Illinois

Statewide: The nostalgia of Mold-A-Rama

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Sean Crawford

Published April 4, 2024 at 8:38 AM CDT

Mold-A-Rama machines have been providing on-demand souvenirs for more than 60 years. The idea for molten plastic being pressed into a mold was developed right here in Illinois. The official Mold-A-Rama company is owned by a suburban family.

Now Mold-A-Rama is getting its own museum exhibit. We visit with the Museum of Science and Industry to learn more.

Also:

* Joe Deacon reports on the rise of women's rugby in once central Illinois community.

* Tim Shelley talks with a survivor of one of the largest botulism outbreaks in U.S. history. It happened in central Illinois.

* Peter Medlin reports on the latest ag census and what it says about the future of agriculture.

* A state lawmaker, Democrat Sharon Chung, talks about a new working group examining Illinois' teacher shortage.

* As we gear up for elections, we hear from the first Political Scientist In Residence for a suburban public library.

* Elizabeth Rembert takes us to the National Music Museum. It's located in an unlikely place.

* Infrastructure that supports barge shipping on the Mississippi and other rivers needs updating. Some are questioning if that's worthwhile given how climate change is affecting those shipping routes.

* Sean Crawford speaks with Katie Dana, an affiliate with the Illinois Natural History Survey, about the emergence of two large broods of cicadas this spring.