A toast to the gone-but-never-to-be-forgotten Chester Street, from one of its early-1990s regulars:
“Ed Piraino’s C Street is legendary and was a fabulous gay bar that rivaled any Boystown bar that Chicago had to offer,” says Jason Hood, Eastern Illinois’ VP of academic affairs and the city of Champaign’s former HR director (JD '94).
“I first visited C Street in 1987 as a freshman at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. My two best friends, a year ahead of me at Wabash, took me along one weekend.
“I was amazed that such a place existed in central Illinois. I grew up in Decatur, Illinois and had no idea that C Street existed. It was amazing.
“The fun continued once I matriculated to the U of I for law school. Alcohol, friends, great music and dancing — what more could you ask for?
“As I got older and my career took me from one state to the next, bars became less and less a part of my free time. Still, C Street’s closing and the building’s subsequent fire damage really saddened me. It was the end of an era.
“C Street meant so much to so many people and will forever hold a place in our hearts. Thanks Ed!”
