September 10, 2026 

City Manager Pamela Reece

We weathered the August storms and are getting back to services and business as usual. Thank you for your patience as we picked up bulky waste and brush and tree debris curbside.  

Trees in our community were hit hard last month, and I'm excited to introduce you to Shade For Future, a program offering trees for your property at discounted prices. 

As part of the Vision 2050/Sustainability master planning efforts, you recognized the communitywide benefits trees provide and told us planting more trees was your top sustainability priority.

Shade For Future provides an affordable way to add trees to our community, expanding our tree canopy one property at a time. More importantly, the program will help our community be greener, cooler and more resilient.

Enjoy the remaining Normal Live offerings this fall. Check out live music at Uptown Circle and Connie Link Amphitheatre. We'll also host Day of Play this month. Turn off your screens and join friends and family outside at Uptown Normal for a lot of fun. 

Residents looking to add shade, beauty and long-term value to their property can take advantage of the Town of Normal’s Shade For Future program this fall.

Through the program, Normal residents can purchase up to two native trees per household for $30 each, a significant discount from their value of more than $100 per tree. The program is part of the Town’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and its goal of increasing the community’s urban tree canopy.

"Storms in 2026 hit our community hard, and we want to help address the impact of the trees lost."

-- Director of Parks & Recreation
Doug Damery

On Sept. 8, the Normal Town Council took the following actions:

To learn more, read the Sept. 8 Council Action Reports

The City of Bloomington and Town of Normal hosted a joint community forum on data centers on Aug. 26. A recording of the meeting is available.

We're looking for volunteers to bring the Haunted Trail to life over five nights in October. Whether you can help for one night or all five, we'd love to have you on the team! 

Preferred age of volunteers is high school and older. 

Sign up today and help create a frightfully fun experience for the community! 🎃

1110 Douglas St., Normal

One Normal Plaza 

Have you checked out Normal’s newest outdoor attraction?

The Sculpture Park is ready for exploring!

Take a stroll, enjoy the artwork and see how art and public spaces come together in a whole new way. Whether you’re an art aficionado, a curious passerby or simply looking for a reason to get outside, the Sculpture Park is worth a visit.

Come for the walk. Stay for the art.

And don’t be surprised if you find yourself stopping for a selfie along the way!

Learn how you can leave a lasting tribute in the Sculpture Park. 

Above: An aerial view of the Town of Normal Sculpture Park.

Above: “In and Out of the Blue” by Dann Nardi, Normal, Ill.

Above: “American Kestrel” by Shawn A. Hensley, Champaign, Ill.

Above: “Happy, Happy, Happy” by Jeremy Burdette, Bartonville, Ill.

Above: “Whorled” by Nicole Beck, Chicago 

Visit the Town of Normal website for past editions of Normal Now. 

Don't miss an email! In your inbox, tag the Normal Now emails as Primary (Google) or Focused (Outlook) to ensure you get them as soon as they are delivered. 

Thank you for being part of our community! We want to hear from you! Let us know how we're doing and what you'd like to see in future editions of Normal Now.