Photograph of burglar with a sack holding a cigarrette box with red text and black underline above and black text below on a white background.

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Illustration of lamppost in yellow with black text on white background.

The Frankfort Fall Festival was a part of nationwide bicentennial festivals being hosted in 1977 and was put on by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. Thousands of celebrations were hosted in honor of the bicentennial of the establishment of the United States of America as an independent country, and were coordinated and publicized by the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission (ARBC) and the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA). A complete listing of events hosted during the Frankfort Fall Festival was published by Frankfort News including booth locations, event times, hours open, etc. Although the festival was established in honor of the bicentennial, it continues on today and is celebrated each September with parades, booths, and other events.

White text in red image of foot; heel is red text on white background.

A walk-a-thon is a type of community fundraiser. Participants will walk a planned course (half a mile, one mile, a lap around a track, etc.), and each time they pass the start line, money will go to a cause. If you were to walk ten laps around a track and had ten donors who pledged they would pay $10 every time you completed a lap, you would have raised $1,000. There might be volunteers who cross out the number of laps you do on your lap card, fill cups of water for participants to drinks, cheer, and play music during the event. This is meant to be a fun fundraiser that also includes some light exercise. There are many reasons to hold a walk-a-thon; in this case, the cause is for Lutheran education.

Green elf illustration with red text on white background.

The Toys for Tots program was started by Marine Corps Reserve member Bill Hendricks. His effort was inspired by his wife, Diane, who handcrafted dolls in her spare time. She instructed Bill to donate her dolls to an organization that would give them to children in need. After the couple was unsatisfied with finding no such group in their area, they created their own. Enlisting his peers to help, the first Toys for Tots drive in 1947 in Los Angeles was a hit.

After seeing the positive impact and goodwill gathered from the community, the Marines made the program national. Bill Hendricks as a director of public relations for Warner, had celebrity friends and connections with the Disney Company. He enlisted their help in creating posters and spreading the word. Toys for Tots today continues the work started in 1947, and raises funds and collects toys for children in need. Donations tend to rack up near Christmas time when the organization helps struggling families in need by providing gifts.

Illustration of queen with braces and flowers on a white background. Beneath image is green text.

Metal braces used in orthodontia may be unsightly for some people. Dentists seek to encourage children to take care of their teeth by handing out stickers, lollipops, and even pinback buttons. The beauty queen pictured here shows children that anyone can wear braces.

White and red text on light blue background

J’aime means “I love” in French and in conjunction with Rock-n-Roll this phrase could reference the translation into French of “I love Rock’N Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts from 1982. The song was in the top 5 songs in the US and appeared in the top charts of over ten countries.

Gold text with red heart on blue background

The I heart NY logo was created in 1977 by Milton Glaser for an ad campaign created by advertising agency Wells Rich Greene. The marketing campaign was sought by then-Deputy Commissioner William S. Doyle to increase tourism in the state of New York. The campaign was a wild success. The original sketch of the logo is permanently on display at the MOMA.

The logo has become iconic in pop-culture and has been imitated in many forms around the world.

Blue and white text on green background with white shamrock illustration in the O

Mark Patrick Morgan ran to represent the 78th District in the Illinois State House of Representatives in 1982 Morgan, a private practice lawyer, won the Republican party nomination after being unopposed in the primaries. Previously, Morgan was the president of the Bremen (IL) Young Republicans and Treasurer of Bremen Township Regular Republicans. He also served on the Work Education Council for southern Chicago suburbs and was a member of the Country Hills Lions club. He had experience in politics as an aide for Illinois State Senator Ron A. Moore. 

Morgan's opponent was Democrat Terry A. Steczo who had been serving the 78th district since 1976. During the campaign, Morgan lambasted Steczo for accepting help from the state Democratic Party. On election day, incumbent Steczo easily won with 16,075 votes to Morgan’s 8,690. Morgan would not run for office again; Steczo remained as the 78th district representative for 18 years until 1995.

Red text on white background

The text is likely referring to the lobbyist, Terry Steczo. He is known to be one of the most hated taxpayers in Illinois history.

Illustration of an elephant wearing a hat behind a fence with black text on fence, all on yellow background.

This is most likely a reference to LeRoy Smallenberger. LeRoy was a bankruptcy judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana after getting his degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Louisiana State University Law Center. He was an alternate delegate to the 1948 Republican National Convention, held in Philadelphia, and the 1952 conclave, which met in Chicago.

The image of a face hanging over a fence is an homage to, "Kilroy was here". Kilroy is an American meme that was prevalent during WWII. Soldiers would often graffiti Kilroy was here, the image and text, to indicate that Allied soldiers were there or had passed through. Similar themes popped up in other countries, likely all inspired by Australia's Foo was here graffiti in WWI.

Using Kilroy as inspiration for someone who had passed through, LeRoy likely used this theme for souvenirs from his trips to the Republican National Convention.