A toast to (breaking) tradition: The complicated history of beer at Illinois State University
A toast to (breaking) tradition: The complicated history of beer at Illinois State University
College and beer.
For many Redbird alumni, it’s a pairing as complementary as Pub II cheese balls and, well, beer.
But it hasn’t always been that way at Illinois State University. Alcohol was prohibited in the Town of Normal during most of Illinois State’s first century. When Normal finally approved the sale of liquor in 1973, the community experienced economic opportunities combined with significant growing pains.
Just over 50 years later, two widely distributed Illinois State-branded DESTIHL beers are now available for fans to enjoy while cheering on the Redbirds at Hancock Stadium and CEFCU Arena.
Beer has come a long way in Normal, during a journey as tumultuous as a shaken-up six-pack.
Dry history
Illinois State Normal University (ISNU) was founded in 1857 as a “normal” school to train elementary and high school teachers. Jesse Fell, who was instrumental in establishing ISNU and the Town of Normal, envisioned the community as a “quiet college town” compared to its larger neighbor, Bloomington, where alcohol was permitted, according to McLean County Museum of History Librarian Bill Kemp ’88, M.S. ’00.
“Fell was a teetotaler. He didn’t support alcohol,” Kemp said. “He didn’t believe it benefited human progress.”
Fell wanted Normal to be a dry community of education that welcomed all races, including formerly enslaved people, Kemp said. “Fell had a fairly progressive, in some ways, vision for the town.”
Normal was dry when it was incorporated in 1867 as the result of a petition which “every man, woman, and child of 6 years or older” who resided in the town signed, banning the sale of alcohol within city limits. Residents were also prohibited from possessing liquor in their “cellar, dwelling, outhouse, or any other place in town.”
Jesse Fell helped establish Illinois State Normal University and the Town of Normal.
Fell was a teetotaler. He didn’t support alcohol. He didn’t believe it benefited human progress.”
—Bill Kemp
From 1867-1936, streetcars connected Normal with Bloomington, providing Illinois State Normal University students and staff a connection to Downtown Bloomington’s theatres, restaurants, and bars. (Photo/McLean County Museum of History/Stephen Scalzo Collection)
Inez Dunn of the Mclean County Historical Society views the 1867 petition establishing Normal as a dry community.
The City of Bloomington can be seen in the distance from the top of Illinois State Normal University’s Old Main building in 1894.
Although they couldn’t legally drink on or near campus, students or staff seeking a beer could travel a few minutes south to quench their thirst.
Established in 1867, the Bloomington and Normal Street Railway Company provided a vital link, via streetcar, for students seeking “big city” entertainment such as theatres, restaurants, and bars.
“Downtown Bloomington has always been a center, from its very founding, of saloons, taverns, nightclubs, discotheques, and things of that nature,” Kemp said. “So, there’s no doubt that students in the late 19th into the 20th century were taking advantage of Bloomington being a wet city.”
While alcohol was prohibited in Normal for most of its first 100 years, Bloomington, pictured above in 1933, remained wet for most of its history.
In the 1950s, following World War II, ISNU grew significantly as veterans took advantage of the GI Bill. Enrollment more than tripled from fewer than 5,000 students in 1960 to more than 15,000 in 1970. Meanwhile, the residential population and economic drivers in Bloomington-Normal were also on the rise.
The University dropped “Normal” from its name while expanding its academic offerings to become a multipurpose institution in the mid-1960s. Nearly all of Illinois State’s large residence halls were also constructed during this period.
John Rokos ’71, left, secured one of Normal’s first liquor licenses to open Pub II in 1974, with Mike Ciganovich ’73, right, as manager.
“With the growth of the community, with the change of the population within Normal and also the expansion of Normal geographically and the potential to capture some of that tax base (through issuing liquor licenses), there was a shift in thinking to, ‘Maybe the history of Normal being dry was somewhat antiquated,’” Kemp said.
Carol Reitan, Normal’s mayor from 1972-76, told The Vidette in a 2006 interview, “There was some discussion with the Chamber of Commerce over the issue (of a liquor license). There were some restaurants that wouldn’t come into town (because it was dry), and also, a hotel that wanted a restaurant and a bar.”
In 1973, Normal’s citizens approved by a 3-2 margin (3,809-2,473) an advisory referendum to support the sale of packaged liquor and of liquor by the drink at an establishment (3,618-2,674).
“That gave the green light to Mayor Carol Reitan and the town council to create a liquor ordinance,” Kemp said. “And the town has been wet ever since.”
There was a shift in thinking to, ‘Maybe the history of Normal being dry was somewhat antiquated.’”
—Bill Kemp
Pub II starts pouring
Among the first four establishments in Normal to receive a liquor license was Pub II, a staple for generations of Illinois State students and alumni.
John Rokos ’71, who already owned the Pub I Lounge and Packaged Liquor near Downtown Bloomington, opened Pub II with Mike Ciganovich ’73 as manager in 1974. Terry Stralow ’74 joined the business shortly after and was Pub II’s longtime operating manager.
