Barbecue, ice cream shop to open at Illini State Park in Marseilles

A barbecue restaurant and ice cream shop will be opening at the newly renovated concessions at Illini State Park in Marseilles next year.

Ol’ Hickory Grill will serve barbecue, hamburgers, hot dogs and weekly specials. Pulled pork and chicken will be available on the weekends. The ice cream portion of the business will be called Illini Sweets. Menus for both are being finalized, said owner James Martin.

Martin, of Marseilles, owns Base Enterprise, a family entertainment business, and plans to utilize Base’s inventory at the park.

“No one’s ever had a restaurant in the state park that owns as much as we own,” Martin said. “We can do all special events in house, anything to do with family entertainment.”

Martin said they can host birthday parties with bounce houses and other amenities, days in the summer with water slides as well as holiday events for the kids.

A soft opening is tentatively planned for St. Patrick’s Day weekend followed by a grand opening Easter weekend.

Concessions at Illini State Park have been closed while renovations were completed to the concession areas, sidewalks and parking lot. As a result, the concession’s former tenant, C.P.’s Ice Cream, has been closed since the end of the 2021 season. In October, the business posted to its Facebook page they would not be returning to the park and thanked their customers for 21 years.

The Times / NewsTribune / Bureau County Republican is committed to keeping readers up to date with business happenings in the area. Much of our reporting relies on what we see and hear, but we’re also reaching out to readers for tips on business items. If you have a tip to share for Eyes on Enterprise, email newsroom@mywebtimes.com.