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SAVOY, Ill. (WCIA) — It’s hard to believe, but it was 25 years ago today that President Bill Clinton got stuck here in central Illinois. It was 1998 when Air Force One couldn’t get out of the mud at Willard Airport in Savoy.
It took airport officials, as well as some firefighters, to get the plane back in the air that night. That assistance didn’t come without some recognition. Weeks after the mud event those who helped got an official package in the mail.
Inside was White House memorabilia, some signed by President Clinton himself.
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“We had Bill Clinton playing cards, a deck of playing cards,” said Mike Kobel. “I’ve got some Bill Clinton M&M’s here and matchbooks. So we all got a little chachkies of some kind and we thought that was pretty cool. So, we sat around comparing notes about what we did that day.”
Everyone will have a chance to pull out their presidential items again. The very first “stuck in the mud” reunion will be this weekend for those who worked to get the plane out.
