Monical's Pizza opening June 6

The long-awaited Monical's Pizza will open in Putnam Plaza on June 6 at 11 a.m. with a day filled with food and fun. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m. just prior to the opening.

Owners Jenny and Bill Bradshaw are pleased to be opening the restaurant that has 59 units in operation around the Midwest.

Although the couple lives in Danville, where Bill has been a teacher and coach for many years, they have attended several community events in Greencastle and are becoming involved in many activities.

"We knew we wanted to come to a small community and we like the feel of Greencastle," said Bradshaw.

"We want to be part of the community. We are a corporate sponsor for the Putnam County Relay for Life and plan to do a lot more. We want to give back to the community we're involved in," added Bradshaw.

That giving back will manifest itself on Thursday, as the restaurant will be open for a preview night from 6-8 p.m. only. Invited customers may sample the selection of pizza, pasta and sandwiches for a $5 donation to Relay for Life.

Monical's offers the usual array of pizza, pasta and sandwiches but adds a twist with its sweet and sour dressing, which is sold by the bottle in the store and is available to add to your pizza.

Their pasta selection includes lasagna, baked ravioli, spaghetti and tortellini. Meatballs are also available.

They offer hot wings, chef salad, grilled chicken salad and a garden salad all available with Monical's special sweet and tart dressing.

People don't just put the dressing on their salads; they also sprinkle it on their pizza.

"Our sweet and tart dressing is special. Once you add it to your pizza you'll want it every time," said Bradshaw.

Her claim has been backed up by numerous e-mails sent to the Banner Graphic raving about the dressing and the pizza.

One resident wrote," This is the greatest pizza ever." Another stated, "Once you have eaten a Monical's pizza, you will never want another kind."

This kind of loyalty certainly seems to be backed up by the continuing expansion of the pizza chain. The Monical's Pizza chain began in 1959 when the family started making pizzas in the little town of Tolono, Ill. Before long, their recipe became a hit with many of their local friends and neighbors, eventually growing into a thriving business.

Today there are 59 Monical's Pizza restaurants, primarily located throughout Central Illinois with a growing number in Indiana and even one in Wisconsin.

The restaurant will also offer fundraising nights at the facility to groups who will receive 20 percent of all profits. It includes a community room that will seat 40 people. It will be available at no charge to groups and organizations to use.

A wall of champions for sports teams to bring a picture of their team to hang on the wall is available as well. Each team will receive two pizzas and two pitchers of soft drinks for bringing in their pictures.

Monical's Pizza is located at 29 Putnam Plaza, next door to Peebles. Their phone number is 301-4404.