- You think you know the Peoria area?

Well, have you ever been to the elephant graveyard?

- In central Illinois?

"You Gotta See This".

(bright upbeat music) (bright upbeat music) You have to be kidding me, an elephant graveyard here?

- Oh yeah, it's very real and we're gonna take you there in just a little bit.

- In fact, we're gonna go all around central Illinois.

We'll go to Canton where there's a bar that used to be a shot and a beer kinda place but now its patrons say it's like a elegant bistro.

- Speaking of interesting businesses, first, we're gonna go to Macomb where there's a barber who has been cutting hair for 60 plus.

Yes, more than 60 years.

And his barbershop is like nothing you've ever seen before.

Barber Jerry Tyson tends to customer's heads inside and out.

He offers much more than just haircuts at his business known as the Barbershop.

It boasts an impressive library, intriguing decor and relaxing atmosphere.

More like a den or study than a traditional barbershop.

And in his 68th, yes, 68th year of barbering, Tyson wouldn't want to be any place else.

- It's a wonderful place to work and it's a wonderful place for my customers.

- [Phil] Amid a family of barbers, Tyson grew up in Rushville.

There he turned pro at age 18, cutting hair for $1 a head.

The place was playing like most barbershops at the time.

- Most barbershops were one, two, maybe three chairs, white porcelain arms, no back bar like this, just a mirror in the back.

Little place to put your tools.

Maybe a shampoo bowl in the center of the room or between two barber chairs.

- [Phil] But men would stream in, often for the chance to pour over stacks of daily newspapers from around the area and the state.

- A lot of good natured fussing in our politics always or the weather or God knows what.

It was colorful and was always good natured.

And it was fun at the time.

It would drive me nuts today, I wouldn't wanna do it today.

- [Phil] After years in Rushville, Tyson briefly relocated to the east coast before deciding to return to Illinois in 1982.

He found a spot in Macomb to create his ideal motif.

One he would find as compelling as the customers he hoped to attract.

- I wanted it to be masculine, I didn't want it to be macho or chauvinistic.

I just wanted it to be a quality place to come and relax for about 30 minutes and get a haircut.

- [Phil] His design went over well as he is still at the same place after more than four decades.

Tyson does about 60 haircuts a week, 22 bucks a piece, almost all by appointment.

Many patrons come in early to enjoy the restful setting.

A tasteful mix of oriental rugs and antique furniture.

Shells burst with more than 500 books heavy with Tyson's favorites in history, philosophy, anthropology and poetry.

As for magazines, unlike at barbershops of your, you won't find outdated copies of Popular Mechanics or Field & Stream.

Rather, the periodicals tend toward upscale taste with a foodie bent such as Bon Appetit and Food & Wine.

- Barbering is my profession but food and wine is probably my passion.

- [Phil] Self-taught in the kitchen, Tyson has become renowned locally for his culinary skills.

In fact, for a recent charity auction, he offered a Greek dinner for six guests.

As bidding commenced, he couldn't believe his ears.

- My gosh, it took off.

All of a sudden it was 100, 200, 300, $1,000 and I began to think they must be bidding on the wrong thing.

I couldn't believe it.

I don't remember what it brought but I believe 1,300 maybe, somewhere around there.

- [Phil] Just another indication of Tyson's devotion to local interests.

Indeed, his shop looks a bit like a local history museum with items like framed original posters from the 1883 Schuyler County Fair and the 1897 La Harpe District Fair.

But the decor also reflects his extensive round the world travels and souvenirs including an authentic Burmese theater mask.

- That particular mask is a symbol of father time wisdom.

I thought it would be a fun mess to have in the barbershop.

- [Phil] Still in the end, a barber must rely not on interior design but his skill with scissors.

(bright upbeat music) And for Tyson, a proper haircut involves far more than mere grooming.

- A haircut is therapeutic.

It makes you feel good.

It doesn't make any difference how you think you look; handsome, homely, heavy, skinny, whatever.

When you get a haircut, you always feel good.

- [Phil] For 80 year old Ron Peterson, Tyson Shop is the only place to get a haircut.

For 39 years, Peterson has driven 20 minutes from the Harpe to get a trim.

- It's more than a haircut.

You know it is kind of, every two weeks I give 'em a haircut and every two weeks we have a discussion about something and most of the time we agree upon it but it's kind of like an island in the week that I can come in here and leave revisit.

- [Phil] Tyson enjoys these visits as much as his customers.

