Drive west on Distillery Road toward U.S. Business 20 and the stop sign comes before you've decided whether to look at the silo. Gary Simon planned for that. "I think this is a really nice location because they have to stop for the stop sign sometime and then they can really check them out," the artist told WIFR when his murals were unveiled at Glenn H. Green Open Space. There are four murals. Each one shows a different season with native plants and animals.
The park sits at 8484 Distillery Road. It took most of two decades to get here, and it got here one piece at a time. This is its first autumn with the murals and a new playground both in place, so it's a good time to see how the pieces fit.
Nineteen years, one piece at a time
Most Belvidere parks you can drive past and take in at a glance. Glenn Green is better read as a timeline, because each step built on the last.
- 2007. The Belvidere Park District bought roughly 70 acres, mostly farmland, near Distillery Road and U.S. Business 20.
- October 2017. The park officially reopened after ten years of planning and prairie restoration. The Park District now lists it as 23 acres of open space with more than a mile of walking paths.
- August 28, 2025. Simon's four seasonal murals were unveiled. The Boone County Arts Council describes them as a joint project between the Park District and the Arts Council.
- May 28, 2026. The Jean Twyning Nature Playground opened in a 3-acre recreation area.
- Next. A pavilion near the playground. Rock River Current's May report named it the next addition without giving a timeline.
Rock River Current reported that about 20 acres of the original purchase are being restored to natural prairie. Most of the rest will keep being farmed, apart from the playground and recreation space. So Glenn Green still looks partly like farmland, and that's on purpose. Prairie and cropland share the site, and the newer features sit at its edge.
Why the west side got the investment
The Park District has said plainly why it keeps adding to this spot. At the playground ribbon cutting, executive director Jen Jacky put it this way:
"We are excited to continue transforming Glenn Green into more of a destination for the whole community, while also serving an area within the district limits that has historically been recreationally underserved."
Rock River Current described the playground as a planned entry point to the community from the west. That explains the order of the work. The murals came first because they can be seen from the road. WTVO reported that they were meant to be seen by park visitors and by drivers on the nearby highway. Once people were noticing the silo, the playground gave families a reason to pull in and stay. A pavilion would make longer visits possible.
The visit is easy to manage. In June 2026, Park District board minutes noted temporary parking for the playground project and positive feedback from the public. Under the district's current ordinance, its parks close from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. In October, daylight runs out well before closing time.
A name with four decades behind it
The playground is named for Jean Twyning, who served 42 years on the Belvidere Park District Board. She also managed the former William Grady Pool, where she taught swimming and worked as a lifeguard, and she taught in Belvidere schools for 26 years. Mayor Clint Morris said at the ceremony, "When you talk about a history of commitment to the community, I think that Jean summarizes that well." Twyning said she hoped to see children playing there with their parents and grandparents.
The name suits a park that came together slowly. Nobody built Glenn Green in one budget cycle. Board members, staff and partners like the Arts Council added to it over many years.
What fall adds to the visit
Simon painted all four seasons, so the silo looks the same in July and January. The real landscape around it doesn't. In October you can stand on the paths and see the restored prairie at the same point in the year as one of the panels. The playground opened in late May, so this is also the first autumn families can pair a prairie walk with a stop at the new play area.
The work behind a restored prairie shows up on the fall calendar, too. A few miles away, the Boone County Conservation District is hosting Native Seed Collecting at Spencer Conservation Area on Saturday, October 24. Volunteers gather native plant seeds that go into the district's seed mixes, which are used to restore habitat at conservation district sites. No experience is needed, and BCCD provides the tools and instruction. Glenn Green belongs to the Park District, not BCCD. Still, an hour with a seed bag at Spencer shows you how a field like Glenn Green's prairie gets put back together.
The rest of Belvidere's fall outdoor calendar
Spencer Conservation Area is the other big fall stop. It's open year-round, with 3 miles of mowed hiking paths, 2 miles of paved path and a historic area. The Roger D. Gustafson Nature Center there has interpretive gardens and an interpretive trail. If you know BCCD's Autumn Pioneer Festival from past years, the district has discontinued it.
Here's what is scheduled:
- Wednesday, October 14, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The OAK-tober Hike at Spencer. This family-friendly walk of 1 to 2 miles starts at the Roger Gustafson Nature Center and heads out onto the trails. Registration isn't required but is preferred, through Ida Public Library at 815-547-7935.
- Friday, October 23, 6 to 8 p.m. The Belvidere Park District's Halloween Festival at Rivers Edge Recreation Center, for ages 3 to 10, with Halloween music, games and crafts.
- Saturday, October 24. Native Seed Collecting at Spencer, and in the evening, Observe the Moon Night. Ida Public Library, the Rockford Amateur Astronomy Club and BCCD will set up telescopes. Bring lawn chairs and binoculars.
- Wednesday, October 28, 5 to 7 p.m. Downtown Business Trick or Treat in downtown Belvidere.
- Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to noon. The Belvidere North Music Boosters' 5K Turkey Trot at Prairie Fields.
October 24 is the fullest day on the list. You could collect seed at Spencer that morning and come back after dark for the telescopes.
When the season moves indoors
The Park District's fall guide lists Friday, November 20 as opening day for the 2026–27 season at Riverside Ice Arena. That roughly closes out the outdoor calendar. Between now and then there are about six weeks for a fall walk on Glenn Green's prairie paths.
Prairie Fields Sports Park could be the next place to watch, much like Glenn Green has been. In May, the Park District proposed a $300,000 asphalt pump track there for bikes, scooters and skateboards. It was still seeking approval, funding and sponsorships, and hoped to finish in fall 2027. That's a proposal for now. At Glenn Green, the next announced step is the pavilion beside the Jean Twyning Nature Playground.
Parks, trails and community projects like Glenn Green are part of what makes a Belvidere address what it is, and they're part of what Teresa Skridla talks through with homeowners on both sides of the state line. If you're curious what your home near Distillery Road or anywhere else in Belvidere is worth this fall, Request Your Free Home Valuation and we'll go over it with you.
