New businesses continue to open-up shop in O’Fallon. Between August and November 2019, 30 new businesses opened their doors.

This community continues to be a great destination for businesses of any size, and any type.

O’Fallon, Illinois – Build It Here.

Three brothers, Rick, Russ, and Jim Thoman were all born and raised in O’Fallon, IL. They are all proud to be a part of an institution that has spent 60 great years in O’Fallon.

Many years ago, the trio’s late father, Russell Thoman, Sr., along with eight business partners, saw potential in the small growing town of O’Fallon and opened the Bank of O’Fallon.  At that time in the late 1950’s, there was only one other bank in town to serve the 4,000 O’Fallon residents.

If Russell Sr. could only see his bank and hometown he would be impressed. Today, the City of O’Fallon is home to over 30,000 residents and the Bank of O’Fallon has over 7,500 account holders. Despite the bank’s (and community’s) growth, the values instituted by Russell Sr. over sixty years ago still hold true.

Today, the Thomans find the bank unique compared to others due to the fact that most of the bank’s directors and officers live and work in the area.  They give credit to their amazing, dedicated staff whom most have worked there over 20 years for their amazing success.

The three expressed how fortunate they were to be a part of the O’Fallon community. Since they just finished celebrating their 60^th Anniversary, the three majority owners had the opportunity to grow as the city flourishes as well.  Managing the bank drew them into the community, which is full of “friendly, actively involved individuals to network with,” they said.   

“We’re not dealing with just customers, but they are our friends and we establish relationships with these individuals,” Rick states.

In fact, they claim their favorite aspect of operating the bank is that they are able to be “business partners” in a certain respect, with the people of O’Fallon. Whether individuals need a loan to start an operation, or open a new account for their new business, they love being there to assist the community with their goals and aspirations. They assure that getting to “share success with people” is the most rewarding feeling.

To commemorate their 60 years in O’Fallon, the bank held a party at their institution on October 12. “We just wanted to say thanks to the community for their support and wanted everyone to join in on the celebration with us,” Rick claimed. Hundreds joined the family to celebrate the anniversary, and hopefully welcome another 60 years in O’Fallon!

The City of O’Fallon, O’Fallon-Shiloh Chamber of Commerce, and O’Fallon Downtown District were recently presented with the Exemplary Collaboration, Partnership or Regional Initiative Award the East-West Gateway Council of Governments’ 2019 Outstanding Local Government Achievement Awards.

The award was given for the partnership formed between the City, Chamber, and local businesses that has transformed the City’s downtown area into a flourishing hub of community activity and commerce.

“O’Fallon’s downtown is really special, and it continues to get better and better,” said Mayor Herb Roach. “There are a lot of people to thank and congratulate for winning this award but most of all we must thank the residents of O’Fallon for supporting their downtown.”

The proof is in the receipts: over the past eight years, sales activity in downtown O’Fallon has increased by 177 percent and food and beverage revenue has increased by 134 percent!

Several key initiatives served to spearhead the revitalization of the downtown. First, the City of O’Fallon commissioned a downtown action plan and established a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district for the area. This was followed by the construction of O’Fallon Station, a pavilion and gathering space that holds events throughout the year, including a popular farmers market (The Vine Street Market), that draws thousands every week.

As the City was undertaking this effort, business owners and the O’Fallon-Shiloh Chamber of Commerce formed the O’Fallon Downtown District, which worked with the marketing firm Atomicdust to completely revamp the branding, marketing, signage, and online presence of the area.

The City of O’Fallon added over 125 paved and lighted parking spaces in downtown to help with the parking demand. The City also installs holiday lighting to help encourage and improve a number of new events during the holiday season.

This coordinated approach from planning to action steps makes downtown O’Fallon’s resurgence from forgotten commercial corridor to a bustling hub of energy and source of community pride a truly remarkable accomplishment.

More information about the Downtown District can be found at www.ofallondowntowndistrict.com.

Each year, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments presents its Outstanding Local Government Achievement Awards recognizing the extraordinary work of municipal, county, special purpose and school district officials in the St. Louis region. This year’s awards were presented at the East-West Gateway’s annual meeting on November 13, 2019.

The St. Clair Bowl just celebrated its 42nd birthday in O’Fallon. In its earliest days, it was an indoor skating rink. Years later, it is one of the Midwest’s largest bowling destinations bringing thousands of people into O’Fallon throughout the year.

St. Clair Bowl is an economic generator for O’Fallon, especially when each of their tournaments bring in around 3,500-4,000 people to town. When you add up the cost of the bowling tournament, food, and hotel, the average person attending a tournament at St. Clair spends $168 per night.  Taking into consideration that it hosts about 18 tournaments a year with between 100-1000 participants each tournament, you can see St. Clair Bowl has a large economic impact for O’Fallon and surrounding area.

The bowling alley has formed exceptional relationships with local schools and takes pride in funding many school bowling programs.  McKendree University Bearcats, one of the top bowling teams in the nation, calls St. Clair Bowl their “home court” for both men’s and women’s teams. McKendree has won multiple national championships and grown numerous All-Americans from their home at St. Clair Bowl.

The bowling alley is owned by Matt and Kris Shellabarger, who put everything they have into ensuring the bowl is an enjoyable establishment for people of all ages.

The St. Clair Bowl offers 50 lanes with the most modern bowling technology. It holds the Bowler’s Shoppe, which sells shoes, clothes, and other bowling retail. Inside the shop, you’re likely to find 2007 PBA Champion Mike Mineman who will drill your own bowling ball right in the store!

St. Clair Bowl goes above and beyond for their children’s programs. Their youth Saturday program has over 100 children participating and offers the ability for the kids to earn scholarships. The bowling alley also sponsors a summer “Kids Bowl Free” program, which is perfect for either a scorching July afternoon or a rainy day destined for the inside activities.