And at age 86, he entertains no thoughts of retiring.

- I love what I do.

If I had my life to live over, I'd still be a barber.

No question about it.

(bright upbeat music) - [Phil] For 75 years, Billy's Tap has been operating as a family affair.

The third generation owner, Ashely Harper, has spent two decades elevating a weathered shot and a beer joint to a sleek gathering place for guests of all types and ages.

- I like to think that everyone feels comfortable here from people who bring in their kids to kids that just turned 21.

I think we have a range of many people that come in.

- [Phil] Billy's is regarded as the oldest bar in town though no one seems sure when its doors first opened.

The original owner was Billy Brats who in 1948 sold the place to Harper's paternal grandfather Claredeen Carruthers.

Over time, Carruthers son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Diane Carruthers took over the operation.

In 1972, Billy's relocated, moving from Chestnut Street to a former general store on Elm Street.

The bare and windowless building offered little in terms of atmosphere but the site was ideal for business sitting directly across the street from International Harvester and it's thirsty workers.

- They came here morning, afternoon, after work, when the whistle blew, I think they headed this way, whether it was to get a sandwich or cash their paychecks.

- [Phil] Amid the steady patronage, there was little investment and upkeep.

And after Harvester shuttered in 1983, business began to slowly dwindle and the bar deteriorated.

- It absolutely did not look like this.

I don't wanna say it looked bad but it didn't look great.

- [Phil] A graduate of Southern Illinois University, she had been putting her marketing degree to use in the corporate world but she left that job to resuscitate Billy's Tap leaning on lessons from her parents.

- I've learned quite a bit from them.

I have a pretty good work ethic and I think I learned that from them.

- [Phil] But she also had ideas of her own, adding new windows, lighting, coolers, tables, stools, and signage.

And as an nod to Billy's history, she left untouched the exposed brick and pressed tin ceiling.

- And it's just been a work in progress, it's taken me a while.

- [Phil] Harper loves her job, but the work rarely stops.

- It's really, really tough to keep something like this going.

I think there's a lot more that goes into it than people really know.

I think sometimes these kinda places look easy to own, glamorous, kind of we just, you know, hang out and it's not the case at all.

I think if you're running a really good bar, you're there all the time.

It's many, many hours.

I've skipped many vacations.

It's tough work.

- [Phil] The end result is a polished bar where you can order from a delicious food menu plus beverages ranging from a can of Old Milwaukee light to drafts of trendy IPAs.

The place is as inviting and stylish as a big city bistro just asked Tracy Anderson, she makes a 45 minute round trip from nearby St. David at least once a week.

- The first time I walked in here, I thought I would it was like a Chicago bar.

It wasn't a bar in Canton, Illinois.

She's just got good design, taste and good ideas and stuff, and it just, you just felt like, and my friends will say that too, they just feel like they're not even in Canton when they're in this bar because of this, you know, just the way she's got everything designed.

- [Phil] And Billy's isn't only a good place for eats and drinks, the back room added two years ago, is something rare for the region.

A nice hall for baby showers, family reunions and private parties.

And that way Billy's serves as an economic driver that draws people to Canton.

- I think it's really good for the community as far as a nice clean place, comfortable place to come and spend some time and visit with people and have a good meal.

- [Phil] The future looks bright for Billy's Tap, though Harper sometimes wonders who eventually will take over from her.

- I don't have any children so I would like it to continue on our family but I'm not sure that will be an option.

So as for the future, I think about that all the time.

I kinda wonder where it will go, I will do this as long as I can but as far as the future, I hope whoever takes it over keeps this tradition going, keeps the name the same.

I hope it sticks around for 75 more years or hundreds.

(bright upbeat music) - [Julie] The village of Oquawka barely knew Norma Jean but will never forget her.

The circus elephant was in town less than a day when she was killed in a freak weather accident.

Her unexpected demise left the small town with a curious quandary.

What do you do with a 6,500 pound dead elephant?

The answer, create central Illinois' only elephant graveyard.

More than half a century later, her memory is still honored by the town as well as tourists.

- It means a lot.

You can't believe the people that come to Oquawka just to see Norma Jean's grave.

It's our only tourist attraction other than the river.

- [Julie] Almost 70 miles west of Peoria, Oquawka enjoyed a 19th century heyday as a mill and shipping center along the Mississippi River.

These days with 1400 residents, Oquawka survives as the seat of Henderson County.

