This Day in History - March 17, 2018: Sharin of the Green

 

On March 17, 2018, the quaint town of Normal, Illinois, came alive with the spirited revelry of its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a cherished tradition that painted the streets with hues of emerald and echoes of jubilation. As the calendar aligned with the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint, the community gathered under a crisp spring sky to celebrate heritage, unity, and the promise of renewal that the season whispers.

The parade, a vibrant procession through the heart of Normal, wove its way along familiar avenues, drawing families, friends, and visitors into a shared tapestry of festivity. Floats adorned with shamrocks and streamers rolled gracefully by, while local bands filled the air with lively tunes that stirred the soul and quickened the pulse. Marchers, clad in green regalia, waved to the onlookers, their smiles as bright as the sun that occasionally peeked through the clouds, casting a golden glow on the scene.

This was more than a mere spectacle; it was a testament to Normal’s enduring spirit—a small town with a big heart, where history and modernity dance in harmony. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade of 2018 stood as a beacon of camaraderie, inviting all to partake in the “Sharin’ of the Green,” as the event is fondly known. Children scampered along the sidewalks, clutching treasures tossed from passing floats, while elders reminisced about parades past, their tales weaving a thread of continuity through generations.

In a world often hurried and divided, the Normal, IL, St. Patrick’s Day Parade on that March day offered a pause—a moment to revel in simplicity, to honor roots both Irish and otherwise, and to embrace the collective joy that binds a community. As the last notes of the pipers faded and the crowds dispersed, the memory of that celebration lingered, a verdant promise of spring and togetherness etched into the town’s story.

Charles Old Hoss Radbourn stands tall in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery

Sports fans love a good player tribute or memorial.  They flock to places like stadiums, the various hall of fames, hometowns of heroes and museums to see artist’s renditions of the athlete and their careers.  There are simply hundreds of places to visit to pay homage to the many great athletes of the world.  Bloomington Illinois has added a venue in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery!  A cemetery is not your standard variety venue.

Many cemeteries feature stone art.  Many old stones were carved with scenes of nature or animals and the way those are depicted generally has a meaning.  There is some of that art in Evergreen Memorial, but there is also new art that just grows with the trees.  It all began in 2015 when a tree died near a spot where a plane had crashed during the Memorial Day ceremonies of 1948.  Instead of cutting down the tree and removing the stump, management decided to have it carved into a memorial commemorating that crash.  A carver was hired and when completed, a replica of the plane that crashed adorned the top of the stump that remained after removing the damaged portion of the tree.

So started a tradition has Evergreen Memorial on the way to becoming more than a final destination.  Now the cemetery is a favorite local destination for viewing some nice chainsaw art carving.  The second creation is near the grave of Dorothy Gage. Bill Baker of Top Notch Chainsaw Carvings completed a carving of Dorothy from L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz in 2018.  Gage was Baum’s niece and was the person he named the character after.

Bill Baker carved two more memorials in 2019.  One is of an infant in a tree also near the grave of Dorothy Gage, the other of Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn who is also buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Radbourn was born in Rochester NY in 1853 but was raised in and called Bloomington home.  He spent 12 years in Major League Baseball with the Buffalo Bisons, Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds, and Cincinnati Reds.  He passed away in 1897 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

Bill Baker related that the carving of Radbourn was interesting because most of the photographs he used as a reference were taken from the waist up.  Only a couple full-length shots seem to exist that Baker was able to locate.  Baker also states in a social media post about this carving that an imperfection in the old tree used for the carving was located in the exact spot of the left eye.  Imperfections aren’t unusual, but his further research revealed that Radbourn was blind in his left eye after a hunting accident where he was accidentally shot by a friend.  In Bakers words, some things were meant to be.  The eye imperfection remains in the final works.  Other details of the art are a wooden bat placed against Radbourn’s right hand and BOSTON on his jersey.  Several parts of the work are blackened to give it a more lifelike appearance.

Evergreen Memorial Cemetery is home to a lot of old oak trees and the property is the final resting place of many of Bloomington, Normal and McLean Counties prominent historical figures as well as many historical characters.  The families of Supreme Court Judge David Davis (a friend and confidant of Abraham Lincoln), Adlai Stevenson, the Gridley’s, the Funks, Sergeant Joshua Rodgers and others are all laid to rest here leaving a variety of material, personalities and memories to be commemorated and carved.

Evergreen Memorial Cemetery is located 2 blocks east of Main Street, south of downtown Bloomington at 302 Miller Street.

More images of the memorial to Charles Radbourn can be found here:  https://alanlook.photoshelter.com/portfolio/G0000VI_GJst9ZUY/I0000nQhxx2t8zmE

More images of Evergreen Memorial Cemetery are here:  https://alanlook.photoshelter.com/portfolio/G0000lUNl4ZC1MWU/I0000AuQkYE8cKyo