I&M Canal Passport Contest Ends Oct. 31

LEMONT, IL — The I&M Canal National Heritage Area's 35th anniversary passport contest will end Oct. 31, according to a release from the Canal Corridor Association.

The passport contest was created to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the I&M Canal National Heritage Area's creation. The association said the contest started in 2019, and was supposed to end in 2020, but it was extended to Oct. 31, 2021.

The contest is administered by the Canal Corridor Association.

Aug. 3 will mark 90 days left in the contest, in which participants are encouraged to visit 35 historic, natural and cultural sites and get your passport stamped for prizes and a drawing. The 90-day countdown will be marked on the I&M Canal National Heritage Area's Facebook page, and suggested schedules will be provided to help participants explore, according to a release.

Passports can be mailed to you by contacting the Canal Corridor Association or by picking one up at participating locations. The contest is free, the association said.

You can return your passports to the association, 754 First Street, in La Salle, to claim your prizes.

The grand prize sweepstakes will have one winner receive a private party for up to 70 people
on “The Volunteer,” a gentle journey on the mule-pulled I&M Canal Boat in LaSalle, according to a release. The contest and prizes are sponsored by Robin Malpass & Associates, Inc of Chicago.

Passport site locations are:

• McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, 376 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL
• Canal Origins Park, 2701 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago
• Chicago Maritime Museum, 1200 W. 35th St., Chicago
• National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., Chicago
• DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago
• Pullman National Monument, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago
• Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, 9800 Willow Springs Road, Willow Springs
• St. James at Sag Bridge, 10600 S. Archer Ave., Lemont
• Old Stone Church & Lemont Area Historical Society, 306 Lemont St., Lemont
• Historic Downtown Lemont, 112 Stephen St., Lemont
• Isle la a Cache Museum, 501 E. Romeo Road, Romeoville
• Will County Historical Museum & Research Center, 803 S. State St., Lockport
• The Gaylord Building, 200 W. Eighth St., Lockport
• Illinois State Museum, Lockport Gallery, 201 W. 10th St., Lockport
• Historic Downtown Lockport, 201 W. 10th St., Lockport
• Joliet Area Historical Museum, 204 N. Ottawa St., Joliet
• Joliet Architecture & Art Walking Tour, Self-Guided Tour, Joliet
• Intersection of Route 66 and Lincoln Highway, Cass Street and Chicago Street, Joliet
• Old Joliet Prison, 1125 Collins St., Joliet
• Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, 25055 W. Walnut Lane, Channahon
• USDA Forest Service-Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, 30239 S. State Route 53, Wilmington
• Carbon Hill School Museum, 875 N. Second St., Carbon Hill
• Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area, 15010 N. Jugtown Road, Morris
• Historic Downtown Morris, Liberty Street and Illinois Avenue, Morris
• Grundy County Historical Museum, 510 W. Illinois Ave., Morris
• Seneca Area Heritage Museum/Hogan Grain Elevator, 431 N. Main St., Seneca
• Reddick Mansion, 100 W. Lafayette St., Ottawa
• First Lincoln Douglas Debate Site, 1028 LaSalle St., Ottawa
• LaSalle County Historical Society, 101 E. Canal St., North Utica
• Illinois Waterway Visitor Center, 950 N. 27th Road, Ottawa
• I&M Canal Boat, Route 351 and I&M Canal, LaSalle
• Hegeler Carus Mansion, 1307 Seventh St., LaSalle
• Historic Downtown LaSalle, 754 First St., LaSalle
• I&M Canal Visitor Center, 754 First St., LaSalle
• Westclox Museum, 350 Fifth St., Peru