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Duncan Manor Owners Want Ability To Host More Events

The 150 year-old Duncan Manor just outside of Towanda near Route 66 will host a Handmade and Vintage Market this Labor Day weekend and the couple which owns the historic landmark wants to be able to host many more events in the future. 

Randi Howell says they have created a non-profit organization to raise money for restoration, renovation and maintenance of the mansion, estimated to cost $100,000 a year but the county's zoning laws restrict them to four events a year. "The property is too important to keep to ourselves.  It has been shown in the two years that we've been here that everybody loves this and wants to be a part of it and as it is now, we're shutting off opportunity," she said.  Without an ability to host regular events, she does not want to consider the fate of the Victorian-era mansion that was built by William Duncan who died only a few years after it was completed.

McLean County's current zoning law has language addressing Agri-tourism.  It allows for special use permits for working farms of 40 acres or more as a way of providing supplemental income such as classes, playgrounds, hayrack and pony rides, pumpkin patches,and  hunting and fishing ranches, among other activities.  It also allows sale of food, products grown in the area, and those that promote tourism.  Unless it includes a vineyard, it also prohibits renting space for such things as weddings, class reunions and art and music festivals.

Expanding Route 66 Tourism in Towanda

Jo Morrison lives two miles from historic Route 66.  She wants to rent her refurbished barn for educational tours and events of interest to Route 66 travelers to offset expenses and continue improvements.  Morrison says recently, a highway traveler from Michigan stumbled upon Towanda’s hidden treasures. "She found out about Duncan Manor, came out and visited my farm, we stopped and ate at Kick's [Kicks Bar and Grill] and she told me, 'Hey Towanda does matter.'"

Morrison has been given a special use permit to host an event called "A Barn A-Fair" which raised money for the Barn Keepers Association which promotes the restoration, preservation, and re-purposing of barns in Central Illinois.  She would like to host two events a month, including those that could be organized by others willing to rent her barn.

McLean County Board Chairman John McIntyre said he is reviewing the current zoning ordinance and will talk with staff about potential issues before deciding what, if any, changes might be brought to an oversight committee.

Colleen has spent most of her adult life working the streets and beats of Bloomington-Normal for WJBC-AM where she won numerous reporting awards for hard news, feature writing, and breaking news coverage.
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