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THE FOLLOWING IS A JOSEPH G. CANNON COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE RELEASE
A former 15th District Congressman who represented Danville and much of central and southern Illinois will be returning to Danville this coming weekend for a special ceremony. John Shimkus of Collinsville will be the keynote speaker at a May 5th event remembering former Speaker of the House Joseph G. Cannon. Cannon served nearly five decades in Congress –including eight as Speaker of the House. Cannon – who was also known as ‘Uncle Joe’ – will be the subject of special activities on Friday, May 5th and Saturday, May 6th, in Danville.
On (Friday) May 5th, at 6:00 p.m., a program at 201 North Vermilion Street in Downtown Danville will include dedicating the Vermilion County Administration Building as the Joseph G. Cannon Building. The Danville Barbershop Chorus will open the ceremony by singing the National Anthem. Congressman Shimkus was instrumental in securing the former post office building, allowing it to be used for county offices.
Also scheduled to speak is local historian Timothy Smith, who will discuss ‘Why Joe Cannon is important in 2023.’’
ABOVE: A bust of Joseph G Cannon and a Joseph G. Cannon desk from the Vermilion County Museum.
An “Uncle Joe Cannon Classic Car Cruise-In Downtown Danville will start at 5:00 p.m. Cars should enter the event at Vermilion and Seminary Streets. It will run until 8:00 p.m; with coupons for Chuckles candy being passed out. The candy was manufactured earlier in Danville and was a favorite of Cannon. In addition to the car show, the Vermilion Voles Base Ball Club will demonstrate how baseball was played using 1858 rules.
After the ceremony the public will be able to tour the building.
The activities honoring Joseph Cannon on Friday, May 5th are part of Danville’s Summer in the City events. The Cannon Celebration continues Saturday, May 6th, with events including a ‘Do You Know Joe? 5k Walk/Run’. It starts at 8:00 a.m. at the Vermilion County Museum at 116 North Gilbert Street.
Advance registration for the walk/run is available online (https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Danville/DoYouKnowJoe) and will also be available on the morning of the race at the Vermilion County Museum. The cost is five dollars per person, and all participants will get a Joseph Cannon pin.
After the race there will be an Open House at the Fithian Home (which is the old Vermilion County Museum Building at 116 North Gilbert Street.) It runs from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. giving the public a chance to see historical Cannon artifacts which are on display there.
T-shirts honoring Cannon will be available for purchase at both the Friday (May 5th) and Saturday (May 6th) events.
The Joseph G. Cannon Committee is chaired by State Representative Mike Marron. It has been working on plans for weeks with the goal of making sure the former Speaker of the House from Danville is not forgotten.
