Overview
Wenona was established as a town in 1853. It is located partially in both La Salle and Marshall counties. Wenona is 40 miles North of Bloomington-Normal and the population is roughly 1100 people. With it being such a small town it seems like you know everyone by name without trouble. They have a festival in the second week of August called Wenona days which is a week long and has many activities that take place during that time. Wenona has a public pond, a park, library, a candy/coke shop, bars, hair salon, tattoo parlor, and a grade school/Junior High School. Also along Main Street there are a bunch of old-styled buildings which have been kept in decent condition and some are occupied by local businesses. The most known part of this town is the Coal Dumb as seen being the buildings and water town in the picture above.
Community
City Hall
In Wenona there are a total of five churches. There are two Lutheran churches, one Presbyterian church, one Methodist church, and one Catholic church. The local library is the Wenona Bond Public Library. There are many organizations in Wenona and they all have a big impact in the town. http://cityofwenona.org/community/organizations Wenona has a weekly newspaper call the Wenona Index. Unfortunately there is not an online version of the index. The Oak State cookie factory is a factory where cookies are made and packaged. Every time you drive past the factory you get a big whiff of sweet smelling cookies. Wenona has a dentist, a few auto body shops, and even a tattoo parlor. The big thing that Wenona is known for is the Coal Dump which put many coal miners into business for a long time when the mine was open. The mine hole is currently covered with a giant slap of concrete with an American Flag sticking out of the top. Another thing that is neat about the town is all the old, original style building where many businesses are located on Main Street. It is nice to know that you pretty much know everyone in the town and in case of emergency or if you need help you can count on just about anyone to stop what they are doing to help you out.
Wenona Days
Wenona Days is a very big, week long span of activities and fun for all ages. It occurs on the second week in August. There are plenty of fun things like a petting zoo, kiddie tractor pulls, carnival, 3-on-3 tournament, bags tournament, and other things for the young kids to do. Also for kids there is a movie night at the park where they project a movie onto a big screen for anyone to enjoy. During the week there is a talent show put on for anyone who wants to stand up and show everyone attending their talents. There is a beer tent and all the bars around town for adults. There is an annual Dancing With the Wenona Stars where people will find a partner and pick songs and do a dance to them. This is a fundraiser as well as fun for everyone involved and for all watching. At the park there is a family night where there is a softball game at the field for anyone who wants to play. There is a live band under the pavilion as well as a cookout where you can get drinks, brats, hot dogs, pork chops, cheeseburgers, and other things of that nature. Another big thing that is put on is Wenona's version of The Amazing Race where two partners run around town finding clues and racing to the finish line. A big event that bring people from all over is the Wenona 5K. People come from all over to come and run the 5K. I think the biggest attraction of Wenona Days is the burn outs. This is where people who want to be involved will bring their cars out and try to spin their tires and blow the most smoke. The winner is based on crowd noise, whoever gets the biggest cheer will move on in the rounds until a winner is crowned.
Parks and Recreation
Pavilion at the park
In Wenona there are plenty of recreational activities or sports for kids to do. There is baseball and softball starting with tee-ball all the way up through little/pony league. There is basketball starting at first grade. There is soccer, JFL football, even dancing. It is a good chance for kids to get introduced to a sport and see if they enjoy and want to continue it further. It teaches kids responsibility, team work, hard work, and just plain old fun. At the part there is a bunch of things to do for the kids. There are two sets of monkey bars, a jungle gym, swings, slides, merry-go-round, bathrooms, teeter-totters, and water fountains. It is a good and safe place for kids to go to have a good time and expend a little energy.
School
Fieldcrest East is the what used to be a Kindergarten through 12th grade. Fieldcrest was always called Fieldcrest but was indicated by where they were located. The school in Wenona was Fieldcrest East. But when all the schools merged into one big district in 1992 all schools were to be called simply Fieldcrest. Since Fieldcrest has merged into one big district it now hosts Kindergarten through 4th grade from Wenona as well as 7th and 8th grade students from every other town in the district. They have basketball for boys and girls, baseball, softball, volleyball, track, band, show choir, and many clubs or organizations. There is also a rumor, which cannot be proven to be true, that Andre the Giant wrestled in the basement of the school.
Food/Drink
Kim's Sweet Shop
A Picture of the businesses on Main Street.
Boardwalk Tap
There are many bars and grills as well as other places to go get a drink or a bite to eat. There is the Top Hat Saloon, Little Sorrento's Pizzeria, Park Place, Burger King, Subway, and Casey's General Store. The big and popular places are Boardwalk and Kim's Sweetshop. Boardwalk is a bar and grill that serves some of the best food in the area. It is very popular for locals and for people traveling through. They have great specials for every night of the week that will satisfy your taste buds on any given day. Kim's Sweetshop is a place to go and get just about any kind of soda with just about any kind of flavor. They also serve ice cream, candy, popcorn, etc. It is also a very popular for locals and people passing through town.