“Here, we are selling togetherness,” Shellabarger says. “If people are having fun, then we have done our job.”

St. Clair Bowl is located at 5950 Old Collinsville Rd, O’Fallon, IL 62269.

A flash mob performing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” a surprise appearance by the Headless Horseman, both human and pet costume contests, and a cauldron crawl with special food and drink specials will highlight the inaugural Witches & Wizards Night Out on Saturday, Oct. 19, in the Downtown O’Fallon District.

That’s one of several Halloween-themed events dominating the city’s calendar this month. There will be more treats than tricks for both the adult festivities and those geared towards children.

Whitney Leidner, who owns Refinery Salon, has been fiercely committed to getting the Downtown District on people’s radar, and is one of the organizers of the Witches and Wizards Night Out.

Other towns have “Witches Night Out,” which usually involves shopping, dining and entertainment for women only, but Leidner said they wanted to include men — thus the “Wizards.”

“With cosplay and Harry Potter, a lot of guys are more interested in wizards, so this sets ours apart a little,” Leidner said. “We have 3,000 people ‘interested’ in our event on Facebook.”

Leidner did not want to reveal all the surprises, but the O’Fallon Township High School Golden Girls is producing the “Thriller” dance for the flash mob.

The evening kicks off at 5 p.m. and they are promoting the event as for people age 21 and over. Participants are asked to start at the haunted caboose and for $5, adults can get a wristband for purchasing alcohol. They won’t be carded at each location, Leidner said.

The opening ceremony will feature a reggae “Witch Dance” made famous in Germany in 2016, with the Wolfshager Hexenbrut, aka The Wolf Hunter’s Coven, and became a viral video all over the world. In America, the dance has become associated with Halloween, aka “Samhain.”

Kelli Derengowski of North Carolina revised the German choreography for Americans. The 2008 song, “Shake Your Bacon” in English, by Peter Fox, a German reggae-pop artist, has become an anthem for female empowerment.

O’Fallon’s Unity and Wellness Yoga will lead the dance.

“This should be interesting. I didn’t know this was a thing but apparently it is,” Leidner said. “There are videos all over You Tube.”

The cauldron crawl stops at 9 p.m. and several downtown restaurants and bars are participating, with special theme drinks and food specials. A witches market will include a variety of vendors.

A costume contest will take place at the O’Fallon VFW Post 805 and one at Furchild for pets.

“It’s a huge event with lots of categories,” Leidner said.

Additionally, Bellissimo Photography will take boardwalk pictures, and the event will feature a DJ, gypsies and fortune tellers, Headless Horseman, and more

Leidner is appreciative of the business owners embracing the possibilities of drawing people downtown and the city’s support.

“The city did tell us that big people are looking at downtown O’Fallon. They feel the energy and want to be a part of it. They have been very encouraging in what we are trying to do, and it’s nice to feel wanted,” she said. “The downtown business owners are enjoying getting to know each other. We’re all so busy but this gives us a chance to talk to each other and make a connection.”

Here are additional upcoming events in O’Fallon:

PEEL BREWING COMPANY OKTOBERFEST — SATURDAY, OCT. 5

Peel Brewing Company, 104 S. Cherry St., has organized outdoor activities between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to celebrate German heritage and feature its craft beers, including a special Oktoberfest brew, Into Wit. The festivities include a food zone, kids area, beer Olympics, authentic German best dressed contest and live music.

They have added other local food vendors to help grow their event, including 1818 Chophouse, Sugarfire, Sweet Katie Bee’s Organic Bakery-Café, Gias Pizza, and Flamentco’s The Place.

Limited 2019 Oktoberfest Mugs will be available for $10, and gates open at 11 a.m. to sell the 16.9 ounce commemorative container. The first fill will be free, and there is a special beverage promotion — “More Beer for Your Buck Refills.” Live music includes Mr. Deborah from noon to 2:30 p.m., followed by Steel Creek from 3-6 p.m.

Stacey and Jonah from The Arch (Radio Station 106.5 FM) morning show will be on hand in the afternoon.

Here is a rundown of some additional events in O’Fallon in October:

DOWNTOWN DOG DAYS — SATURDAY, OCT. 12

Downtown Dog Days Julie Hughes of Furchild said this one is about pet wellness. There will even be a pet costume contest…

ROTARY HALLOWEEN PARADE — SATURDAY, OCT. 26

O’Fallon Rotary Clubs and the Downtown District businesses will celebrate Halloween with annual parade and trick-or-treating business to business. After the parade, there will be games, prizes and more fun inside the O’Fallon Station.

Parade line up begins at noon at the corner of State and Vine streets. The parade itself will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will end at the corner of East First and Vine street. A costume contest will immediately follow. The categories are: Decorated bikes/wagons, super heroes and villains, children under 3 years old, scariest, floats, families, and pets.

“Over 1,000 kids come out every year. We are trying to get the businesses to go all out this year and dress up. We (Refinery Salon) always dress up. One year we were the Addams Family. The Rotary event is more of a carnival atmosphere for kids and then our Witches & Wizards Night Out is more for adults,” Leidner said.

After the parade, trick-or-treating at Downtown District businesses will be ongoing until 3 p.m. Look for the pumpkin in the window to know if the business is participating.

The parade event is organized by O’Fallon’s three Rotary clubs: Rotary Sunrise Club, Rotary Noon Club, St. Clair County Sunset Club, as well as the Downtown District.

Leidner said more information is being confirmed, so keep checking the event page for updates.

“We have a lot in the works but are waiting for confirmation before we put anything out,” she said.

For more information, visit Downtown District’s Facebook page or visit the website: www.ofallondowntowndistrict.com