PEORIA MAGAZINE June 2023

veteran’s plaza and a 3-inch, 50-caliber battleship deck gun. Once a barren gravel pit, Brock Lake along Route 9 has been developed into a popular fishing spot complemented by baseball, softball and football fields. THE SMALL-TOWN EXPERIENCE The primary/junior high school (grades K-3 and 7-8) is just south of the business district, while fourth- through sixth-graders attend classes in nearby Deer Creek. Mackinaw and Deer Creek high schools consolidated on a Mackinaw campus in 1948. Hand painted signs around town with messages such as “Talent wins games” and “Faith. Family. Football” illustrate the integral role the schools play in local life. The Dee-Mack High School Chiefs were Class 2A state football champions in 2016. All of the schools draw from Heritage Lake, a 1,500-resident private development — some call it a suburb — around an 85-acre man-made lake east of town. When first-term Mayor Josh Schmidgall reflects on the amenities that attract residents and visitors to his hometown, he is the first to admit that “we can’t take for granted what we have. “If you don’t promote businesses, before long you’re going to look up and say, ‘There’s nothing left here.’ “People come here for good schools,” he said. “What can we do to support the schools? We have great sports programs for kids. What can we do to help maintain that? “If you know the small-town feel and you know the benefits of a small town, you’re going to move here,” Schmidgall said. “I can tell you about it, but if you haven’t experienced it, you won’t know what I’m talking about.”

Mackinaw Valley Vineyard, on Illinois Route 9 just east of town

PRESERVING THE PAST Head north on Main Street to find the Mackinaw Depot, home to a tearoom and gift shop in a restored station of the Illinois Traction System, the regional electric passenger and freight line that from 1909 until 1953 connected small towns across the state to Peoria, Bloomington, Decatur and Springfield. ‘WE CAN'T TAKE FOR GRANTED WHAT WE HAVE ... IF YOU KNOW THE BENEFITS OF A SMALL TOWN, YOU'RE Beth Wiegand purchased and restored the derelict building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in 1997. Intuition told her that if she built it, they would come. She was right. Diners and shoppers have been arriving steadily, some from as far away as China and Russia, for 25 years. “Not a day goes by that we don’t see someone who has never been here before,” Wiegand said. Chicken salad and coconut pie are specialties at the tearoom, and diners can browse the Garden Gate gift shop. Wiegand also runs BethAnn, a clothing and jewelry boutique just across the street from the depot. “Mackinaw is a great little town to be in,” Wiegand said. She toys with the idea of expanding, but for now, “we just want GOING TO MOVE HERE’ — Mayor Josh Schmidgall

to be here and provide a great place for people to come to have lunch, spend time together and make memories.” OUT AMONG THE VINES East of town on Illinois Route 9 is the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard and Winery, yet another destination in an idyllic rural setting where grapes are grown and award-winning wines are crafted for local consumption and regional distribution. Established by Diane Hahn and her late husband, Roger, in 2003, the winery has attracted thousands and been the setting for weddings, festivals, grape stomps, murder mysteries and musical performances. “We are very much a regional draw,” Hahn said. “I feel like there are a lot of reasons to come to Mackinaw. We try to promote each other.” WILDLIFE AND RECREATION Just north of town lies the 1,448-acre Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area, a quiet sanctuary for canoeing, fishing, hiking, hunting and hand trap shooting. Kayaks and canoes can be rented at Area 52, also a longtime destination for paintballers, in the Mackinaw Industrial Park. Residents and visitors also enjoy Westwood Park with its large pavilion, disc golf, basketball courts and soccer field. Veterans Park serves as a town center at the intersection of Main and Fast Streets, complete with bandstand,

Scott Fishel is a senior communications executive at WTVP

56 JUNE 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE