New Unveiling for the Popeye Character Trail at the Chester (IL) Popeye Picnic Sep 9-11, 2011

The 32d annual Popeye Picnic in cartoonist and creator Elzie Segar's hometown of Chester, IL, is coming up the weekend of September 9th-11th. This year, a statue of Cole Oyl, the father of Olive Oyl, will join those of other Popeye characters that people the town.Cole Oyl's granite statue will be unveiled at the Chester Public Library between 1 and 2 pm, following the Popeye Parade.

New Unveiling

Cole Oyl joins the statues of Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, Eugene the Jeep, Wimpy, Bluto, Castor Oyl, Bernice the Whiffle Hen, and the Sea Hag with Bernard her pet vulture, that have been built as part of the Popeye and Friends Character Trail and will continue to be built over the coming years. The statues are funded by individual and corporate donations.

All, of course, are dominated by the bronze 6-foot statue of Popeye the Sailor which overlooks the river and the Illinois approach to the Chester Bridgeover the Mississippi River which was first erected back in 1977.

The creator of Popeye, cartoonist Elzie Segar, indicated that a number of characters such as Olive and Wimpy, were based on people he knew when a boy in Chester.

Another first time event is the new annual Popeye Cruise.

The theme this year is Popeye's Summer Vacation.

Other Activities

As always, the annual Popeye Picnic features a large number of events. The Popeye Museum and Spinach can Collectibles, located just off Gazebo Sqaure (where Wimpy's statue is located) will be open throughout the event. There are cartoon character photo opportunities Saturday and Sunday with the schedule posted at the central stand.

Music

There is live band entertainment from No Solution (Friday night), Johnny Rock-Itt (Saturday night), and Terry Roberson (Sunday afternoon). There are also DJ's Friday and Saturday night. The Sacred Concert and the Chester Municipal Band concert both perform Sunday. All performances are free.

There is an array of other Popeye-themed events including the Popeye Parade at 11:30 Saturday, Wimpy's Weiner Dog Derby (Sunday), Popeye Pet Show (Sunday), Swee' Pea's Petting Zoo (saturday and Sunday), Little Popeye Royalty Contest Coronation at Gazebo Park (6:30pm Friday), and a Popeye 5K Run/Walk and 1.5 mile Fun Run/Walk at 8:30am Saturday. Other activities include an RC model plane show, inflatables for the kids, Segar's Sketchers at the library, wrestling, Popeye Fanclub Banquet, and, of course, carnival rides.

Popeye Film Festival

Not to be forgotten is the Popeye Film Festival between 9:30-11pm Friday because Popeye was not only featured in hundreds of cartoons but was the subject of a Robin Williams movie.

For updated information, consult the official website at the Popeye Picnic website here.