Brit smitten with folks in Galesburg

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An adventurous Brit who made his way from New York to California on five bucks a day for a reality television show says Galesburg has the friendliest people in America.

Leon Logothetis, star of "The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody," rode an Amtrak train from Chicago to Galesburg in the fall of 2005, less than halfway through his quest to travel across America by relying on the kindness of strangers.

The show airs this week on the Fox Reality Channel. In an article published Thursday in USA Today, Logothetis recalled his experiences in Galesburg and said its residents were the friendliest people he encountered along the road.

But his first thought after stepping off the train in Galesburg was about the city's size, having already trekked through cities like New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Charleston, Lexington, Indianapolis and Chicago.

"Galesburg was very small," Logothetis said Thursday afternoon in a telephone interview with The Register-Mail. "I was a little bit concerned that I would find anyone who could help me at all."

The goal of Logothetis' road trip was to get from Times Square in New York to the Hollywood sign in California on $5 a day.

Not allowed to beg for money, he could only hope that strangers along the way would offer to help by paying for his food, lodging and transportation.

He and his crew ended up outside the Galesburg Public Library, looking for help.

Prue Franey of Galesburg had just left a writer's group meeting and offered to give Logothetis some money for food. But based on the rules, Logothetis couldn't accept cash.

So Prue called her son, Bob, who was still in the library. Bob Franey took Logothetis to dinner at Sirloin Stockade and invited him to spend the night at his home.

The next morning, Logothetis' crew came over and handed him his $5 for the day.

Over breakfast at the Rite Track Cafe, Franey hatched a plan to ask for donations across town to go toward a train ticket to Denver, which would catapult Logothetis 900 miles closer to his destination.

"My wife decided to let me and him go out around town," Franey said.

But before they hit the streets, Franey decided to have a little fun with Logothetis - and the crew.

An avid re-enactor and organizer of this weekend's Heritage Days, Franey gave Logothetis an American history lesson by dressing him up in pre-1840s clothing and teaching him how to throw tomahawks.

"He made me dress up as a mountain man and throw axes at trees," Logothetis said.

Then, Franey took Logothetis around town, from the fire department to car dealerships to real estate offices. What the Brit found was that the people of Galesburg not only were willing to listen to his story, but also willing to open their wallets.

Within hours, Franey had collected more than enough for a train ticket to Denver. He bought some snacks for Logothetis to eat on the long train ride and decked him out in a Heritage Days T-shirt.

"He just couldn't believe it," Franey said. "Ever since then, we've been in contact."

Franey said making a new friend was the best part of the experience, and he wasn't surprised to hear that Logothetis thought Galesburg had the friendliest people.

"I think he's absolutely right. I don't think there's a better place to live than Galesburg," Franey said, noting the experience would not have been as great if others in the community had not been so willing to play along.

"They made it so easy," Franey said. "A couple hours more and we probably could have sent him all the way to Los Angeles, but I didn't want to make it too easy for him."

Logothetis previously traveled across his home country and now plans to begin traveling from Paris to Moscow on five euros a day in early 2008.

He was in Galesburg for less than 24 hours, but he has a message for its residents.

"Thanks very much and honestly, it may sound silly, but I think about Galesburg a lot. It was a tremendous life experience," he said.

"The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody" airs Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. It began airing Monday on the Fox Reality Channel, which is channel 190 for DISH Network subscribers and channel 250 for DirecTV subscribers.

A trailer for the show - featuring several shots of Galesburg - is available on YouTube, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM2FrYtv3Rg <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM2FrYtv3Rg> .

Jane Carlson can be reached at jcarlson@register-mail.com

Watch It

"The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody" featuring Leon Logothetis

Monday through Friday, 1 p.m., Fox Reality Channel (190 on DISH Network, 250 on DirecTV)

Galesburg is featured in episodes six and seven.