June's Featured Chapter: Springfield, IL

With the start of the new Living Liberally Blog, we've decided that each month, we want to highlight one of our over 260 awesome chapters.

And so... for the month of June... we've decided to featured... drumroll please... well not really since the answer is in the title... time for you to look at the title... Yes, you guessed it: Springfield, Illinois!

Just this month, Springfield, home of our buddy Abraham Lincoln, celebrated their third anniversary, and it has been quite an exciting first three years. Will Reynolds started Springfield DL in June 2005 with high ambitions. In fact, Will made a try for a Sangamon County board seat.

Since its inception, Springfield DL has outgrown two venues and now meets every Thursday at Brewhaus, right down the block from the old State Capitol where Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President last year. In addition, they meet to Drink Coffee Liberally (Buzzing Liberally?), two Saturdays a month at the Trout Lily Cafe.

Springfield DL, and its current host Kathy Mehuys, epitomize the intersection of culture and politics that Living Liberally seeks to create. They've been visited by local and congressional candidates, including one who tried to unseat "Bush yes-man John Shimkus (Dimkus)" in 2006. They've also attracted local musicians, including a member of America's premiere psychedelic cowboy band New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Springfield DL, we want to thank you for exemplifying local liberal leadership and contributing to the national cause.

And now... some good ol' psychedelic cowboy rock'n'roll:

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