Made in ILLINOISouth

MADE in ILLINOISouth

Celebrating Locally Made Products!

One 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.”

Steve Meadows makes art from found and saved objects, and has his own gallery

Photo Credit: S.D. Meadows Folk Art Gallery

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 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.

Have a glass of whiskey, rum, or vodka made at Witness Distillery in Vandalia

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 wood to make custom fire pits, wooden serving trays, and a whole lot more. The neat thing is that he has a unique approach when it comes to creating certain projects. “Whenever I start something truly custom, I don’t know how it’s going to turn out,” Burke admits. “A lot of these items are handmade where I start with one single spot, and I don’t draw anything out before hand.” Burke also travels to different art shows to showcase his work, including the Cedarhurst Art & Craft Fair in Mt. Vernon, where he won Best of Show in 2021. We highly recommend that you follow Carbon Forge Design on social media to check out what Burke is working on next – and hopefully it will entice you to purchase a Made in ILLINOISouth product!

Carbon Forge Design specializes in metal and woodworking, showcasing a variety of custom designs

Photo Credit: Carbon Forge Design

A local dairy farm that has been in the business of making milk for over a hundred years is a must try if you’re in the area. Rolling Lawns Farm out of Greenville has made quite the name for themselves, based solely on the quality of their product alone. From Springfield to St. Louis, down to Carbondale and beyond – Rolling Lawns has gained loyal customer after loyal customer. This farm of registered Holstein cows produces your typical dairy products, from half-and-half to heavy whipping cream, and whole milk to 2%. However, their flavored milk is quite popular. Chocolate is the best seller at Rolling Lawns Farm, while unique flavors such as cappuccino and orange cream have developed a cult-like following! Rolling Lawns Farm products can be found in several different markets and retail locations in the state, but they also have their own retail location in Greenville called The Milk House. Here you can pick up each one of their products, including a delicious eggnog when it’s in season! They have recently started making their own ice cream which is worth the trip by itself. We aren’t joking when we say Rolling Lawns Farm has developed a loyal following, as some folks plan their day around a trip. “I drive about an hour each way to get Rolling Lawns milk,” explains Cecil Uphold. “The chocolate tastes a lot like Farm Fresh milk, the orange is great – my wife gets it, and we also buy a gallon of whole milk each time!”

Enjoy a bottle of milk straight from a local dairy farm in Greenville

For in-depth feature stories on many local artisans, head to ILLINOISouth’s YouTube page and look for the Made in ILLINOISouth playlist on our channel! We are always looking to feature the next great maker in our region of the state, so stay tuned to YouTube and our social media channels for new stories!