Town of Normal

He traveled all over the world and throughout the midwest testing farm equipment. He came to work for the Town of Normal because he missed home!! Meet Water Director John Burkhart.

The extremely in-depth journey of water from treatment to a resident's home is a testament to the awesome engineering done by John and his team. Check out the latest What's Normal podcast with John and host Dan Irvin as they discuss the admirable behind-the-scenes work done by the Water department.

Did you know there are 3,373 hotel rooms in McLean County and 1,185 hotel rooms in the Town of Normal?

Host Dan Irvin of the What's Normal podcast talks to Crystal Howard, President and CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Conventions and Visitors Bureau about interviewing in front of 100 people, marketing for a location, and the best events that happen in our area!

A fire truck… on fire?!

Host Dan Irvin of the What's Normal Podcast talks to Mick Humer this week about his role as Normal Fire Chief, the intensive training, equipment and lifestyle of the modern-day firefighter, and the national social media craze that ensued after one of his fire engines catching on fire!

The two of them discussed some remarkable statistics and topics that challenge emergency services today in what is a must-listen installment of the series.

"Brian, do you ever hear yourself saying, 'legally you can do that, but I just… wouldn't' in your capacity with the town?"

"[laughs] No comment!!"

In the latest episode of the What's Normal podcast, hear host Dan Irvin get Brian Day, the Town's Corporation Counsel, in the studio to talk about his position. Learn all about the fascinating inner workings of government law with Dan and Brian and don't forget to send us your favorite lawyer joke - Brian was asking!

"Our true mission is we don't take ourselves seriously, we take our work seriously and that gives us a nice balance. We have fun but the work is always the priority."

What's Normal podcast host Dan Irvin sat down to talk with Andrew Huhn, Director of Finance for the Town of Normal to speak about how he manages his team, the biggest differences between handling personal transactions versus government transactions, and how the Town paid for the Uptown renewal. Don't miss this incredibly insightful episode and enjoy Dan's fantastic analogies along the way!

Did you know that Beth Whisman's radio show on WJBC used to air from the Children's Discovery Museum?

Host Dan Irvin chats with Beth about her journey from radio personality to "sitting in the big chair" at the CDM as the Cultural Arts Director, the CDM's 25th anniversary, the 2 millionth visitor, and more!

Did you know that Normal has 19 parks? That's 788 acres of recreation and fun!

Director of Parks and Recreation Doug Damery visits the What's Normal podcast studio to relive his cross country glory days and discuss upcoming Parks projects like the expansion of Maxwell Dog Park.

"Plan our work and work our plan!"

Host Dan Irvin welcomes Town Planner Mercy Davison to the What's Normal studio. They dive into home affordability, sustainable transportation, infrastructure, and more.

Dan: You're the engineer...that means you drive the train?

Ryan: Mostly just blow the whistle!

Host Dan Irvin chats with Town Engineer Ryan Otto to discuss what the Engineering department does, current projects, street resurfacing, and to answer the question...how many engineers does it take to screw it a lightbulb?

If you have episode ideas or would like to ask any our previous guests a question, please email us at [email protected], or call 309-433-3486.

Before we get too deep in the weeds....

Dan Irvin invited Ecology Action Center Executive Director Michael Brown to talk about the EAC. Environmental sustainability is more than just recycling.