| The city of Wilmington Illinois is justly famous for its | | | | closet to Wilmington Illinois healthcare facilities. The |
| many and variegated antique shops, which draw | | | | first modern Catfish Days Festival was in 1976 as |
| visitors from around the country and especially from | | | | part of the United States Bicentennial celebration and |
| nearby Chicago. The first antique store in Wilmington | | | | was coordinated by the Wilmington Area Historical |
| opened in 1965 at Liars Corner. At that time | | | | Society. By its sixth year it had grown so quickly that |
| Wilmington's downtown was experiencing a change. | | | | an independent Catfish Days Committee, which was |
| Many downtown businesses closed or left for the | | | | sponsored by Wilmington's Chamber of Commerce, |
| suburbs. In the mid 1970's antique stores began to | | | | was established to run the festival. It endured for |
| move into the downtown buildings and created a | | | | fourteen years until 1985 and was revived again in |
| unique shopping environment reminiscent of days | | | | 1999 by the city of Wilmington. The enthusiasm and |
| gone by. Shoppers can find unique bargains in either | | | | acceptance it has engendered have made it an |
| of two large malls, as well as the many small shops in | | | | eagerly-awaited annual event ever since, offering a |
| the downtown area. There really are too many | | | | host of attractions for the whole family: a carnival, |
| categories to list. From pottery to glassware to | | | | parades, beauty pageants, downtown flea market, |
| collectible plates, from watches to old and new | | | | and mouth-watering catfish dinners. |
| jewelry to furniture and toys, from books and | | | | Besides the attractions of Wilmington Illinois hospital |
| records and door handles and door knobs to | | | | itself, there are other tourist attractions of historical |
| handcrafted items there are mountains of treasures | | | | interest nearby which are well worth a family visit. |
| waiting to be found. It can take a full day to absorb | | | | These include the abandoned coal mines of |
| and experience Wilmington's antique shops fully, so | | | | Braidwood, home of the United Mine Workers Union |
| shoppers should get an early start. All shops are open | | | | and frequent scene of flagrant worker exploitation |
| from 10 am to 5 pm. From Rte. 55 take exit 238. | | | | by mining companies and labor violence by unions as |
| Turn left at the stop sign to enter the city of | | | | well as companies. Also well worth a visit in |
| Wilmington on IL-53 across its famous island (the | | | | Braidwood are the old depot and the art deco |
| home of the annual Catfish Festival). | | | | ceramic tiled station. Braidwood is also host to a |
| The yearly summer Catfish Festival commemorates | | | | nuclear reactor just beyond the town limits. If coming |
| the flooding of Wilmington Hospital Catfish Town | | | | to Wilmington from Kankakee County or Kankakee |
| neighborhood when Forked Creek spilled over the | | | | River State Park, follow Rte. 102 which enters |
| riverbanks and inundated neighbors' cellars with | | | | Wilmington. The second traffic light is the main drag, |
| catfish. At that time, at the beginning of the last | | | | in the center of the Wilmington downtown's antique |
| century, this part of the town was located in a | | | | and specialty shop district. |
| hollow near the Chicago & Alton railroad depot, | | | | |