Peoria’s famous Bannon Family was honored Tuesday afternoon.
City of Peoria officials and the Peoria Police Department dedicated a park to the Bannon family in the Armstrong-Ellis Neighborhood in the West Bluff. Rosemary and Ted Bannon were two strong neighborhood activists in Peoria.
Mayor Jim Ardis says the park dedication is a token of appreciation to the Bannon’s and their children:
“They have a huge family that continues to give back to the city, now that their parents have both been deceased for some time. And it really set an example for the rest of us on how important it is that we continue to invest in this place that we call home.”
Officials held a ribbon cutting at the old Bannon home on Armstrong Street before the park dedication.
The Bannon’s donated the home to the City for Peoria’s Resident Officer Program. The program places officers to live and work in high-crime areas.
Peg BannonBuechele is one of the eleven children of neighborhood activists Rosemary and Ted Bannon. She says dedicating the home to the program was an easy decision:
“We had it for sale, didn’t get any offers, we knew that the neighborhood was troubled, we worried about mom when she was here by herself, and this idea came up. And all eleven – we were all on board, without any hesitation.”
Resident Officer Ryan Winkle lives in the Armstrong Street home. Another resident officer will likely move into the East Bluff next month.