(energetic music) (energetic music continues) - I love fall, but I love this episode even more.

Check it out.

- We was actually gonna be wind chime and we're done.

- Feeling the energy or the drumbeat or whatever makes you, you know, just bounce up and down, and that right there is flow.

(upbeat music) - There is nothing better than hearing your patients say, "I feel better," or my favorite is, "I don't wanna die anymore."

- She was caught at least twice with a large cache of items that she had taken off different people.

(upbeat music continues) (upbeat music) - [Julie] Casey, Illinois is a small town that has been doing some big things.

No, not just big, it's huge, colossal, gigantic things.

As you drive through this rural community, you can't help but look wide-eyed at the everyday items that have been super sized all over town.

I can't emphasize the size enough.

There's a rocking chair that's 56 feet tall.

All of this started with one man who had a dream of attracting some attention to his hometown.

(upbeat music continues) - You know, we're a town of 2,500 people and if we opened up another shop in Casey, we would be competing over the same customer.

So we thought we'd think outside the box, and my grandmother had wind chimes and so I have a few wind chimes, it reminds me of her.

And I was listening to 'em and I thought, I wonder what the world's largest wind chime is.

- [Julie] For Jim, it was clear as a bell, well, actually a wind chime (chimes ringing) what he had to do next.

- Our family business is a pipeline and a tank and environmental cleanup stuff.

And so we had a lot of scrap pipe laying around and I thought, why not?

So we built the world's largest wind chime.

We got it finished in October of 2011 and Guinness measured it and that made the Guinness Book.

- [Julie] That's when people started taking notice of this little town in the middle of nowhere, but close to everything.

Casey, Illinois is located halfway between St. Louis and Indianapolis.

- So we put Burma-Shave signs out along Interstate 70, and as we've seen the traffic increase, we thought, wow, that's pretty cool.

- [Julie] So more creations started popping up all over town thanks to Jim.

- Oh, I would see something scrap and I'd think, well, that would be cool if it was this.

So we started building just large items, not necessarily world's largest, but we have a full size wooden rocking horse that's in one of the stores.

- Rocky to Rocking Horse stands 16 hands tall, which is the average size of a horse.

And if he was standing flat on the floor, he'd be the average size of a horse, but he's a little taller.

- [Julie] 'Cause of the rail, yeah.

- Yeah, 'cause of the rocker.

And he is 11 feet long and three feet wide.

He's made of recycled cedar telephone poles and was chainsaw carved.

- And we have a bird cage that kids can get in and swing on the perch and the birdcage moves around.

And we tried to build stuff that's smaller that people can put their hands on or sit in or do whatever.

And gave a new twist.

- [Julie] Take a gander at the world's largest barbershop pole that's over 14 foot tall, wooden shoes that are four feet, nine inches tall, while they're 11 feet and five inches long.

Here's a 450 pound piggy bank outside a butcher shop that is sure to catch your attention, or the world's largest mailbox that is actually functional.

- So to activate the arm to go up, 'cause if you have mail, you're supposed to have the arm flag up.

- [Julie] Right.

- And the mail delivery guy will stop and get your mail.

- [Julie] Okay.

- So you trigger that by dropping your letter into the world's largest mailbox.

(upbeat music) - Ooh, that's so cool.

- When I first come up here after the mailbox was done, a lot of these stores were still empty and some of 'em just awful looking.

The differences from when I first come up here to now is just the aesthetics of the town is just awesome, so.

(upbeat music continues) You know, a lot of people ask me, "Well, how did you come up with this plan?

And how did you know to do the town like this?"

And it wasn't a plan.

It was, we was actually gonna be wind chime and we're done, you know?

But, you know, just seeing what was bringing to the town, so we just had to do something.

- It just made a humongous difference in all the businesses in town and brought people from all over the world.

Just in our shop alone, we've been in business two years, so just in the last two years we've had people from Russia, Ukraine, Canada, New Zealand, Asia, just from all diverses and all sorts of people from everywhere.

- As the economic side of it helps drive people here to create income and tax revenue for the town, I just want to see it just keep building and flourishing.

