Celebration Rings in 125th Year of Normal’s Fell Park

Reposted from The Pantagraph

Story and Photos by Brendan Denison

NORMAL — Judy Scott said she’s thankful for the memories she’s shared with her neighbors near Fell Park.

While at the park on Sunday, Scott, 78, pointed to Reggie Whittaker’s home. She said Whittaker was born in the same house he died in two years ago at age 96, adding he was also a descendant of the first Black family in Normal.

Scott is a founding member of the Fell Park Neighborhood Association, which hosted events in 2003 and 2008 commemorating the park’s history and namesake. The site was previously named Jesse Fell Park, directly honoring the Town of Normal founder, and then City Park, Normal Park and “the pump ground.”

As for 2023’s celebration, Scott said the Fell Park bash was even bigger.

The Normal Parks & Recreation Department celebrated the park’s 125th anniversary Sunday, bringing out live music, at least 17 business vendors, The Zoo Lady and her face-painting Zoo Crew, the Children’s Discovery Museum, a bouncy inflatable slide and more.

Taking in the bustling sight of Fell Park that afternoon, Scott agreed the Fells would be delighted to see the park that day if they were still alive.

“People have even mentioned to me that they can feel something in the park,” said Scott, describing it as a welcoming energy. “I feel that too.”

Hester’s holdings

Normal Parks & Recreation Director Doug Damery said since the neighborhood association dedicated a 2008 monument in the middle of the park — during an event then called “Fell Fest” — he’s known park neighbors take a lot of pride in the neighborhood.

Damery said the association reached out to the parks department about putting on another fest for the 125th, and his department got on board.

“It represents more than 125 years of the park … but also the vision Jesse Fell had for open spaces in Normal … trees in Normal,” Damery said.

Normal Mayor Chris Koos also issued a proclamation for the anniversary that afternoon, calling on all citizens to advocate for preserving open spaces to promote the well-being of future generations.

Aside from a light rain that hardly bothered attendees, Damery said people were enjoying ideal temperatures and kids were loving the bouncy inflatable slides. That included Olivia Macpherson, 8, of Normal. Her mother, Sammie Macpherson, said they used to live closer to the park.

She said it was fun to come back and play.

Damery said they also thought it would be fun to have an actor portray Jesse Fell and share his vision of open park spaces in town. He added that evolved into getting an actor for his wife, Hester Fell, too.

“Jesse had died by time the park was actually donated to the town,” Damery said.

Brochures provided by the town stated a water tower was needed after an 1896 fire, and Hester Fell agreed to provide the future property on the terms the land be used for park purposes only. The town council at the time agreed to her demands, and Mrs. Fell sold the property in 1898 for $1.

Hester Fell re-enactor Jennifer Maloy, of Normal, told audiences about the past names of the park, and how many early residents kept cattle.

“In the early days of Normal, cattle herds were a big problem,” Maloy pronounced to Hester Fell’s audience. Jesse Fell, as portrayed by Todd Wineburner, said land was sold to the town with allowances for cattle owners at the time.

Both actors are with the Illinois Voices Theatre, which also performs for the Evergreen Cemetery Walk in Bloomington, and has Seedling and Echoes troops.

Wineburner, who has acted as Fell for previous years at the cemetery walk, was well-researched on his character’s history. He even recalled an op-ed piece he penned for The Pantagraph about his umbrella breaking down.

“He didn’t think much of it, it was just one of those slice-of-life stories, that man needs a good umbrella,” said Wineburner. After he published his need for a replacement umbrella, Wineburner said Fell ended up touching a nerve with the public, long before social media was invented.

“The story goes… The Pantagraph was just inundated with umbrellas that people sent to him,” Wineburner said.

The actor laughed, and then noted: “It shows you the reputation he had in the community.”

Richard “Yogi” Savage, of Bloomington, caught one of the Fell reenactments Sunday. He said he grew up in the Fell Park neighborhood, attending Eugene Fields school. The 76-year-old man said he used to play games after classes, and the park was the center of focus for kids.

“Baseball, football, you name it,” said “Yogi,” adding they ran bicycle races and tag games.

When asked if commemorating history was important to him, Savage responded: “No doubt! My name’s on the plaque over there,” he said, pointing to Fell Park’s 2008 monument.

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation helped the neighborhood raise the funds for the monument dedicated to Jesse Fell that the neighborhood around the park dedicated on Jesse Fell’s 200th birthday. The Community Foundation administered a  fund for the monument, assisted with the fundraising effort and provided some connection to Tim Ives (who is a descendant of Jesse Fell and who was a member of the IPCF board at the time).