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. 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 until 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 – 10:00 p.m. Food and drinks will be available for purchase during that time. Members of various community organizations will be selling the food and drinks for the evening. Profits go for paying for next year’s Jamboree. Stop by and have fun. Remember, living is best to the west of Peoria.
Chief Bob Stecher is changing roles in responsibilities at the West Peoria Fire Department. Bob has served at chief for 25 years and served as a fire fighter as well as responding to emergency calls for 42 years. He will now be a member of the West Peoria Fire Protection District board of trustees. Bob and his family deserve a huge thanks for all the time he has spent in his duties for the community. Not only the member but that person’s family also sacrifices many hours together. When you see him, thank him for his many hours of work and the many innovations that he has brought to the department.
The West Peoria Library is planning a summer reading program for children age 2 to 12. This summer’s theme is Summer Reading Olympics. The program is eight weeks long with Opening Ceremonies on June 12 and Closing Ceremonies on July 31. Participation is required in six of the eight weeks in order to participate in closing ceremonies. There will be fun weekly prizes and activities for those children who want to read during their summer vacation. If you are interested in your child participating, sign up at the library or call Emily Huff at 453-8139. The summer reading program is a great way for students to bridge the gap from school year to fall.
Library hours for the summer months will remain the same: open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and the first two Saturdays of the month during the same hours. Preschool story hour will start back up in September. Also available at the library is the West Peoria Food Pantry. They will accept donations of non-perishable foods and toiletry items during their open hours. If you or someone you know is in need, the only requirement is proof of West Peoria residency. Items from the pantry are available whenever the library is open.
West Peoria Township and the Residents Association replaced 100 flags that are hung for the various holidays each season. The flags take a beating and replacement is an ongoing issue.
The West Peoria Township Clean Up Day was a success! This event is always held on the last Saturday in April and the public was reminded by early publicity including flyers handed out at Haddads and yard signs in the neighborhoods. The addition of electronic recycling was a big attraction. Township officials working the event were pleasantly surprised how many printers, monitors, and old televisions that people delivered for the event. In addition to the many containers for the electronic items, six dumpsters were made available by Waste Management, and by the end of the day they were completely full. This event continues to be one that the community appreciates because it presents an opportunity for the public to properly dispose of items they may not be able to put in the normal garbage collection. Many brought construction materials from recent renovation projects, and it is suspected that with the early onset of spring people had a chance to clean out the garages earlier than usual. One of the many benefits of this project is that our alleys are much cleaner and free of debris, as evidenced by the reduction of trips necessary to pick up junk in the alleys on Clean Up Day. Township officials thank the City Street Department and volunteers who worked very hard because without them the project could not happen.
The West Peoria Neighborhood Watch will meet on Wednesday, June 13th, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at West Peoria City Hall on Rohmann Ave. The topic for the evening will be Disaster Preparedness. Deputy Vissering will also give an up-date on any criminal activity in the area. Plan to attend and bring a friend. The public is always welcome.
The West Peoria Residents’ Association will meet on Thursday, June 21st, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at West Peoria City Hall. Dan Kerns, West Peoria Fire Department, will give a presentation on Home Fire Safety. This is very interesting and informative – you don’t want to miss it. Public is welcome.
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 encouraged 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 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.
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.
No Open Burning of trash or landscape waste is permitted. To report a violation of this policy, please call Peoria County Sheriff at: 672-6011. Inoperable Vehicles – All vehicles without an up-to-date license sticker are considered inoperable and are in violation of City Code. Any vehicle without said sticker must be stored in a garage. A vehicle parked on the grass is in violation of City Code.
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. – 4:00 p.m. at 1306 W Moss and 1230 W Moss Avenue. You can drop in any time. Donation is $12 in advance and $15 at the door. These are beautiful gardens and you are invited to stroll through 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 – 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 Ave. Greenway group will also have a table at the Moss Ave. sale on June 9th. If you have any questions, take the time to stop by and ask the members who are working the stand.