You know, I'm gonna be gone one of these days, but hopefully at that point in time, we could donate a lot of this stuff to different organizations in Casey and they can take care of it as it goes forward.

It just it warms your heart to see that, you know, the town's taking pride and just backing what we started and they've taken it to the next level.

- [Julie] So what's next?

Well, that's something you gotta see for yourself.

(upbeat music) (reel rattling) (upbeat music) - Fainting Fannie is supposedly here in Cemetery 1 at the Peoria State Hospital.

Now, Fainting Fannie got her fame in 1907 due to the fact that she was a very well-known pickpocket, but her actual name is Fainting Bertha.

(upbeat music continues) (train honking) She was well known to travel the train system.

So there are stories of Fainting Fannie or Bertha all over the tracks that are here along Illinois, into Indiana.

Now, the reason she chose the train stations was the fact that people would not notice their items missing until they were long gone.

(upbeat music continues) According to the story, she was involved with a young man that taught her the art of pickpocket, but she took it far beyond what he taught her.

Instead of having to use sleigh of hand, Bertha would use her pretty well demeanored attitude to approach someone and then fake a fainting spell.

And as people would rush to help her is when she would then easily pick their pockets.

She was a very small woman according to the articles, and very beautiful.

And it's said that that was one of the reasons why people felt so comfortable approaching, talking to and helping her out.

She was well known to use her feminine wiles, not only on the male passengers, but on the female passengers as well.

That art of the con game was really strong in Fannie.

(upbeat music continues) (train honking) There are two train stations in the Peoria area, and she was well frequented at both of them, probably because of all the passengers that were coming in and out of Peoria and made it a good hub for her.

She traveled around so as soon as the heat was on, she would travel to the next location.

She was caught at least twice with a large cache of items that she had taken off different people.

A lot of that was let go due to the fact that they couldn't find the actual people that all of the items belonged to, that because of her travels around and how she would just take a few things from each person.

(upbeat music continues) (whistle blowing) (siren wailing) We think that there a possibility that either he himself had been pickpocketed or someone he knew had been pickpocketed.

And when he realized that her expanse of how long she had been doing this and how she was riding the train system just piqued his interest to the point where he wanted to make a name off catching her.

(upbeat music continues) If you really look back in a lot of the old newspapers, it was the only gossip of the day.

So any little story that they could get their hands on, especially as something as a beautiful young woman who's a pickpocket and escape artist, well, that piqued people's interest and they really wanted to dive into who this beautiful, young, small, dainty woman, who she was and why she was stealing from passengers on the trains.

(upbeat music continues) I think her high intellect would make people wonder why she ended up in a mental institution, and it could be the fact that she was an escape artist as well and got herself out of several jails, a prison and other institutions.

The reason they decided here in Bartonville was because Dr. Zeller had a new plan for his patients.

He gave them a job and they were hoping that with Bertha's intellect, that she would take to having a job here.

She actually did get a job here on the hilltop and was well known for her intellect and her care for other patients.

I think it's one of the reasons why Dr. Zeller decided to then write the story "Fainting Fanny."

(upbeat music continues) Dr. Zeller would change the names of his patients when he decided to write about them because he didn't want them to suffer any backlash from his stories.

Dr. Zeller actually wrote his stories so people would have empathy for his patients here.

So, although her name is Fainting Bertha, he gave her the quaint name of Fainting Fannie so she could keep her anonymity.

(upbeat music continues) We think she really got a kick of being an authority figure, being a nurse's aide here on the hilltop.

And that allowed her to stay and choose this as her home.

This is the Peoria State Hospital Cemetery 1.

For the timeframe where Dr. Zeller wrote his article about Fainting Fannie, this would've been the type of cemetery she would've been buried in.

These headstones were from the time of 1907 to about 1910.

(upbeat music continues) (reel rattling) (gentle music) - [Julie] Mental health affects our emotions, thoughts, and how we relate to others.

It impacts how we deal with stress and build relationships and make choices.

So it makes perfect sense that people look for different ways to improve their mental health and explore various treatments.

That's where Occult Mental Health comes in.

Dagny Michel runs a psychiatric practice that's probably unlike anything you've ever seen.

