at this location on Christmas Eve, 1975. A six pack of Olympia beer and a couple hours of conversation with a high school girlfriend turned into a song that everyone can relate to. The current owners of the store often play Dan’s song when his fans are in town, and it can be a unique experience to stop in on Christmas Eve, just about closing time…
6.) Tower Park
If you have the time, stop in at Tower Park located at 1222 E. Kingman Ave. in Peoria Heights. The tower is open to the public from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday only, and does require an admission fee, but is one of the most spectacular views of the greater Peoria area. There is also a very special plaque dedicated to Dan located
at the top of the tower.
7.) Grandview Drive
Heading east from Tower Park, follow Grandview Drive for the most inspirational view in town. There are many places along Grandview Drive that make for wonder viewing, but one in particular is dedicated to Dan. Located near the intersection of N. Grandview Drive and E. Fairhaven Lane, there is a bench placed in Dan’s honor by a loyal fan. The
area where it is located is rumored to be one that Dan frequented during high school, and he spoke often in interviews about sitting high above the Illinois river while contemplating life and his place in the world. From sitting in this location, the river gave him the tangible metaphor that would continue to inspire his music throughout his life, we are all just passing through… (4433 N. Grandview Drive, Peoria Heights, IL is the approximate location of the bench)
8.) Dan Fogelberg Mural
Put together by Big Picture Peoria, the Dan Fogelberg Mural is occasionally available for outdoor viewing at the CT Gabbert Remodeling and Construction building located at 1323 SW Adams Street, Peoria. The mural is one of many that appear on the building's exterior in a planned rotation and is not always on display.