This Stretch of Highway Sponsored by GoldenPalace.com

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Apr 18, 2005 11:00PM

Last night, Chicagoist was heading back into the city from dinner with the family in the 'burbs. When we got off the Kennedy at Fullerton, we were confused by a huge crowd of people under the highway. Normally, we see maybe a homeless guy, a car that had been in an accident, a state trooper taking care of paperwork... but never before had we seen a crowd of 100 people and a dozen cars or more.

This morning, we discovered the source of the crowds. Seems that water leaking through the underpass wall have made some believe it is the Virgin Mary making yet another appearance. Obdulia Delgado said she discovered the image on April 10 after getting off work. She quickly pulled over to get a better look and then began praying.

The crowds seem to have discovered the image only last night according to the Trib's coverage of the story. Although they said people showed up around midnight, Chicagoist observed quite a crowd as early as 10:30 or so.

When we first came down the ramp, we saw one of the 5 or 6 regular homeless guys who panhandle at the Fullerton exit. His routine is to kneel and pray, crossing himself every minute of so. Seeing as his underpass has now been graced with a Virgin Mary sighting, does that make him some sort of prophet?

And how long before GoldenPalace.com gets involved? They have been acquiring all things that look like other things for obscene amounts of cash in recent months, but how do they purchase an underpass? Maybe they'll instead choose to sponsor the cleanup that section of highway...

Image via NBC5.com