This "Shoe Corner" Will Never Change
On Sunday, July 16, Lake County announced Shoe Corner will be the newest intersection to add traffic signals. It's a joint project between St. John, Lake County, and Illiana Christian High School. However, one of Northwest Indiana’s original musicians, Frank Ruvoli, is vowing to never to change “Shoe Corner.”
Shoe Corner is the intersection of Calumet and 109th avenue in St. John, Indiana. It is best known for the piles of shoes that just seem to appear out of random, hence the name. There are numerous stories as to how the shoes began showing up there, but two of the most common tall tales, which are referenced in Ruvoli’s song, “Shoe Corner,” are about a man that would work for shoes, and a woman that would often pick through the shoes & eventually never be seen again.
“Since the announcement of traffic lights going in, people have asked me if I would add a new verse to the song that told the story of the recent changes to Shoe Corner. The last verse in the song, says ‘everything is still the same,’ but that just refers to the fact that shoes are still being left there,” Ruvoli said.
Ruvoli’s song, “Shoe Corner,” was released on August 16, 2016 as the first song in his EP, Places I’ve Been. In October of the same year, it was announced that Illiana Christian High School purchased land near Shoe Corner with plans of building a new high school. Fast forward to July 16, 2017, and it's now getting a traffic signal makeover.
“I’m not updating the song and adding stories of traffic signals or high schools to ‘Shoe Corner.’ When I wrote and recorded it, I hoped it would become the official song of a local landmark that I grew up around.” Ruvoli said. “I think now, with the developments, the song can fit nicely into the intersection’s historical timeline.”
“Since the announcement of traffic lights going in, people have asked me if I would add a new verse to the song that told the story of the recent changes to Shoe Corner. The last verse in the song, says ‘everything is still the same,’ but that just refers to the fact that shoes are still being left there,” Ruvoli said.
Ruvoli’s song, “Shoe Corner,” was released on August 16, 2016 as the first song in his EP, Places I’ve Been. In October of the same year, it was announced that Illiana Christian High School purchased land near Shoe Corner with plans of building a new high school. Fast forward to July 16, 2017, and it's now getting a traffic signal makeover.
“I’m not updating the song and adding stories of traffic signals or high schools to ‘Shoe Corner.’ When I wrote and recorded it, I hoped it would become the official song of a local landmark that I grew up around.” Ruvoli said. “I think now, with the developments, the song can fit nicely into the intersection’s historical timeline.”