The grand opening — or reopening, if you will — of the gift shop and information center at the historic Sprague Super Service station in Normal, Illinois, will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 12.
Gift-shop operator Terri Ryburn, who labored for a decade to restore the unique gas station before the city finished the job, gave more details about the event via text:
There will be a ribbon cutting and unveiling of the National Register of Historic Places plaque, followed by a parking lot concert with the band Wagon Load A Trouble. There will be a food truck there as well.
The station is at 305 E. Pine St. in Normal, so set your calendar and GPS coordinates
Two weeks ago, the Bloomington Pantagraph reported the station would open in August, but it didn’t have a firm date. Ryburn give the scheduled date for the event to me this week.
The Pantagraph also previously reported there may be a soft opening in early August.
Ryburn will run the gift shop and live in its upstairs apartment for $120 a year.
The city has spent about $600,000 buying and renovating the station in the past year.
Sprague Super Service was built in 1931 on Route 66 by William Sprague. It uniquely was designed as a gas station and residence. It sold City Service gas but became other businesses by the 1940s, and the pumps were removed by 1979. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Image of Sprague’s Super Service station in Normal, Illinois, by Teemu008 via Flickr)