“My dad saw the opportunity with the new liquor law and found the spot here,” said Luke Rokos ’05, Pub II’s general manager and the son of John Rokos. Luke’s mother, Barb Rokos, owns the full-service bar and restaurant that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024.
Before Pub II poured its first pint, plans were nearly foiled when Town of Normal officials informed John Rokos that the location, a former auto repair shop at the corner of College Avenue and Linden Street, was too close to Illinois State’s campus to serve alcohol.
“The dean of students back then actually reclassified a university building to allow us to open in this location,” Luke Rokos said. Reitan’s support was also paramount.
Luke Rokos ’05, is Pub II’s general manager.
The Welcome Inn/The Cellar in Downtown Normal joined Pub II as one of the first four alcohol-serving establishments in town.
Beer quickly seeped into Normal’s culture. Three years after the town went wet, the motorized Schlitz Beer “Super Can,” above, appeared in Illinois State’s 1976 Homecoming Parade.
One year after Normal went wet, Pub II joined The Galery (the first Normal bar to serve a legal beer), The Restaurant Delicatessen, and The Welcome Inn/The Cellar as the first four alcohol-serving establishments in town.
“Changing the law didn’t change people’s behavior,” Reitan told The Vidette. “People before the law was passed were drinking elsewhere, like in Bloomington. That caused concern because students had to get to Downtown Bloomington, where now students can just walk to Downtown Normal.”
Pub II’s early menu offered a beer selection of Budweiser, Heineken, Michelob, Pabst, and Schlitz, along with wine and mixed drinks, plus steaks, burgers, and sandwiches.
Vidette writer Craig Camp ’75 quipped in a July 1974 article that “with the Cellar, Pub II, the Deli, and the Galery serving the devil’s brew right in Downtown Normal, the city is beginning to take on the flavor of Champaign (home to the University of Illinois).”
In a February 1975 Vidette profile of Pub II, John Rokos described the establishment as a “mixed bar” dominated by students after 9 p.m. “It’s always been a college bar,” he said. “It’s a small bar, with a jukebox and only two pinball machines, but students from ISU and Wesleyan keep it crowded practically every night of the week.”
Over the years, Pub II expanded into the entire building at College and Linden (after originally occupying only the north half), and later, added an outdoor beer garden. But the bar/restaurant’s general feel has remained pretty much the same.
“I love when people come in and tell us, ‘This is where I came when I was a student, and now, my kid is going here, and the place hasn’t changed a bit.’ That’s my favorite thing,” Luke Rokos said. “We update things here and there, but I want that atmosphere of nostalgia to remain.”
Image Gallery of Pub II Menus.
Early Pub II menus offered a selection of domestic beers along with wine and mixed drinks, plus steaks, burgers, and sandwiches.
It’s always been a college bar.”
—John Rokos
Food is one of the most closely tied things to memories.”
—Luke Rokos
Pub II, pictured above in 1997, has served generations of Redbirds since 1974. Cheese balls, below, are a Pub II staple and Illinois State alumni favorite.
If Redbird nostalgia looks like the inside of Pub II, then it tastes like a piping hot, perfectly crispy Pub II cheese ball. Unofficially ranked among Illinois State alumni’s favorite college foods, alongside Avanti’s bread and Garcia’s pizza, cheese balls are consistently Pub II’s top seller, with roughly 540 orders served up monthly.
“Food is one of the most closely tied things to memories,” said Rokos, who met his wife, Christine ’05, at Pub II. “It means the world to have something that reminds people of those times and those good memories.”
Well-seasoned fryers, high-quality cooking oil, and “love” are key to creating Pub II’s famous cheese balls, according to Rokos. Beer, which Pub II sells about 100 kegs of each month, is a recommended pairing, but is still a relatively new option in Town of Normal history.
The Town of Normal, pictured above in 1979, nearly doubled in population between 1960 and 1970.
Growing pains
Changing course on more than 100 years of liquor policy came with its share of challenges during the late 1970s into the 1980s.
A growing student body that could purchase and drink alcohol in Normal (which they did a lot of during the latter years of Illinois State’s Rites of Spring rock festival on the Quad), combined with an expanding residential community (Normal nearly doubled in population between 1960 and 1970) proved a recipe for souring town and gown relations.
It all came to a frothy head in 1984 when, in response to years of neighbor complaints about alcohol-fueled parties, the Normal Town Council voted, 4-3, while students were on summer break, to enact new ordinances restricting mass gatherings and the sale of beer kegs.
The ordinances would have the similar effect of backing a mad dog into a corner—you’ll get a fight.”
—Unnamed student commenter at July 1984 Normal Town Council meeting
What started as a small, peaceful protest over ordinances restricting large parties and drinking exploded into an angry, destructive mob known as the “beer riot” on October 3, 1984.
In 1984, Reggie Redbird was featured on a locally distributed Old Style beer can.
In The Vidette’s coverage of Normal’s July 1984 council meeting, an unnamed student commented, “The ordinances would have the similar effect of backing a mad dog into a corner—you’ll get a fight.”
“These students were part of the generation that was taught by their parents to stand up and fight for something,” said University Archivist April Anderson-Zorn. “They needed to protest like the days of their parents. They needed to let everybody know how pissed off they were about the situation.”
