Prairie Crossroads

05/18/2026

Mercer County Soil & Water Conservation District will be hosting their Spring Sunset Walk tomorrow, May 18th @ 6:30pm.

It's a FREE event for all where you can take a walk in Brownlee Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve with experts in the field.

Grab your walking shoes and head on over to 52 220 St. Alexis, Illinois!

Learn more about the event on their page!

09/24/2025

Getting the Opera House window openings covered up and painted to match the new windows that we’ve installed this year, on the other sides of the building. This should help keep weather and critters out, until the day comes we are ready to replace these. Looking better already!

09/13/2025

It smells and tastes like FALL in the ice cream parlor, this morning! 😍😊

09/13/2025

Visit Viola, IL, today!! Lots going on in town.

08/02/2025

Our new patio has been completed on the south side of the building! (Please Enter the lot off of Hwy 67 and Exit around behind the building onto Hwy 17.) Part of our vision for this building and the businesses in it is to bring people to Viola and together in community, making cherished memories with family and friends. Prairie Cones has continued to grow over the last few weeks, almost entirely by word of mouth. We appreciate that so much! We hope you’ll invite friends, and come back often to enjoy a premium ice cream treat, and relax, laugh and have amazing conversations. But if you’re more of a walker while you sip your shake, head on into Prairie Crossroads Mercantile and browse the new merchandise being added daily!
*Umbrellas coming soon! ⛱️😎

07/23/2025

Looking for more talented team members!

We are ready to hire our next round of part-time employees at Prairie Crossroads, with some of our staff returning to school. If you meet the following criteria, please apply by visiting the link below.
- At least 16 years old
- Team Lead position, 21 years or older
- Weekend and night availability required
- Physical ability to scoop hard ice cream, lift 25 lbs, and stand for long periods of time
- Must be friendly, hardworking, and respectful
- Able to learn quickly, adapt to changes, and provide outstanding customer service

https://forms.gle/NPXFQWmpzipEk88t5
APPLY HERE

07/18/2025

The new stamped patio on our south side went down, today! The crew worked hard on it, and it’s looking good It will remain roped off until it is cut, pressure washed stained and sealed, next week. Then, fencing and picnic tables will go on it. Prairie Cones ice cream parlor visitors will soon be able to relax and hangout while enjoying their deserts!

06/28/2025

The new Prairie Cones ice cream parlor is now open for business, in the southwest corner of our building! For those who haven’t made it in yet, here’s a sneak peek of what it looked like earlier this week while we were still setting up. A few more finishing touches yet to come but it gives off serious soda shop vibes. The building is 1912 construction so we are incorporating as many design touches from the 20s through 50s era as we can, to bring back the heyday when this building was hopping!

06/24/2025

And just like that, we have a parking lot! Just kidding. There were about 100 steps to get to this point, but we are here now. More info will be posted soon about our parking, which will have a one-way entrance off of Hwy 67 and a one-way exit back on to Hwy 17 out the north side of the lot.

05/09/2025

Out with the old and in with the new! The Cones ice cream parlor has a beautiful new entry door. Getting closer to completion each day!