Situated inside of Lincoln Square in Downtown Urbana, most townies remember these local icons. The whale was moved to Crystal Lake pool in the 1980s, and it eventually disintegrated, from what I’ve heard.
Rumor has it: the bear is in Interlochen, MI currently.
My experience with the whale was such that it would get so damned hot outside at Crystal Lake, that you could literally burn yourself. The goal was to get to the breaking point, and then jump back in the pool to cool off as fast as possible.
The photo was recently posted to the Facebook group Champaign-Urbana History, which is one of the best ways to spend an hour or two while avoiding your work, or on a bad weather day. Seriously, it’s a blast to go through all of the posts over the past few years.
This photo from 1977 is courtesy of the Urbana Free Library Archives.