Walmart to build supercenter on Sportsman's Park site

[Vic in Chicago]

Wow...is this a sign of the times or what?  Tear down a racetrack and put up a Walmart.

I never made it to Sportsman's.  Wish I had.  I'm sure lots of you have good stories/memories.  (Maybe some bad ones too.)

I guess one of Sportsman's finest hours came in 2002 when War Emblem won the Illinois Derby there and then went to Louisville and wired the field in the Ky. Derby!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-walmart-to-build-supercenter-on-sportsmans-park-site-20120409,0,5420182.story

[Yimmy]

Brandywine and Liberty Bell are both shopping malls now.

[pamwaggy]

Oh my gosh, what could be worse?  Nothing.

[Yimmy]

"They paved paradise/and put up a parking lot"

--A Canadian boho

[pamwaggy]

And it just keeps on happening.  When will people learn? 

I have to say, it's pretty much protected land here.  At least you think so,then something happens you would never think.

[Illinois sucks]

I have one for you, continued Illinois politics letting the Horse Racing
industry die a slow death as greedy track owners, and horseman groups
can't get along on a correct bill.  In five years Arlington Park closes
and becomes a Mall of America.  Think I just threw-up in my mouth
while typing that notion.  Just pass a bill with a iron clad revenue stream
from new casino's I think personally slots at tracks bad idea.  Track
owners getting slots would only mean racing suffers sure bigger purses
but would think racing becomes a after thought especially on the Harness
side as Johnstons lack a racing IQ.

[honest & balanced terry]

I'd think a Wal-Mart there, on the Cicero side (since the new liquor warehouse is already on Laramie side), is going to be a *** to get in and out of. New stop light?

[Yimmy]

A bit OT, forgive the excursus... I grew up next to something called the Jerome Park Reservoir in Da Bronnix, NY.  Only VERY recently did I find out that it was not always a reservoir:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Park_Racetrack

This Jerome dood who co-owned the place even had a daughter who married some obscure Brit who looked like a bulldog and was named Winsley Churchmouse or some such.  Made some decent speeches down the road there, the laddie did.... "finest hour", that sort of stuff.  *sniffle*

[HarnessFanDE]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Park_Racetrack

I remember maybe 10-12 years ago driving to Buffalo for a soccer tournament and I saw this abandoned race track on the side of the thruway (I think thats what I was on).....I saw the name and had never heard of it......But the grandstand was still there and the starting gate was still sitting in the chute.....Like it was literally caught in a time warp......I saw the name "TIOGA PARK" on the grandstand.....This had to be around the year 2000.....I later learned thru the good folks at Wikipedia that it actually closed in 1978 after only 3 years of racing and that they raced Quarterhorses there.....As much as I know about racetracks everywhere.....I was shocked I had never heard of it.....Didn't even know NY ever raced Quarterhorses.....I just though it was funny that the placed looked like a scene from the show Without a Trace, everything still standing but unused after 20+ years.

[Yimmy]

My wife and I used to pass it and its famous silo on lervly Rte 17 all the time on upstate trips, and in fact, before cel phones carried the day, I always made a point of stopping at a bank of pay phones across from the 'dead" track to call home on my way back from upstate bidness.  It was all weeds and gone heavily to seed... imagine my shock when the damned place popped up on on OTB menu some years later, and I hit a coupla Corey Braden horses there.

[Chris Szulc]

I'd think a Wal-Mart there, on the Cicero side (since the new liquor warehouse is already on Laramie side), is going to be a *** to get in and out of. New stop light?

I would hope so. I can only imagine Cicero at Noon on a Friday/Saturday with that being added. But isn't there one only a few miles up Cicero north? Or is that something else?

[APCD Dan]

Oh my gosh, what could be worse?  Nothing.

Didn't they have a track in Northern Cal called Tanforan or something like that which is now a shopping center?

[pamwaggy]

Yes.  And the track was also and internment camp during world war 2 for the Japanese.  Terrible thing. 

[Round Table]

There s been a lot of criticism about wal-mart over the years.  The company is very successful but it has a lousy corporate image.  I pretty much boycott them and only step into one when I absolutely have to.

http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/

[HarnessFanDE]

There s been a lot of criticism about wal-mart over the years.  The company is very successful but it has a lousy corporate image.  I pretty much boycott them and only step into one when I absolutely have to.

http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/

Walmart is one of those places that everybody hates but you cant find a parking space unless you wanna walk 2 miles....They do some nasty business stuff though.....They go into these small towns and build a "Supercenter" and run every Mom & Pop place out of business and then when they dont meet the minimum sales they need for the store they board up and leave the town high and dry

[HarnessFanDE]

My wife and I used to pass it and its famous silo on lervly Rte 17 all the time on upstate trips, and in fact, before cel phones carried the day, I always made a point of stopping at a bank of pay phones across from the 'dead" track to call home on my way back from upstate bidness.  It was all weeds and gone heavily to seed... imagine my shock when the damned place popped up on on OTB menu some years later, and I hit a coupla Corey Braden horses there.

