Press Release- Heartland Lodge Transfers Ownership
October 20th, 2024:
Harpole’s Heartland Lodge was created in 1995 to make that dream a reality. “When people ask, I tell them the story of Heartland Lodge is like the movie Field of Dreams. Building the lodge in the rural countryside was like building a ballfield in the middle of a cornfield in rural Iowa. Most thought it was crazy, and people would never come.” Thirty years later people come from all over the world. Over 20,000 guests visit Heartland Lodge each year, creating traditions and memories that they will cherish for a lifetime.
Many of these guests spend time in our surrounding communities. Over 25 million dollars is the estimated economic impact injected into our communities from Heartland’s guests each year. In addition, Heartland Lodge is a major contributor to the local hotel tax. This tax helps create further tourism within the community. The combination helps Heartland Lodge reach its goal of making Pike County, Calhoun County and West Central Illinois a better place to live through tourism.
Additional dollars are added to the local economy through other businesses that are created as a result of Heartland’s guests who decide to make our community their new home. Some of these businesses include real estate companies, restaurants, and retail stores. These new residents raise their families and contribute to community.
Celebrities and professional athletes such as Albert Pujols, Jeff Coin, Ted Nugent, Jennifer Aniston, Jane Lynch, Mike Ditka and many others have visited Heartland Lodge. Gary’s personal favorites were when Whitey Herzog, Red Schoendienst and several members of those great 80’s cardinal teams were at the lodge. “I was able to reminisce about my youth with those I watched on the ballfield growing up. I would sit outside Busch stadium for hours waiting for a glimpse of the players and hopefully an autograph.” Another wonderful memory was when I brought my nephew Adlai to the lodge when he was 7. He loved playing baseball on Xbox and always picked the Boston Red Sox and Tim Wakefield as his pitcher. Adlai and I were sitting on the bench waiting on the hunters to come in for the day. My nephew was shocked when Tim Wakefield walked through the door. He and Mike Timlin, another Red Sox pitcher, spent the next 20 minutes talking to my nephew about how they love playing baseball on Xbox too. Afterwards Tim handed my nephew a signed ball from a game he pitched. A priceless moment that I will never forget. One last celebrity memory was when Albert and Deidre Pujols stayed at the lodge during the all-star break, one of the few years early in his career that he did not make the all-star team. I was sitting on the couch with Albert, and we were watching Sammy Sosa in the final round of the home run derby. Albert kept telling Sammy through the television to step back and pace himself. Sammy was getting tired from several rounds of hitting homeruns. Fast forward a year later and I am watching the home run derby from the same couch as Albert is participating and made it to the final round. On cue Albert steps back from the batter’s box and gives himself a break.
The best memories though are from our regular guests who have become part of our Heartland family. Watching families raise their kids with their annual visit to the lodge, or son, dad and grandpa taking grandpa out for one last hunt or a group of close friends taking one last trip with their terminally ill friend. All the amazing experiences that happen every day at the lodge is something I will always cherish.
“It is truly the American Dream come true. Heartland Lodge exceeded all my expectations and has become something bigger than any one person. I have been extremely blessed, giving God all the credit along with the support from my family, friends, the Heartland staff and the community. A special thank you to my mom, who has been by my side from the beginning. I could not have done it without her. I look forward to watching Heartland continue to grow and make a positive impact on people’s lives and our community” Gary Harpole II
If you have any further questions or would like more details, please contact Tim Duoos or Gary Harpole at 217-734-2526 or Office@Heartlandlodge.com & Gary@Heartlandlodge.com.
Last Updated: October 21st, 2024
Congratulations on transitioning to new opportunities. I always enjoyed working with Gary and Wanda on projects in the past. They have added so much value to Pike and Calhoun Counties over the years.
Gary,Wanda and all the staff are wonderful and always make you feel like family. We love going there and will continue to stay at heartland lodge and ride our sidexside. Good luck to Gary and wanda.
For several years in a row, we brought our horses and friends for a 3 day stay and group trail ride. We made so many memories there and always enjoyed talking with Gary and Wanda! We only stopped coming because we moved to Florida. Heartland Lodge is a superb lodge and a great place to meet up with friends and make new friends! We still miss it!!
Congratulations to Gary and Wanda on providing such wonderful memories to so many people. There couldn’t be a better pair of innkeepers! I brought kids and customers to the lodge for close to ten years and were always treated like family. Reading Gary’s letter above was a bittersweet experience, but I know he’ll attack the next stage of his life with the same passion that he ran the lodge. Also, congratulations to Tim and Lyn Duoos. Good Luck carrying on the Heartland Lodge traditions and creating your own.