But the biggest moment along with the biggest guest arrived with an unexpected flash in 1972.

That July, Oquawka was excited.

The Clark and Walters Circus was coming, it was a big deal.

- Excitement, lots and lots of excitement.

The circus is coming to town.

I mean, that's a famous saying.

The circus is coming to town and that's what this small town felt like.

The circus was coming to town.

- [Julie] Clark and Walters Circus hoped to sell a lot of $1 tickets in Oquawka.

At the time, circuses nationally had been losing popularity and attendance.

For Clark and Walters, tough times meant selling off several elephants except for one, a 29-year old elephant named Norma Jean.

She was the star of the show known for her circus skills and gentle temperament.

She was beloved by her fellow performers.

The circus rolled into town the night of July 16th, setting up in the town park, then just a grassy field.

Browsed about scurried to get the tents up fast ahead of the forecast calling for possible rain.

Norma Jean's caretaker known as Possum Red was always careful to keep track of the elephant.

A couple of years earlier, she had wandered away during a circus stopover in Indiana.

So in the Oquawka Town Park he used a metal chain to tire to a big tall tree.

The next morning, storm clouds rolled in.

Possum Red worried about the possible lightning and that metal chain.

So he left the tent to cut Norma Jean loose, but he didn't move fast enough.

- Her trainer, Possum Red was worried about her so he went out to unchain her.

And just as he got to the tree, a big bolt of lightning struck the tree, knocked Possum Red 30 feet in the air.

And when he finally came to, he looked over at the tree and saw his beloved Norma Jean lying on the ground dead.

- [Julie] The circus was stunned in part out of grief but they also worried about what would happen to the circus and their jobs without the star of the show.

- I think they hit the road pretty much right after that, they were grieving terribly over the loss of Norma Jean.

- [Julie] With the circus leaving, what do you do with the 6,500 pound elephant carcass?

News crews from all over swarmed to Oquawka to cover the strange saga.

Towns folks especially kids like six year old Brian Cochran came out to stare at the elephant and wonder about the next move.

- That was the talk of the town, trying to figure out what to do with the elephant.

Yeah, brought news crews in from all over trying to help us figure it out.

A lot of coverage on it.

- After contacting the state for direction and permission, the village used a backhoe to dig a 12-foot hole.

Then they rolled Norma Jean into her grave.

At first, a plywood sign marked Norma Jean's final resting spot.

But some locals didn't think a mere sign would do, not for something as remarkable and momentous as a fallen elephant.

So they built a memorial wall with commemorative plaques.

More than 50 years later, tourists still trickle into Oquawka to glimpse the oddity of an elephant grave site.

They paused to remember the untimely death of a circus elephant that a small town barely knew but will never forget.

(soft somber music) (soft somber music) Coffee is a big business these days.

You know, you have your through through coffee drinks at the fancy places and you have your little teeny tiny donut shops that are great but coffee is everywhere.

- Oh yeah, and that's why we sent our intern Alphonso to Hanna City.

And there they found a coffee shop that looks, well, just take a look.

(bright upbeat music) - Nobody wants to go to an everyday building.

- [Alphonso] That is the idea behind the coffee Can Bistro in Hanna City.

Just 12 miles west of Peoria, is where you'll find the boxiest bistro in all of Peoria County.

(bright upbeat music) - Welcome to the Coffee Can, how can we lift your day?

- [Alphonso] The Can, as some people call it, is an artisan coffee shop that offers a full menu of handcrafted drinks and foods that are all built from scratch.

Ron Gulley is a co-owner of the Coffee Can and brought on two partners to run the Shop.

Gulley is the former owner of an HVAC business in the Quad Cities.

After moving to the Peoria area, he bought a strip mall in Hanna City and for two years, researched what makes a coffee shop special.

(bright upbeat music) - I didn't want a everyday place that you would walk into and just have the everyday vibe going on.

- [Alphonso] And that's exactly what Ron made.

- [Ron] They thought, who's the crazy guy putting up shipping containers in the middle of a small town?

- We went around, "Hey, it's shipping containers."

I said, "Well, yeah, people are making homes out of 'em too."

I said, "This oughta be a very yuppie place to be," is what my first thought was.

- When I first brought these things, yeah, they were shipping containers.

They were different colors.

They were, you know, I mean, it looked like a monstrosity of something.

But after it's all done and it's all painted and the decks are built and everything, it turned out to be a nice piece of architecture.

