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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are happy to call Springfield home for several
4 months each year; Springfield is the home to many attractions
5 and special points of interest that draw people here from
6 around the world; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Twentieth Century Fox is conducting a competition
8 to determine which Springfield will hold the premiere of "The
9 Simpsons Movie" in July of 2007; and
 
10     WHEREAS, There are uncanny similarities between the
11 fictional Springfield of "The Simpsons" and the Capital City of
12 Springfield, Illinois; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln is the favorite son of
14 Springfield, Illinois and Jebediah Springfield is the founder
15 of the Simpsons' Springfield; there is a statue of each
16 displayed in the center of his respective Springfield; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Todd Renfrow, general manager of Springfield's
18 City Water, Light and Power bears a remarkable likeness to
19 Montgomery Burns, owner of the nuclear power plant where Homer
20 Simpson works; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Montgomery Burns once ran for political office and
2 kicked off his campaign from Springfield's Lincoln Depot; in
3 the same manner, President-elect Abraham Lincoln bade farewell
4 to Springfield from the Great Western Depot, currently known as
5 Lincoln Depot; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Both Springfields are in close proximity to a town
7 named Shelbyville; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The Simpsons live at 742 Evergreen Terrace and
9 Springfield, Illinois has a housing development that was
10 formerly named Evergreen Terrace; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Both Springfields have a newspaper called the
12 Springfield Shopper; and
 
13     WHEREAS, The band Aerosmith has performed in both
14 Springfields; in that episode, Steven Tyler yells out, "Hello,
15 St. Louis" and then is corrected; St. Louis is, of course, just
16 90 miles from Springfield; later in the episode, Tyler falls
17 into the crowd; on July 13, 1984, Aerosmith played a concert in
18 Springfield, Illinois, and Steven Tyler collapsed face first
19 into the audience; and
 
20     WHEREAS, The Simpsons' Springfield has a Springfield
21 Memorial Hospital and Springfield, Illinois has a Memorial

 

 

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1 Medical Center; and
 
2     WHEREAS, In one episode, Lisa Simpson was living in a
3 redwood tree she was attempting to save from destruction; as
4 she climbed to the top of the tree, the camera panned to the
5 view from the tree and the Gateway Memorial Arch in St. Louis,
6 Missouri was in the distance; the Arch is just 90 miles from
7 Springfield, Illinois; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The Simpsons' Springfield is known for a mount of
9 continually burning tires; Springfield, Illinois recently
10 discovered a garbage dump burning on the southside that has
11 shown no signs of extinguishing itself; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Each of the Springfields have a medical library,
13 university, Catholic hospital, bartender named Moe, zoo,
14 botanical garden, water park, armory, Christian Science
15 Reading Room, a donut connection, bus depot, train station,
16 House of Pancakes, and drive-in theater; therefore, be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
19 urge Twentieth Century Fox, as well as Simpsons creator Matt
20 Groening, to hold the world premiere of "The Simpsons Movie" in
21 Springfield, Illinois; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Matt
3 Groening, and those involved with the decision-making process
4 as it relates to the location of the world premiere of "The
5 Simpsons Movie" as a symbol of the State of Illinois'
6 commitment to bringing the premiere to Springfield, Illinois.