Best wishes, good health and good times to our retiring City Administrator, John Carlson.

The Annual West Peoria Memorial Day celebration will be held on Saturday, May 26th at 10:00 a.m. at the West Peoria War Veterans Memorial at Heading and Sterling. Avenues.  Bring your young people, family and neighbors to pay tribute to our country’s military. It is an opportunity to focus on the importance of this day.

The West Peoria Jamboree Fun Run celebrates its 15th year for the four-mile run and one-mile walk this year. The event will be held on Saturday, June 2, with the starting line at the corner of Heading and Sterling; the race starts promptly at 7:00 a.m.   Walkers should line up behind the runners with different finish lines for the runners and walkers. Entry fee is $25 for applications received by May 30th.  After that date, the fee is $30.  No entries will be accepted after 6:30 a.m. race day. Packet pick-up will be held outside the Franciscan Recreation Complex (FRC) on Friday, June 1, from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.  Volunteers are needed to help the morning of the Jamboree Run.  Interested in volunteering? Call Race Director Jamie Silver at 369-1082. Entry forms can be picked up at West Peoria City Hall.

The evening of Saturday, June 2, will again be the West Peoria Jamboree family and neighborhood event at the Franciscan Recreation Complex. The Cub Scout Pack 11 carnival will run from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. featuring games for all ages. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy live music after the carnival from 7:00 until 10:00 p.m. Food and drinks will be available for purchase during that time.

A representative from the office of State Representative Jehan Gordon is at the West Peoria City Hall on the first Friday of each month from 9:00 until 11:00 a.m. You are encouraged to visit to ask questions or share concerns with that individual representing the office.

West Peoria Government Day was held on April 13th. 33 students and 6 teachers from the 4 local schools attended

The West Peoria Neighborhood Watch will meet on Wednesday, May 9th at 6:30 p.m. at the West Peoria City Hall. Our guest, Cathryn Vissering, will give instructions on CPR, hands only, and other techniques to help in emergency situations while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Cathryn is a certified CPR instructor. Deputy Vissering will give up-dated information on any criminal activity in the area. Plan to attend and bring a friend.

The West Peoria Residents Association will meet on Thursday, May 17th at 6:30 p.m. at the West Peoria City Hall. An up-date on planned Spring and Summer activities will be reviewed. Visitors are always welcome.

The WPRA’s Beautification Committee will be busy preparing the area at the corners at Sterling & Rohmann, the Welcome Wall and planters that are placed at businesses for plantings. They welcome volunteers who like flowers, friends & fun. Call Maggie at 673-0535

West Peoria Residents Association (WPRA) is now on Face book! This is a great way to be up to date on current events, meetings, and more. They want your opinion and encourage you to join their page and answer questions and get involved in events that help our community. They also want you to share your West Peoria stories and pictures. The Living is Best . . . to the West of Peoria! Stay involved!!

It is time to start thinking summer and the 4th of July. West Peoria is very well known in the central Illinois area and beyond for our celebration of this holiday. Our parade is the longest-running celebration of the 4th and draws thousands of viewers and celebrants to the community. If you and any of your organizations are interested in participating in the parade (a rain or shine event) contact Jim McCarter at 673-6207 or jmmccarter@sbcglobal.net or Mark Wrhel at 472-4258 or mwrhel@comcast.net. The parade is sponsored by the community of West Peoria, the West Peoria Lions Club, Troop and Pack #11 and the West Peoria Fire Department.

West Peorians are now invited to submit their nominations for a Grand Marshal to head the 43rd 4th of July Parade. Each year, West Peoria honors a person who has had an impact on our community through social work, pubic service, or volunteer work. The application process requires that anyone wishing to nominate a particular person write a short letter explaining his/her choice. Anyone writing a letter is asked to include his/her contact information. Nominating letters can be sent to: West Peoria Lions Club, Attn: Grand Marshal Nominations at 2407 W Rohmann Ave, West Peoria, IL 61604 or e-mail to either of the parade contacts mentioned in the paragraph above.

This is a good time to prep your yards and get them blooming for the many visitors who will be visiting West Peoria over the 4th. This spring has certainly afforded many opportunities to get landscaping underway early.

CityLink recently announced the ridership for routes that travel through West Peoria from March 2011 through February 2012. The Main Street route had 199,769 passengers and the Western Avenue ridership was 179,111. Both were significant increases over the prior year. Higher gas prices have resulted in big surges in mass transit ridership across the country.

All residents are required to sign up for garbage service with Waste Management @ 1-800-796-9696. You will be charged for this service. Landscape Waste Pick Up is included in the price. Landscape Waste Pick up is picked up every Friday at the curb until the last Friday in December. Garage Sales are permitted once each quarter for no more than three days.

Building Permits are needed for several projects: porches, decks, sheds, garages, new driveways or sidewalks and new homes. Most residential permits can be obtained by filling out the application at City Hall. Any questions, please call Code Officer Bill O’Neill at 674-1993 or 370-1142.

Keep your property clean; It is the residents’ responsibility to keep their section of the alleyway free of trash, the grass mowed and weeds trimmed at all times. Please check your section of the alleyway for branches, weeds, trash etc. Your section of the alleyway is from your property line to the center of the alley. There are still funds left for the Paint Reimbursement Program. Please call City Hall for more details. For more info or questions, visit the City website: www.cityofwestpeoria.com or contact City Hall at 674-1993

Imelda Kelch, West Peoria tax collector, was recently elected Secretary of the Illinois Tax Collectors Division of the Illinois Township Association.

Greenway information

The Western Avenue Greenway Project is sponsoring fund-raising events on June 2nd.   A Roses & Lemonade Garden Walk is planned from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at 1306 W Moss and 1230 W Moss Avenue. You can drop in any time. Donation s are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. These are beautiful gardens and you are invited to stroll them and enjoy lemonade and ice cream while you do. Tickets can be purchased from Peter Getz, Peter Getz at (309) 688-2322 or circle@ocslink.com or where you see posters that let you know you can purchase the tickets there.

A regionally recognized gardener from Normal IL, the Dean of Green, has agreed to be at 1306 W Moss Ave. that same evening from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. to entertain you as well as answer any questions about gardening you may have. Come meet the Dean of Green, Don Schmidt, WGLT-FM’s Dean of Green ™, who has agreed to be at 1306 W Moss Ave. that same evening from 6:00 until 8:30 p.m. to entertain you as well as to answer your questions. Whether you have a green thumb, or are hopeless with a hoe, you can find a kindred spirit in Don Schmidt who takes the mystery out of gardening and puts in fun instead. His down-to-earth advice covers topics ranging from analyzing soil to choosing healthy shrubs to utilizing watering techniques. The Dean of Green troubleshoots gardening problems as he tackles listener questions with an equal mix of science and silliness.Come join Greenway members for wine, cheese, and spirits and chat with the Dean of Green in person for your donation of $30.

The Western Avenue Greenway Project is a not-for-profit organization that creates and maintains the green space buffer along Western Avenue.  Founded in 1985, the group has been purchasing distressed homes, razing them and converting the lots into gardens, paths and landscape vistas.  The Western Avenue Greenway Project’s purpose in creating this park is to enhance and support the surrounding neighborhoods, and to preserve the lifestyles that attracted our neighbors to their homes.For more info about the June 2nd events, please contact Peter Getz at (309) 688-2322 or circle@ocslink.com.