August 15th is "815" day for those of us with the 815 area code. I'd never really heard of this local holiday until I heard about it on the radio on my way home from work, but it makes sense. Let's celebrate northern Illinois on 8-15. This area is such a unique place. I feel lucky to have grown up here. So here's some 815 perks and cons:

The weather.

Perk: We have all four seasons up here. Hot and humid summer to cooler fall to frigid winter to rainy spring. Some places don't have all four seasons and honestly I feel bad for them. There's nothing like the changing of seasons.

Con: The polar seasons can be tough on the mind and body. Summers are regularly 90 plus humidity and summers are below zero plus wind chill. So nearly 100+ degree differences in the seasons. It can be super hard to be

The sky.

Perk: Views like the one above. Sunsets are amazingly beautiful. I took that photo myself at work and it's nothing to get photos like that these this time of year (I write as I watch another gorgeous sunset).

Con: Oh? Another cool meteor shower? Those same clouds that create the cool sunsets make it hard to sky watch on any given night. Even seeing stars can be hard if there's too many clouds.

The location.

Perk: Rockford is a part of the 815 and the suburbs of Chicago are like next door neighbor. In fact I'm only about 2-3 hours from downtown Chicago. Food and shopping around here is pretty great.

Con: "Northern Illinois. So Chicago, right?" No. Not right. I'm from a small town. Sure, close to Chicago, but not Chicago. And I have no idea how to describe to you where I'm from.

The culture.

Perk: So many different counties mean so many different county fairs. Food, animals, and culture come together in a giant celebration of who we are as a community. Not only county fairs, but city markets are like fairs every week.

Con: With so many great cultural options, it can be hard to decide what to do or where to eat. OK... I know this isn't actually that much of a con, but when you and your friends are hungry and nobody can agree on what type of food to eat, much less a restaurant, it can feel like a con.

So next time you're on your way somewhere and cut through the 815 take a few moments and appreciate everything we have to offer. Especially on August 15.