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Map of the Spoon River Tour
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About Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive
The Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive Associates
invite you to come to Fulton County, Illinois and enjoy the natural wonders
of the Spoon River Valley. The Spoon River has carved a wide scenic valley
through Fulton County as it flows from London Mills to the south and east
where it joins the Illinois River near Havana at the southeastern corner of
the county.
Fulton County offers unusual beauty of the colors
throughout the Spoon River Valley, which inspired founders of the Spoon
River Drive to hold the first Fall Festival and to organize the Spoon River
Valley Scenic Drive forty-one years ago. The first weekend of the Scenic
Drive brought large crowds and a second consecutive weekend was held in
October 1968. The Scenic Drive's Fall Festival has since been held each year
during the first two full weekends of October.
The Spoon River became nationally known from the work
of Edgar Lee Masters, author of the noted Spoon River Anthology. The
home of Masters still stands in Lewistown, the county seat of Fulton County.
Fulton County's Spoon River Valley country offers much
to the visitor during the Fall Festival and during other seasons of the
year. While there are many attractions a visitor may find interest in, a few
highlights may include; the lone dam on the Spoon River at Bernadotte, a
public boat dock at London Mills, the historical Ellisville Opera House, and
the breathtaking scenery along the entire route of the Spoon River.
Foods have become a tradition during the Fall Festival;
apple butter made before your eyes at London Mills, butterfly pork chops at
Mount Pisgah, baked potatoes and hot cider at Farmington, chicken and
noodles at Smithfield's Red Brick School, funnel cakes in Lewistown, baked
goods in Duncan Mills and the famed ham in Ellisville.
Visitors to the area are welcomed to join us on the
highways and byways of Fulton County which sport the colors of the four
seasons and are open to visitors year around with routes running through
London Mills, Farmington, Fairview, Ellisville, Mount Pisgah Park,
Smithfield, Cuba, Canton, Avon, Lewistown, Bernadotte, Duncan Mills,
Waterford, Ipava and Astoria. These routes cover more than 100 miles in
Fulton County.
The Associates of the Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive
produce a colorful brochure of the Scenic Drive and the Fall Festival. This
brochure and information for those interested in becoming a sanctioned
vendor or other requests for information about the Spoon River Valley Scenic
Drive or the Fall Festival please e-mail us at
info@spoonriverdrive.org.
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