The Student Body Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution opposing the town’s Mass Gathering Ordinance and banning of keg sales after 10 p.m. According to a Vidette recap of the September board meeting, “Student Body President Jeff Charnogorsky (’85) said the ordinance is ‘inimical’ to ISU students and has resulted in ‘unnecessary restraints on the student body.’”
Then-Normal Police Chief David Lehr deployed a five-person tactical unit, dubbed the “NPD Funbusters” (they even had Ghostbusters-inspired T-shirts), who were responsible for controlling student parties. Party and alcohol-related arrests spiked 300% in Normal that fall, with hundreds of students destructively celebrating the Chicago Cubs’ National League East title on September 24, 1984.
The following week, on October 3, what started as a peaceful demonstration on the Quad against the town’s new ordinances turned into a confrontation between students and law enforcement that made national headlines.
During what became known as the “beer riot,” hundreds of students converged on the Normal Town Hall/police station, slashing car tires and throwing bottles, cans, and rocks. Illinois State President Lloyd Watkins urged demonstrators to go home. According to The Vidette, “When Watkins asked students, ‘Why not leave?’ one protestor replied, ‘We can’t leave. We’ve been running away every weekend. We’re staying right here.’”
Tensions peaked after midnight when police from five agencies equipped with riot gear attempted to disperse the crowd of about 1,000 students using billy clubs and tear gas. Five people suffered minor injuries, while at least five were arrested following the “beer riot,” with more facing university discipline.
“It was the lowest point in town and gown relations at this university in its history,” Anderson-Zorn said. “I think the students needed to get it out of their system, and the town needed to see that the students do have a voice. And, after that, you started to slowly see some improvement.”
The “NPD Funbusters,” above, were deployed in fall 1984 to control alcohol-fueled student parties. Police from five agencies equipped with riot gear, below, responded to the “beer riot.”
Illinois State President Lloyd Watkins tried to disperse the “beer riot” crowd.
I think the students needed to get it out of their system, and the town needed to see that the students do have a voice.”
—April Anderson-Zorn
Watch TV-10’s coverage of the “beer riot.”
Cheers for beers
As university-town relations recovered, beer gradually became more acceptable, in special circumstances, on Illinois State’s campus.
Starting with the 1989 football season, Redbird Athletics introduced a policy stating “Donors, parents, and general public ticket-holders will be permitted to hold tailgate parties with alcohol,” according to The Vidette. The policy was revised in 1994 to allow students 21 or older to also consume alcohol in designated tailgate lots.
“We just want to make it fun for the students and any fan coming to the games,” Kristi McCook, an assistant in Athletics Marketing and Promotions, told The Vidette.
In 2019, Illinois State announced the sale of beer and wine for the first time at public concession stands inside Hancock Stadium and CEFCU Arena (then Redbird Arena), following the NCAA’s decision to allow alcohol sales at national championship events.
Five years later, in 2024, Illinois State partnered with DESTIHL Brewery to launch two officially licensed, Redbird-branded beers, Redbird Ale and Battle Bird Lager, with royalties supporting several university initiatives.
I don’t know if (Jesse Fell would) have an ISU-branded beer, but maybe he wouldn’t look down upon it so much.”
—Bill Kemp
First sold during Homecoming 2024 weekend at Redbird volleyball and football games, the craft brews are available at more than 50 locations across Central Illinois, including Pub II. DESTIHL founder and CEO Matt Potts said collaborating with Illinois State was a natural fit.
“We have a long history of working with ISU on many projects, including marketing and business classes, presentations, and projects, and even an ag research project with ISU’s Department of Agriculture to determine the nutritional value of spent brewery grains for livestock,” Potts said. “So, we really wanted to strengthen our relationship and support of ISU by sponsoring Redbird Athletics and supporting our hometown university.”
DESTIHL sold nearly 56,000 cans of Redbird Ale and Battle Bird Lager during the beers’ first four months on the market, with expanded distribution planned. Potts, who launched DESTIHL as Normal’s first local brewpub in 2007 and grew it into a top 100 regional brewery out of about 10,000 U.S. breweries, acknowledged the improbable history his company is making in a town that was dry for more than a third of its existence.
“It is very cool, yet humbling, for us to help put DESTIHL and the Town of Normal on the map around the U.S. and globally when it comes to beer production in a very unlikely place historically,” said Potts, whose Normal-based brewery distributes to more than 40 states and internationally. “It is similarly great that our business and community have evolved to also be embraced here locally and even to the extent that we could now partner with ISU.”
So, if Jesse Fell visited Normal now, what would he think? What would he drink?
“I didn’t know Jesse personally, but from what I’ve read, he was very measured and very forgiving and always willing to compromise, very much like his associate, Abraham Lincoln,” said Kemp.
“I would like to think that maybe Jesse Fell would say, ‘Well, the times change a little bit.’ And, I don’t know if he’d have an ISU-branded beer, but maybe he wouldn’t look down upon it so much.”
Archived photos courtesy of the Dr. Jo Ann Rayfield Archives and the McLean County Museum of History.
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