Explore Savanna

06/10/2026

🐸🐺🎉 Happy 54th Birthday, Facemakers, Inc.!

Did you know one of Savanna's 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 and one of the world's 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 mascot companies share the 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?

In 1972, a 19-year-old artist named Alan St. George created a frog costume for a movie promotion after deciding the rental costume 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 good enough. Using his sculpture skills, he built his own frog head by hand. When costume shop owners saw it, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, and just like that, Facemakers was born.

What started with a single frog mascot grew into a company that would create 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 of mascots shipped around the world, including one of its most famous creations: 𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫.

A few years later, Alan and his wife, Adrianne, found an old Victorian home in Savanna. What began as a historic house became their 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞. Over decades, they transformed it into the breathtaking Havencrest Castle, a 56-room work of art filled with sculptures, paintings, stained glass, and countless details inspired by their imagination and love story.

The same creativity that launched Facemakers helped build Havencrest Castle. Both are living reminders of what can happen when artistic 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, and a little bit of 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 come together.

Today, 54 years after that very first frog mascot 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥, we're celebrating a Savanna story that continues to inspire visitors from around the world.

🎂 Happy Birthday, Facemakers!
🏰 Thank you for helping make Havencrest Castle one of the 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 in the Midwest.
❤️ And thank you, Alan and Adrianne, for leaving a 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 of creativity right here in Savanna.

06/10/2026

There’s just 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 about life along the Mississippi ❤️

Neighbors catching up on the 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭, families enjoying the parks, friends gathering for events, kids playing outside, and a 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 that always seems to come together when it 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵.

We 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 take it for granted. This river has connected 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, and we're 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 to call its banks home. 🌅

06/09/2026

Remember when summer meant camping, swimming until dark, and campfire stories under the stars? ✨

Seven Eagles 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 feels like 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.

☀️ With campsites, cozy cabins, motel rooms, a pool, stocked fishing pond, direct access to the Great River Bike Trail and 𝐚𝐥𝐥 the amenities you need, Seven Eagles Resort & Campground is the kind of place where you can 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 and enjoy summer.

📍 Seven Eagles Campground & Resort

06/08/2026

👏 We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: we are 𝐒𝐎 lucky to have an incredible Savanna Park District.

𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺… do you realize how much our community has 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 in town? 🥹

From our public swimming pool and marina to our parks, trails, and brand-new pickleball courts, Savanna offers amenities that 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 communities would 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 to have.

This past weekend, the Savanna Events Committee hosted a Pickleball Tournament at Old Mill Park to help raise funds for community events, and it was 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 to see so many people come out and enjoy the new courts. 🎾

Meanwhile, our Savanna Park District Swimming Pool is 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 open for the season, giving families, kids, and visitors another great place to spend their summer. ☀️💦 Check their page for open swim & exercise class hours.

06/07/2026

Ever had that moment when you discover something 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 in your own backyard that you wonder how on earth you missed it all these years?

That’s Mississippi Palisades State Park 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 in Savanna, Illinois, the 𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 that’s been hiding in plain sight while you’ve been planning trips to crowded national parks.

Explore Illinois' best-kept natural secret

06/04/2026

🇺🇸 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀’𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟓𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍? 🇺🇸

We’re looking for 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 and 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐒 for our River Raised, Freedom Made | 250 Years Along the River celebration!

Whether you want to showcase your business, organization, float, classic car, handmade products, or food, we’d love to have you join us for an evening of community fun, live music, kids activities, and fireworks.

🚗 Parade Registration:
https://forms.gle/vza1UFYWcY8ZmT1E6

🛍️ Vendor Registration:
https://forms.gle/nJAqMCwaV57NrkT77

Help us make this year BIG!

06/03/2026

🧌 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖? There are 𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬 hiding just across the river in Clinton, Iowa!

Created by internationally known artist Thomas Dambo, these 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫-𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧-𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 wooden trolls are built 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 from recycled materials and have become a must-see attraction for visitors of all ages.

People have been traveling from 𝘼𝙇𝙇 over to see these giant trolls, some even travel the world searching for them! 🌎 Clinton is the home to four Thomas Dambo sculptures, three trolls and one hidden creature.

Meanwhile, we’re 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 to have them practically in our backyard. Just 25 minutes from Savanna, these amazing works of art make for the perfect day trip and scavenger hunt.