OOIDA’s tour trailer stops in Monee, Ill., near Chicago

Leaving Gary, Ind., behind, the next stop for OOIDA’s tour trailer also is in the region surrounding Chicago.

The next stop is Monee, Ill.

The Spirit of the American Trucker is scheduled to be at the Monee Petro on July 21-22. The Monee Petro Stopping Center is at Exit 335 from I-57. There are 190 parking spaces for big trucks. The full-service restaurant there is temporarily closed.

Monee is 30 miles south of Chicago on I-57.

The name Monee comes from the name of the daughter of a French fur trader and an Ottawa Native American woman, according to village of Monee history. The girl was named “Marie,” but the Ottawa had no sound in their language corresponding to the “r” sound. Monee was as close as they could come, and French treaty clerks later wrote it down as Monee. It rhymes with “boney.”

The next scheduled stop after Monee for The Spirit will be the Top Gun Large Car Shootout at the Rantoul National Aviation Center in Rantoul, Ill. It will be the first in-person truck show for The Spirit in 2020.

Illinois’ longest interstate

I-57 is the longest interstate highway in Illinois.

I-57 runs from I-55 at Sikeston, Mo., to I-94 in Chicago. It is a shortcut route from Chicago to Memphis and New Orleans that bypasses St. Louis. I-57 crosses the Mississippi River via the Cairo Bridge in Illinois.

I-57 will eventually be extended to Poplar Bluff, Mo., according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see The Spirit tour truck, stop by and say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. He usually has copies of Land Line Magazine to hand out. You can join or renew your OOIDA membership for $10 off the regular price there. Free face masks are available at The Spirit. You also can get vouchers for flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines from Jon.

The next stop for The Spirit after Monee is Rantoul, Ill. Here is the schedule.