January Happenings
Jan 2 – May 21 – River Valley Cloggers – weekly at Lakeview YWCA. Clogging instructor is Margie Ashburn.
Jan 5 – Proctor Hospital will be hosting the American Red Cross blood drive from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The drive will take place in Proctor’s Professional Building on the bottom floor in classrooms three and four. The American Red Cross is currently urging platelet donations. With platelets having a short shelf-life of five days, it’s difficult for enough platelets to stay on hand to meet the needs of hospital patients around the country. If you last donated on or before November 8, 2011, you may be eligible to give. Food will be provided in the donor canteen. Contact Carrie McMillion at (309) 689-8608 to schedule an appointment. Visitwww.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to learn about blood, donating blood, volunteering, or hosting a blood drive.
Jan 7 – 8 – Anime-ZAP! 2012 returns to Peoria for the third year at the Four Points Hotel in Downtown Peoria. This two-day winter Illinois anime convention features the same events including a cosplay masquerade, a formal ball, a rave dance, video game tournaments, workshops, and several panels. Over half the fans will be attending the convention in costumes they’ve either purchased or home-made. Rooms are only $89 per night at the Four Points Hotel by Sheraton from for convention attendees, and can be booked online at http://www.animezapcon.com/registration. More info about the convention and its events can be found athttp://www.animezapcon.com/
Jan 8 – Biography & Non-Fiction Book Club will meet at 3:00 p.m. at North Branch to discuss a The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobi. In The Nine, acclaimed journalist Jeffrey Toobin takes us into the chamber of the most important-and secret-legal body in our country, the Supreme Court, revealing the complex dynamic among the nine people who decide the law of the land.
Jan 9 – The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club meets at 7:00 p.m. to discuss Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi and Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. In Fuzzy Nation, Jack Holloway works alone.
Jan 12 – Peoria Genealogical Society monthly meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Peoria Public Library’s North Library – 3001 W. Grand Parkway. The new library is off Townline Road behind Menard’s. The January speaker is Mark Johnson, owner and director of the Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home, Inc. since 1987. Mark will discuss the history and anatomy of obituaries, and how obituaries have changed over the years. He has fun and interesting details about final tributes given our loved ones over the years.
Jan 7 – The Peoria Park District’s Forest Park Nature Center will hold “Eagle Day” beginning at 10:00 a.m. Each year hundreds of bald eagles over-winter in the Illinois River Valley. The Nature Center, the Peoria Audubon Society and Wildlife Prairie State Park will dedicate this day to the appreciation of these incredible birds of prey by offering a special presentation as well as tours to view bald eagles. Call Forest Park Nature Center at 686-3360.
Jan 7 – Peoria area’s roller derby league, the Peoria Push Derby Dames, will host their season opener at the Peoria Civic Center in the Exhibition Hall. Proceeds will benefit Peoria Rescue Ministries. A “newbie” bout will precede the main event, with the Hard Knocks going up against the Polka Bots. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. Children age 6 and younger are free.
Jan 12 – 15 – Come Blow Your Horn – recurring daily at Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre, Goodfield, IL. Come Blow Your Horn by Neil Simon is another classic comedy from the King of Broadway! Prices include dinner, tax & show. Call Conklin’s for more pricing info at 309-965-2545.
Jan 15 – Book ‘Em Mystery Book Club will meet at the North Branch Library at 2:00 p.m. to discuss The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.
Jan 15 – The Peoria Park District’s Forest Park Nature Center will host a concert by autoharp player Bryan Bowers at 7:00 p.m. From his rather unglamorous beginning as a street singer, Bryan Bowers has become a major artist on the traditional music circuit. He has redefined the autoharp and become a well-known singer/songwriter. Payment for reserved seating at the concert is available at the Nature Center’s Trailhead Nature Store. General admission seating is available at the door. Concert fees are $7 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under, and CORE members receive $1 off. Call 686-3360.
Jan 20 – The Art of Intentional Relaxation – Free program with Donna Nordwall, MSW, LCSW, Therapist @ Counseling Center at Proctor Hospital from 10:00 -11:00 a.m. Call 689-6001.
Jan 22 – The Central Illinois Jazz Society presents The Boss Trio, featuring Jim Curless at 7:15 p.m. The CIJS House Band will play at 6:00 p.m. The Starting Gate Banquet Room, located in Landmark Recreation Center at 3225 N. Dries Lane. Parking available in Landmark lot and across Dries Lane.
Jan 24 – The Read On Book Club will meet at 5:30 p.m. to discuss The Eternal Engagement by: Mary B Morrison. This novel is a moving, unforgettable story of lives at a crossroad, love lost and found, and the price of secrets.
Jan 25 – Medicare Help Desk – Free assistance for all your Medicare questions from 9:00-11:00 a.m. in Hospital Lobby – no appointment needed. For information call 691-1053.
Jan 25 – Club Read will meet 6:30 p.m. at North Branch to discuss Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution.
Jan 26 – Feb 23 – The Peoria Park District will offer a Youth Baseball Winter Clinic: Baseball players ages 9-12 can work on baseball skills this winter as we prepare for the upcoming season. The clinic meets at Von Steuben. Fees are $25 for residents and $35 for non-residents. Registration starts Monday, Jan. 9 at Glen Oak Pavilion or online at www.peoriaparks.org. Call 681-2867.
Jan 27 – CWTC’s “Super Trivia Challenge Night” is at 6:30PM at Barrack’s Cater Inn, 1224 Pioneer Parkway in Peoria. Individual, companies, and organizations are welcome to play. Registration is $20 a person while groups can reserve a table of eight for $160. Entries include hors d’oeuvres and cash bar. Prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place teams. All money raised goes directly to programs and direct services for CWTC consumers. For registration and information contact Mona Robinson at 686-3300.