- I created Occult Mental Health because I've always felt kind of weird and off and like, not necessarily like I got cooties, but like, you know, that there was something maybe wrong with me, and going to an office or going to a psychiatric provider where it's all sunshine, and rainbows, and bright, and light really just didn't feel good, it didn't feel right.

When I see patients, they're not usually bright and cheery and happy.

So creating this was for me to offer a safe space for everyone and for everyone to know that it's okay to not be sunshine and rainbows and happy all the time.

Like that's just, it's not feasible.

- [Julie] Her website invites everyone to embrace their weirdness, step into a space where your quirks are celebrated and understood.

We provide mental health care for everyone because let's face it, we're all a little weird.

Dagny reinforces this motto with her one-of-a-kind office decor.

While the walls are black and the decorations may be a little unconventional, she's quick to clarify that her psychiatric practice has nothing to do with the dark arts.

- No, no, no, occult is definitely, the definition is mysterious, kind of mystical, we don't fully understand that.

And for me, how is that not psychiatric care in the brain?

Like we, you know, I'm not gonna say we don't completely know what we're doing, but a lot of it is guesswork and everybody's brain is different.

So, you know, doing the same thing for everybody just doesn't work.

And you know, I feel like our consciousness and what makes us who we are is magical and mystical.

So, no, not Satanic.

We do welcome all religions, of course.

- [Julie] The National Institute of Mental Health reports that mental illnesses are extremely common in the United States.

It's estimated that more than one in five US adults live with mental illness.

So Dagny wanted to reach a patient base that no one else was reaching.

- It's been amazing.

People come here and they're like, "Oh my God, I love this," or, "Oh my God, like this is right up my alley," Or it's been really well received.

- [Julie] Dagny offers talk therapy, medication management, psychiatric evaluations, as well as ketamine infusions and oral therapy.

Her goal is to make a meaningful impact on her patients' lives.

- I didn't realize how big of an impact it would have on me until I saw it the first couple times.

You know, like I said, I've come from a hospital background and you know, I kind of bandage people up and kind of put 'em on their way, whereas with this, I get to follow them and see the progress.

And there is nothing better in the world, except maybe, you know, spend time with my kids and my husband, than hearing your patients say, "I feel better," or, my favorite is, "I don't wanna die anymore."

You know, 12 to 18 hour days that I'm working are worth it.

Like I'm doing something, and it's giving a positive impact.

- [Julie] If you or someone you love is in a mental health crisis, reach out for help by simply calling or texting the numbers 988.

Modeled after 911, the new three digit 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who are suicidal or in any mental health crisis to trained mental health professionals.

(placid music continues) (upbeat music) (energetic music) (energetic music continues) (energetic music continues) - It was started probably 10 years ago almost, under Mike Guymon, and he kind of fostered this whole community.

However, he no longer lives in the area, so now it's probably about a group of about a half dozen of us that kind of keep the thing going.

- So the Heart of Illinois Hoopers is what we call a Flow Group Meetup.

And even though it is, the name consists of Hoopers, we have so much more than just hoopers that come down.

- We practice flow arts, which is meditation through movement, so for many it's dance and for some it's therapeutic.

And it's just a way to express ourselves artistically.

- What I would call flow, almost imagine Squidward from "SpongeBob" where he's doing interpretive dance to music, so literally you are listening to the music and you're feeling the energy or the drumbeat or whatever makes you, you know, just bounce up and down, and that right there is flow.

(energetic music continues) (energetic music continues) (energetic music continues) - It's a good way to foster community.

We have a lot of people from different backgrounds that come here and we kind of mingle over the shared love of what you know, this hobby.

- It's extremely family friendly.

Our biggest goal is to try and keep it family friendly because whenever I keep it family friendly, I crush almost any open mic night, that happens on Wednesday night because we don't charge admission and anybody can come down here for any length of time and just hang out.

- And it's generally a good place for people to come together and feel safe.

And that kind of reflects in how we run things here.

We generally are pretty well left alone by the city and like the local fire department 'cause they know we do run these training sessions, 'cause obviously with fire a lot can go wrong.

Generally we always have a first aid kit, we have a fire extinguisher.

