Monee’s Sesquicentennial Fall Fest Parade honored one of the village’s oldest families, naming Bing Bisping as its Grand Marshal.
Bing is recognized for being knowledgeable about Monee, as well as for being a lot of fun. Village officials tease that “He knows everything and everyone – just ask him,” and has plenty of great stories to tell about the town’s past.
A fifth generation resident of Monee, his ancestors go further back than the village’s 150-year history. His great-great-grandparents emigrated from Germany in the mid 1800s and homesteaded a farm on Harlem Avenue, just north of Monee.
A favorite memory, he said, was going out to visit Grandpa and Grandma Jenssen on the farm.
He said he remembers moving to Monee in 1945, just after WWII. His father was a welding engineer his whole life and had a job at the shipyards in Seneca on the Illinois River during the war, so they lived there for a short period of time.
Bisping recalls a time when the village was predominantly German, and that was the language often spoken. As a teen, he worked for a farmer whose wife spoke only German, so to converse with her meant having her husband translate everything she said.
And she served “some of the best home-cooked meals you’ll ever have. I really enjoyed that time in my life,” he smiled.
Bing went to Crete-Monee for two years and then decided to get a job and went to work for GM/Electromotive in LaGrange. He worked for a boss “who taught him everything,” because he saw a bright future for him.
A year later, his boss died, and the company asked him to be the supervisor. When he told them he didn’t have the two years of college required for the position, his boss walked away, came back a few minutes later, and announced that he now had two years of college on his permanent record.
Bing retired from Electromotive after 30 years of loyal and exemplary service. Many Monee men worked there at one time or another, he noted, including Wayne Stassen, Bob Ooley, Pete Padgett, Wes Kochel, and Bob Loy.
Bing married local girl Deanna Cross, and they have been happily married now for more than 50 years. They have a son, Rick, and several grandchildren.
Bing was on the Planning and Zoning Commission for many years under Mayor Dick Wille. He worked with his brother-in-law Chester Cross after Eddie Brockmiller sold Chester the general store on Main Street, which now is being renovated by Second Place Church.
He also served on the St. Paul Church Council and took on a variety of odd jobs around the church and grounds to keep things running smoothly.
For fun, Bing takes old lawn mowers and rebuilds them to make them run like new.
During the Monee Centennial Celebrations, Bing built a Paddy Wagon and pulled it in the parade. That was back in a time, he laughed, “when Monee policemen would throw you in jail for violations of the Centennial rules, such as not having a beard or passing ‘wooden nickels’.”
When asked how he felt when Mayor Bogs called to ask him to be the Grand Marshal of the 150th Anniversary celebrations, Bing says he was surprised and humbled.
“It was just great,” he said, adding that the first thing he said to Deanna was, ‘Well, I guess we aren’t totally forgotten!”
The parade on Saturday was just one part of the 150-year celebration going on in the village. Monee’s annual Fall Fest was well underway, and despite a different configuration because of the ongoing construction at Firemen’s Park, the three-day event was going well.
Village Trustee Scott Youdris noted attendance numbers were higher than usual.
“On average we see about 1,500 to 2,000 people attend each day,” he said. “This year, with the added events for the anniversary and the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, we expect those numbers to double.”
Youdris, who serves as public safety trustee, praised the village police and Emergency Management Agency volunteers for their additional efforts to keep the crowds orderly and family-friendly.
“Our EMA and MPD have been planning their preparation for Fall Fest since the close of last year’s,” he noted.
“Every year they look for ways to better prepare to keep us safe. While we feel we have enough personnel to cover the Fest, we (have been) getting extra support from Crete and Beecher, just in case.”
A new ordinance, like the one enacted in Frankfort, that restricted face masks and required under-18 attendees to be accompanied by an adult also helps, he added.
“Other communities have enacted similar ordinances and have seen positive results. These ordinances also give our police officers added authority to prevent issues from occurring and enhancing the enjoyment for everyone at the fair. We are wanting to help our officers be proactive with the security at the Festival.
“This is an exciting year for Monee,” he continued. “We are excited to celebrate Monee’s birthday and make Fall Fest a big celebration.”
Youdris added that a visit to the Traveling Wall was “an experience not to be missed and a chance to pay your respects for the sacrifices so many made for our country. As for the Fest, it is a great family event and a great opportunity to meet new people and friends.”