Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau’s
Unforgettable Forgottonia Selected to Receive
$40,000 Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant

Macomb, IL — The Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (MACVB) today
announced that it has been selected to receive a $40,000 grant from the Tourism
Attractions and Festivals Grant Program from the Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity (DCEO) as part of a $22.5 million investment for nearly 90 local
tourism festivals and attractions across Illinois.
“MACVB is gratified to see the hard work being done to promote Unforgettable
Forgottonia and our Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area with this grant. The
stories being told are important and help to make Macomb an interesting and enjoyable
destination!” stated MACVB Board Chair Dave Dorsett
The $40k matching grant funding will be used to honor Monopoly game inventor
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie who was born in Macomb in 1866 and was a key feature of this
season’s American Experience: Ruthless: Monopoly’s Secret History on PBS. The initial
phase of the Unforgettable Forgottonia Monopoly Project will see the four corners of
Macomb’s Historic Downtown Square displayed with unique sculptures that reflect Ms.
Magie and her game. The large sculptures, to be created locally by Gabe Stevens of
Masterpiece Customs, will reflect the look and design of Monopoly’s silver game pieces
which include giant sized Spinning Dice, an Abraham Lincoln Stovepipe hat, Magie’s
Game Board and a life-sized sculpture of Lizzie Magie herself. It will also include the
ability to play the game via an app around Macomb’s Downtown Square which
remarkably resembles Lizzie’s original Monopoly game board plat.
The Macomb Unforgettable Forgottonia Monopoly Project’s committee members are
Allen Nemec, Laura Swanson, Emily Sutton, Jock Hedblade and Jan Armstrong. The
project is slated for a late Spring 2024 unveiling to coordinate with Lizzie Magie’s birth
date.

The $22.5 million in Illinois Tourism Attractions and Festivals grants provides funding
to localities, organizations, and businesses for a broad range of tourism-related
improvements, events and activities. This builds upon $10 million in funding through
the first round of the grant program in 2022 that was provided to 40 localities across the
state. Combined with Illinois' largest ever tourism campaign, ‘Middle of Everything,’
Illinois is prioritizing investing in its thriving tourism industry while driving millions of
visitors to choose Illinois for their next trip.
Macomb Mayor Mike Inman enthused, “We’re very proud our MACVB staff and
Monopoly team put together this award winning grant proposal and eagerly anticipate
the dedication of this wonderful project next Spring in downtown Macomb.”
MACVB Executive Director Jock Hedblade added, “We’re confident this one-of-a-kind
project will not only honor one of Macomb’s favorite daughters and pioneering
feminists, but serve as a driver for economic development by creating increased foot
traffic to our historic downtown Square as well as being a significant state tourist
attraction alongside our Looking For Lincoln Self-Guided Tour and Living Lincoln
Topiary Monument.”
Through the $22.5 million investment, $5 million was reserved for festivals, which serve
as economic drivers while bringing communities together, and $17.5 million will
support a broad range of other tourism-related projects such as attractions, museums,
live performance venues, and more. The Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau’s
application was selected for an award through a competitive process, which required
demonstrating how the award would help businesses in the surrounding area, as well as
the project’s ability to attract visitors for overnight stays.