MADE IN ILLINOISOUTH
Celebrating Locally Made Products!
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ne of the high points of visiting an area is experiencing local goods and products. People love to support small businesses and tell stories of how they tried new and different things. Some of these stories may be one-time experiences, while other products could become staples in a person’s everyday life. At ILLINOISouth Tourism, we take great pride in knowing that our territory is teeming with extremely talented and dedicated business owners that offer up phenomenal products every single day. For those interested in extremely unique art, a trip to S.D. Meadows Folk Art Gallery in Palestine is right up your alley. Owner and artist Steve Meadows uses just about anything to create his work, we’re talking everything from forks to wagon wheels. The creations are phenomenal, anything from faces to fish, and so many other things in between. “We don’t throw anything away at any of our houses,” admits Meadow’s daughter Farrah. “Our dad will make something out of anything, and his junk art is my favorite.” Steve also loves passing his passion for art to others. Farrah Meadows loves telling the story of a nine-year-old that came to the Gallery for an art class with her father. “This kid loves art and can already see things out of junk. Thank you to his mom who drove an hour and a half one way so he could work with dad,” Farrah says. “As they were leaving, I asked him how it was. With the biggest smile on his face, he said he loved it.” Positioned perfectly across from the iconic Old State Capitol in Vandalia, there sits a building full of stories and spirits. Witness Distillery offers up some amazing whiskey, rum, and vodka – but the story of how they got 46
their start and why they bought this building is just as equally amazing. “What many people don’t know is that when this building was built in the 1860’s, the state of Illinois was the largest producer of whiskey in the country – and Vandalia had two distilleries at the time,” explains Rick Radliff, who owns Witness Distillery with his wife Cindy. While this building was not originally a distillery, it still has a lot of history that attracted the Radliffs. It has the oldest working elevator in the state, along with another very cool feature. “Downstairs there is what used to be an entrance where merchants could walk underground to the bank and make a deposit at night and be safe. We wanted to make sure that people could see that,” Radliff says. In terms of the product – Witness locally sources everything from the water to the corn for their spirits, which shines through when you taste the finished product. Combine that with the history behind the location, and travelers rave about their experience. “When passing through Vandalia on a cross country road trip, we were searching for a restaurant and found so, so much more,” says Meredith Cope. “Fantastic bourbon, fantastic gifts, fantastic people, and oh goodness, the Peach Vodka! If you are even remotely close to Vandalia, Illinois – you must stop here. It’s even worth making a special trip,” Cope adds. Yet another story that illustrates how one visit can create lasting memories. In Hamilton County, there is an extremely talented artist that specializes in making a wide array of things that folks use at their homes. Nicholas Burke has been creating art with his hands ever since he was a child, learning from his father in the family shop. Burke has since started his own business called Carbon Forge Design, and he uses everything from steel to ▶ ILLINOISouth Visitor’s Guide 2022
Made in ILLINOISouth
Steve Meadows makes art from found and saved objects, and has his own gallery Photo Credit: S.D. Meadows Folk Art Gallery
Enjoy a bottle of milk straight from a local dairy farm in Greenville
