By Courtney Linehan

Senior writer

Champaign-Urbana is not Chicago’s South Side. One hundred thirty miles south of the city, there are fewer people per square mile, fewer bungalows per city block, and fewer places to get a good Polish sausage. But for all the differences, the two areas have their similarities, as was visible Friday night when more than 500 people lined up to catch a glimpse of a South Side marvel.

The well-traveled Chicago White Sox World Series Champions trophy visited Champaign for a few hours Friday night. Black-clad Sox fans stood in line, many for more than an hour, for the chance to see the relic up close.

The trophy was on display at the US Cellular store, 907 W. Marketview Dr., from 5-8 p.m., drawing long lines of families, students and individuals excited to see proof the Sox’s 80-year title drought is over.

Visitors were asked to make a 10-dollar cash donation to Chicago White Sox Charities.

US Cellular store manager Chad Avery said hosting the trophy would help the store bring in business. While several fans browsed the cell phone selection after having their photos taken, Avery said just the awareness raised was a huge benefit of being selected for a visit.

“This is a fairly new location, so it helps drive traffic here,” Avery said. “We’ve had a lot of action tonight, so it’s been great. But the awareness is worth more than what we’re seeing right now.”

The trophy took a full tour of select Chicagoland US Cellular stores and recently stopped at Sox Fest last week. The Champaign visit was the first of 11 stops in central Illinois.

“The fan base is starting to come downstate more,” Avery said. “You have a winning season, and people are starting to get excited.”

The trophy’s next stop will be in Decatur on Feb. 15. It will be on display from 4-7 p.m. at the US Cellular store at 2950 N. Walter St.