A Bicentennial Heritage Celebration in Wilmington, Illinois
By Sharon Cosgrove Mosier
The Origins of a Wilmington Tradition
Catfish Days 1976 provides such fond memories. Myra Cosgrove was a very active person in numerous events in the community, and 1976 would prove to be one of her lasting gifts to Wilmington.
Myra was a member of the Wilmington Historical Society, and this is where ideas flourished and ultimately became reality. Myra Cosgrove and Virginia Kimble have been credited as being the co-founders of Catfish Days. However, this event was supported by other Historical Society members Sue and Chuck Jefferies and Howard Cox as part of the idea team. So many folks, businesses, churches, and George Fisher came forth to make sure this celebration would be a success.
Kitchen Table Inspiration & “Chester Catfish”
As Myra’s family recalls, the kitchen table was the gathering place where ideas and products were generated. My husband, Thomas Mosier, repeated stories told to him by his grandfather Alfred Flood (born in Wilmington, 1886) and his great-grandfather Thomas James Flood (born 1862 in Chicago and moved to Ritchie, Illinois). One of the stories recounted was about the horrific floods on Forked Creek and the Kankakee River and the low north side of Wilmington known as Catfish Town. That sparked an idea which was shared at the Historical Society meeting, and the celebration was born.
While sitting at the kitchen table, Myra drew multiple images of catfish, settling on one to be known as Chester Catfish. Included is the picture of Myra’s final Catfish Days drawing and the face on mountains of handmade Catfish buttons.
Community Festivities and Handmade Buttons
Buttons were made at the kitchen table by Philip, kids, and grandkids. Hours were spent assembling the buttons. The grandkids still recall those evenings and Sunday afternoons putting buttons together and the challenge to push the lever down and seal the buttons. Button numbers would be drawn during Catfish Days with monetary rewards for the owner, and profits went to the Historical Society. A win-win!
A downtown location on Water Street was selected to sell last-minute buttons and draw winning numbers. The booth was manned by Myra and the grandkids. The grandkids prized their time amid all the action, excitement, antique shops, food trucks, craft booths, resounding carnival music, and lots of families. The churches sponsored ice cream socials, pancake breakfasts, and chicken dinners. Woody sponsored a pet parade with some kids riding bikes with cards in the spokes.
The Legendary “Quilt Car”
Another of Myra’s ventures during Catfish Days was the Quilt Car. The car, an older Chevy Impala donated by the Cosgrove family, was painted by the WEB Society (Wilmington Elwood Braidwood Art Society). With many hands and hours working diligently, the car resembled a brightly colored quilt with a few patches depicting local history. The car debuted at the Wilmington Catfish Days Parade with Phil driving, Myra in the passenger seat, and a very young Julie Mosier wearing an artistic beret in the back taking in all the wonders.
“As a side note — the car being older sounded loud and backfired periodically. As a result, the grandkids started calling Myra ‘Bomber’ for a while. I don’t know how Mom took to that, but it was the Grands who gave her the name, and they were precious and loved without judgement.”
Local History, Resilience, and Legacy
Wilmington has a long-recorded history of flooding, starting in 1867 with a quick thaw to a frozen Kankakee River and Forked Creek. That ice breakup took out a wagon bridge 610 feet long. It also ripped away two-thirds of the railroad bridge and damaged homes located on the lower north end of Wilmington known as Catfish Town. As these floods have continued, we see the resilience of this community in coming together to help one another.
And so it was in 1976 that Myra and many others came together to celebrate the 200th birthday of our country through local history, the bounty of the Kankakee River — catfish — and most of all, the families that made a difference.
Thank you, Mom, for the part you played in leaving the community such a great family celebration — Catfish Days!
— Sharon Cosgrove Mosier
Braidwood Beginnings 