I actually got the road off and drove back in there as best I could to look at it....It wasnt more than a few months later I heard they were planning on reopening it as a CASINO/harness track

[pamwaggy]

Wallmart has a terrible reputation here in California. NO one wants one near them.

In the small town I live in, most everyone tries as much as possible to support the local businesses.  But with this economy, we still have 70 closed storefronts right now.  First time since the town started that anything like this has happened. 

Little shops that have been opened since the days of horses instead of cars, have closed in the last two years. 

Recently my husband found an old framed map of our town.  It was in the basement under boxes of tools.  We found it was drawn by a famous cowboy artist.  He has pictures and small blurbs all over the map. The map has all the shops and inns, restaurants, etc.  What a treasure.  Sorry I got so off topic.

[Wings]

"They paved paradise/and put up a parking lot"

--A Canadian boho

wow, I saw the thread topic and it was the FIRST lyric that came to mind... great minds mister..

[Yimmy]

Talented lassie, but she always had her nose in her navel and got very taken with herself... I believe she referred to herself as a genius in an NYT interview.

[JoeMama]

They are good at giving people what they want as efficiently as possible.... Chinese products. I hear so many Americans ripping the government, complaining that nothing is made here, and then make their weekly run to Walmart. If it weren't Walmart, it would be some other company selling cheap stuff and killing the little down towns. Walmart's food is not any cheaper than the other places. Whoever designed the newer labels for their "Great Value" products needs to be fired. There is something to be said for going to the individual butcher, the produce shop, bakery, etc. The USA lacks charm nowadays unless you live in Northern Cali, Portland, New England, parts of NY, some parts of PA. We are the land of crappy malls and giant stores and all the cars look the same.

[honest & balanced terry]

Talented lassie, but she always had her nose in her navel and got very taken with herself... I believe she referred to herself as a genius in an NYT interview.

She actually was quite good, throughout her career. Even some of those late career albums turned out surprisingly good. Check out "The Beginning of Survival" for a later years "Best of".

[honest & balanced terry]

They are good at giving people what they want as efficiently as possible.... Chinese products. I hear so many Americans ripping the government, complaining that nothing is made here, and then make their weekly run to Walmart. If it weren't Walmart, it would be some other company selling cheap stuff and killing the little down towns. Walmart's food is not any cheaper than the other places. Whoever designed the newer labels for their "Great Value" products needs to be fired. There is something to be said for going to the individual butcher, the produce shop, bakery, etc. The USA lacks charm nowadays unless you live in Northern Cali, Portland, New England, parts of NY, some parts of PA. We are the land of crappy malls and giant stores and all the cars look the same.

Sorry Joemama, but you sound like an elitist. Real Americans in the real America, the kind that might swallow the "Fox and Friends" pap, they love Wal-mart. Weekly? You jest. They're at Wally World 5 times a day, the whole family, employed and unemployed, all year long.

7:00 a.m. "Hey, I'm running to Wal-Mart. Anyone need anything?"

11:00 a.m. "Going to Wal-Mart for some stuff, back in a jif!"

2:00 p.m. "Need some ammo, goin' to Wal-Mart."

6:00 p.m. "We're going to Wal-mart - going to get some frozen pizzas for dinner! Need anything?"

9:30 p.m. "Going to go to Wal-mart, just hanging out. Let me know if you need something."

[JoeMama]

Hah! I don't know, with fuel prices, fewer trips are in order.

I have a theory, fuel prices will get so high that people will go back to shopping in the central business districts of small towns, such as mine. Sadly, the businesses are gone and all that remains are antique shops and resale shops.

I like your last remark about going to Walmart to hang out. The last place I lived in, the kids.... and adults would hang out in the parking lot. You know you are living in small town America when adults, not kids, are cutting other people's lawns and adults work at McDonald's.

[Wings]

I remember maybe 10-12 years ago driving to Buffalo for a soccer tournament and I saw this abandoned race track on the side of the thruway (I think thats what I was on).....I saw the name and had never heard of it......But the grandstand was still there and the starting gate was still sitting in the chute.....Like it was literally caught in a time warp......I saw the name "TIOGA PARK" on the grandstand.....This had to be around the year 2000.....I later learned thru the good folks at Wikipedia that it actually closed in 1978 after only 3 years of racing and that they raced Quarterhorses there.....As much as I know about racetracks everywhere.....I was shocked I had never heard of it.....Didn't even know NY ever raced Quarterhorses.....I just though it was funny that the placed looked like a scene from the show Without a Trace, everything still standing but unused after 20+ years.

Who'da thunk that it would reopen as one of the best run harness tracks in the business in 2007.  If you want to see how it's supposed to be done, I highly recommend taking a road trip to a Tioga Sunday card, FULL grandstand, good competitive racing and lots for everyone to do.  Did I mention the buffet features the BEST sausage grave north of Texas?

[honest & balanced terry]

I like your last remark about going to Walmart to hang out. The last place I lived in, the kids.... and adults would hang out in the parking lot. You know you are living in small town America when adults, not kids, are cutting other people's lawns and adults work at McDonald's.

The good thing about any service job is it can't be outsourced.