That's part of why we rope the circle off.

So it's very important to make sure everyone stays safe and goes home the same way they came here.

(energetic music continues) We love to have fun, we love new people.

So I tell 'em to come on down, see what we're all about.

- The group energy, the movement, the lack of judgment, no one's here to judge you for you messing up.

We're just only here to cheer you on when you finally get it, or someone's here to show you the technique that you need to do to try and get it.

Or someone has a different flow prop that you can then practice to kind of change your technique or change your style of to get practice.

- We have a lot of amazing Poi spinners down here.

So really just find the resources and get started or come down here and someone would be glad to help you start that journey.

(energetic music continues) - So it's very opening, it's very welcoming, it's very progressive.

It's free from judgment.

We're not here to talk about your personal life.

Just bring your flow prop down and we're gonna spend, and we're gonna set up a fire circuit and we're gonna burn our props.

And it's a very big release for a lot of people to just come down here and be able to hang out with a big group of people and just socialize in a positive way.

(energetic music continues) (energetic music continues) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Julie] Let me introduce you to the pygmy slow loris, a primate who knows how to relax.

Seven-year-old Colby Jack, and Feta, his nine-year-old neighbor, literally hang out here at Miller Park Zoo every day.

(upbeat music continues) - Just like us, they have opposable thumbs and your pictures, you could see, they're on the top of their cage grasping and they can stay there for hours just holding on.

Feta was actually asleep doing that.

- [Julie] After a nice nap, they loved to snack on insects, fruit or bamboo.

- My favorite thing is, I think they're just so cute.

- Yeah.

- I mean, when you look at their face, they have, typically, they have little bands around their eyes.

They're furry.

Again, it looks like an animal you might wanna cuddle.

No, you probably wouldn't cuddle this.

- Probably not.

- Just for the fact that it could harm you.

- What?

- [Julie] Wait a minute.

These adorable little creatures can harm humans?

- One of the things about these two animals is that they produce a toxin from sweat glands near their elbows.

- Okay?

- So when they are threatened or feel uncomfortable, they will lick those sweat glands and they have a venomous bite.

- Wow.

- And then they also have, for protection for their young, they will lick their baby, lick their elbows and lick their babies for protection.

- So that other predators won't eat them.

- Correct.

- Wow.

That is not what I expected to hear.

Sweat glands near their elbows that secrete a toxin?

Okay, well, moving on.

As their name suggests, the pygmy slow lorises don't move very fast.

- I just also like how they methodically move and just very, it seems like it's very mental, very calculated and they're like, I'm just gonna, versus some of our other ones, just like.

- Phew.

- I'm jumping and hopefully there's a branch there.

- Right, right.

- So I really like that about them.

- [Julie] What they lack in speed, they make up for in eyesight.

Their large eyes give them phenomenal vision, even in the dim light of the forest.

In fact, bright light can be hugely disorienting and distressing to them.

- So to help locate food, I'm guessing to, because they're so slow moving and they can't just jump to a branch, to be able to navigate on the branches and grab things so they can move across the different trees.

- [Julie] Feta and Colby Jack may both be the same species, but that does not mean they're best friends.

- They don't get along with each other.

So unfortunately there was an altercation between the two, and so it's better that we just keep 'em separated.

- But Feta has found somebody else she likes to hang out with, right?

- Yes.

- Who's that?

- So she has the, there's a prehensile-tailed skink in there and she loves to cuddle with him.

- The lizard?

- Yes, the lizard.

- Is that typical or is it?

- I would say it's not typical.

- Yeah.

- But they were put in the same enclosure, and all of a sudden they started to cuddle and they developed a rapport and they get along with each other, so that's where they are.

- [Julie] Ah, a love story like no other, only on "You Gotta See This!"

(bright music) (bright music continues) I hope you enjoyed this week's episode.

We had a few fun surprises for you and we have even more coming next month.

So make sure you tune in only to "You Gotta See This!"

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Thank you for joining us on this journey.

If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to explore even more local content.

You can connect with us on our social media channels, visit our website and check out Passport for exclusive features.

We can't wait to see you next time on "You Gotta See This!"

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