Historic Wayside Park & Prairie
Located in southern Menard County at the intersection of Illinois Routes 97 and 123 (Gudgel Ave) Wayside Park was developed in 2006 by Menard County Trails & Greenways through the cooperation and assistance of the Illinois Department of Transportation and contributions of supporters.
Wayside Park, a 2+ acre IDOT right-of-way, includes a huge red hawthorn tree from an early roadside beautification project, a stone council ring, and a pollinator waystation planting around the council ring. The site provides visitors a historic, land, and water resource overview of the area through interpretive signs integrated with the council ring.
Menard County Trails & Greenways’ volunteers keep the site mowed, trimmed, and free of litter.
In 2022 we worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Pollinator Program director and Diet. 6 manager to come up with plan to convert the 3-acre triangle across the highway from Historic Wayside Park to a grassland prairie. With the help of IDOT, Pheasants Forever and Mason State Tree Nursery we prepped the area and by last fall of 2023 we planted several pounds of prairie seed we purchased from Mason State Tree Nursery.
Interested in helping out on the Wayside Committee?