manage the operation. In 1938, Village Hall was constructed which included a gymnasium for recreational activities. The first meeting of the Village Board in the newly constructed Village Hall was held on Wednesday, February 1, 1939. Village Hall, consisting of the gym, fire department, police department and other village offices, is located at the intersection of Central Avenue and West Third Street. In 1947, land was purchased for the purpose of park and recreation facilities, and a softball diamond was constructed. The park is located in the northeastern part of the village, to the north and east of Roxana High School. In 1952, the Park District was incorporated, followed by the addition of a public swimming pool in 1957. Adjacent to the pool was a recreation area which included trampolines, miniature golf and donkey cart rides. In 1959, additional land was purchased, and a house was acquired from Shell Oil Company and moved to the property. This was the original meeting place of many community groups. When the house became too small to accommodate the needs of the people, the Rox-Arena was constructed in 1969. For many years, Roxana Park Director Lyle Dona lived in this house within the park. In the years following, picnic shelters were added along with additional ball fields, concession stand, soccer field, playgrounds and bike/walking paths. The main park now is home to four baseball diamonds—the High School Diamond, the Lighted Diamond, the South Diamond and the Picnic Diamond. In 1993, Burbank Park was purchased from the school district. It now contains a baseball diamond, playground, picnic shelter, soccer field, and basketball court. It is the site of the annual Roxana Homecoming Festival held each May. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Park District, a new pool house was constructed in 2002. Transportation Roxana is served by Amtrak in Alton, St. Louis Regional Airport (formerly known as Civic Memorial Airport) in Bethalto, and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The nearest interstate highway is Interstate 270, approximately to the south, although Illinois Route 255 is a controlled access highway, meeting federal interstate standards. Easy access can be had to Interstate 55, Interstate 70 and Interstate 64. Illinois Route 111 (Central Avenue) is the main route through Roxana. It is a four-lane, non-divided highway through the village, and boasts the only two stoplights in town (located at its intersections with Thomas Street and Tydeman Street). Illinois Route