And I think for the 95% of the town, I think everybody loves it.

- I thought I was very upbeat, very modern.

I liked it.

- [Alphonso] The design wasn't just made from stacking the containers together, things were reimagined and reused.

- Everything between these two containers or three containers here, there used to be steel walls.

All that metal that's out is now our fence in the back which is eight foot tall that goes around this whole property all the way around.

(bright upbeat music) The wood, when I stood those two containers up and cut all that wood out to put our staircases in, all that wood is downstairs in the basement and it's used for shelving.

All the doors that came off the end of the containers when we put them together end to end is in our drive-thru back here for a privacy wall from here to the neighbor.

- [Alphonso] It's a unique building, almost as unique as the food.

- I would say our half stack sandwich is probably the most popular.

It's called The Half Stack because when they ship these containers across the ocean, you can stack 'em 11 high.

So our full stack sandwich has 11 ingredients and our half stack has six.

- [Alphonso] Not only can you get a warm meal but you are greeted with a warm and friendly smile.

- Steamed milk, we have to get pretty specific about there's a certain angle and it creates a vortex, it's a whole thing.

(chuckles) (bright upbeat music) I would say that customers, it's awesome getting to know new people and then also just like every morning and every like midday, the same people every day are coming in and you get to know their names, their orders, you have things ready for them as they walk in the door and it's just really fun to see how excited they get when they know that you know them and you remember their order.

- So I pulled up and I looked and said to the girl that, I said, "Well, this is what I like "but I don't know what you call it, "so give me something similar, that's what I like."

And she did a terrific job, it was delicious.

- [Patsy] It's lovely.

- [Gerty] This is lovely, this is very nice.

Very, very user friendly.

- The employees are very pleasant.

And coffee, ice coffee.

What better can it be?

- [Alphonso] And what better could it be with an out of the box idea and delicious foods?

- We wanted a different business, we wanted to attract outside people.

Trying to not only help the town but to help us.

(bright upbeat music) - My Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad is so special to me because my friend Chef Luigi always brings this when he comes to visit me at my farm.

I love this recipe, it has so many bursts of flavors and textures and I've already cooked the tortellini, al dente, of course, and I let it cool.

Now we're gonna start adding all of the ingredients.

Finely chopped red onion, quartered seedless cucumbers, sliced pepperoncinis, I love pepperoncinis, gives a nice tang.

Of course some pitted kalamata olives, some cherry tomatoes, artichoke carrots, quartered.

Genoa salami, it wouldn't be an Italian salad without this.

This is our favorite salami in our house.

And it's also Chef Luigi's favorite.

I've got some mozzarella pearls, super tasty.

Some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, sprinkle that around and some freshly chopped parsley.

Look at how beautiful the salad is becoming.

Now to make the dressing, I start with a base of extra virgin olive oil and I'm mixing everything in a glass jar.

I'm adding some red wine vinegar, some minced garlic.

I love garlic.

It isn't an Italian salad without some Italian seasoning.

Some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some onion powder, this is gonna really meld nicely with the olive oil.

I'm gonna give it a good shake.

(bright upbeat music) This is the perfect time to taste your dressing to see if it needs more seasoning.

(bright upbeat music) Oh, it's just perfect.

Can't wait to put it on the pasta salad.

I always make this salad three hours ahead of time, it gives the flavors a chance to meld.

Oh, look at that dressing, amazing.

I can't wait for my guests to taste this and I always give Luigi credit 'cause he's amazing.

(bright upbeat music) - [Phil] The Henderson County Covered Bridge is about two miles south of the village of Oquawka.

Also known as the Oquawka Wagon Bridge, it was originally built in 1866 for $2,000.

(bright upbeat music) The bridge carried a road over Henderson Creek until 1935.

(bright upbeat music) That's when the state moved the road and restricted the bridge to pedestrians only.

(bright upbeat music) In 1982, floodwater washed the bridge downstream (bright upbeat music) but state crews and area citizens salvaged much of the bridge which was rebuilt two years later at the original site.

The bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is now surrounded by a picnic area.

It is one of just 10 covered bridges in all of Illinois.

- We really had some great guests on this episode but the biggest of all was Norma Jean.

- Biggest of all time and you know, when I think of elephants, I think of memory, they never forget.

And that reminds me to say, don't you forget out there to come back next time for?

- "You Gotta See This".

(bright upbeat music) (bright upbeat music) (bright upbeat music)