A replica bison stands at Peoria County Courthouse to help celebrate the county’s 200th birthday.
LISA NELSON RAABE

LISA NELSON RAABE

Peoria County is showcasing some of our original inhabitants: Bison. In celebration of the 200-year anniversary of the founding of Peoria County, a community-wide project which began in the Village of Peoria Heights is bringing 40-plus life-sized Bison to our local businesses, municipal buildings and public parks across the county.

Bicentennial is Bison-tennial, get it?

Each replica of the keystone species is cast resin and with its base weighs 200 pounds. Artists have been selected to paint or vinyl wrap each Bison in their own artistic style and in reference to where the Bison is placed.

BISON TREK: Head out and see the bison! Trek out to locations throughout Peoria County and take a photo with each of the bison. Using the free program, you can earn digital badges and prizes from Wildlife Prairie Park just for participating. Go online to bisontrek.peoriacounty.gov

DESIGN YOUR OWN BISON: Put your own spin on a bison at Fired Up! in Peoria Heights. The paint-your-own-pottery studio is offering a special bicentennial bison to paint, which comes with a commemorative tag. Also included in the flat rate of $20 is the opportunity to have your bison design entered into a contest later this summer. The winner will see their mini-bison design transformed onto a large-scale bison. We’ll unveil the sculpture at our bicentennial celebration in October.

Fired Up! is located at 4532 N Prospect Road in Peoria Heights. Reservations are encouraged by calling (309) 685-8906.

Hattie Lee Mendoza’s Bison is inside Peoria City Hall. “Being the largest painting I’ve done to date, I wasn’t sure how the process would go but was excited. City Hall was easy to work with and I enjoyed seeing my design take shape as I worked an estimated 2.5 weeks straight. My design includes patterns from various cultures both historically and presently that make up our city, with input from Peoria residents who gave me images from their own heritages.”

The bison created by John Boyland is located at the Highway Department.
LISA NELSON RAABE

John Boyland’s Bison is placed at the Peoria County Highway Department. “Knowing the Bison would take permanent residence outside in the elements, many of my design choices were aimed at taking advantage of sunlight, reflection and the viewer’s angle of the Bison. As you walk around the Bison, the colors will change based on your viewing angle and the amount of light available. After talking with folks at the Highway Department, I also incorporated shapes to help provide a ‘highway signage’ feel that would capture the essence of the highway signs we see every day.”

Jeremy Berkley created “Turbo” for the Peoria Airport. The Bison looks like luggage and “was commissioned by the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria (MAAP) in celebration of the Authority’s 75th anniversary,” Berkley said. “During discussions with their team, we came up with the idea of placing the Bison inside a carry-on bag. The bag is decorated with travel icons representing destinations served by the Peoria airport. The entire design and painting process took about six weeks to complete.”

‘Turbo’ is the bison statue at General Wayne A. Dowling International Airport designed by Jeremy Berkley.
LISA NELSON RAABE

Tower Park in Peoria Heights will have Morgan Elser’s bronze powder coated Bison with her own textural weather resistant clay for a realistic look. Wildlife Prairie Park offers special badges and a chance to see real live Bison. Larry Herron a volunteer at the park painted its Bison as a beautifully rendered and colorful landscape. There are many more artists and groups from high schools, art centers, the library and Trefzgers Bakery, where you can witness the painting in progress.

PJ Hoerr engraved the bases for each Bison. The Peoria Highway Department transports the bison to each artist, and after the painting is finished, the Bison are transported to Woodruff High School autobody shop for clear coating, then they are taken to their final destination.

Have you caught sight of a yellow Bison in front of Caterpillar Visitor Center, or a Purple Bison on Pioneer Parkway in front of Purple Bubble Bar? Look for a Bison at the County Courthouse, Manpower and many more places to explore. The Bison will be on display until the end of the year.