Jan 4 – 1st Friday Studio Tour at Wheel Art Pottery Studios from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. at 1101 SW Washington St. Enjoy a night of art, food, music, and fun. Call 309-306-1741.

Jan 5 – Winter Wonder Walks at Forest Park Nature Center at 9:30 a.m. Watch the wonderful world of winter unfold on these naturalist-guided tours. Dress warmly! Call for info at 309-686-3360.

Jan 5 – RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH THE HEARTLAND FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA at 7:30 p.m. at Five Points Washington. Tickets: $30 adults/$8 students. Call 309-444-8222 for tickets or get them online at:http://www.heartlandfestivalorchestra.org/ or in person at Kidder Music in Peoria.

Jan 10 – The Peoria County Genealogical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Peoria Public Library North Branch at 3001 W. Grand Parkway off Townline Road behind Menard’s. The speaker will be John D. Morris, the director of development for the Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College. He has held this position since 2008. In his role, he leads Eureka President J. David Arnold’s “Reagan Forward” initiative designed to raise money to support Eureka College as a national living legacy to American opportunity. John’s topic will be “Ronald Reagan in The Chapel: How the Great Communicator Found His Voice.”

January 12 – Peoria Poetry Club meets at Riverview Senior Living Community, 500 Centennial Dr., East Peoria. Guests, of all ages are welcome to bring a sack lunch at 11:30 a.m., read a poem at our noon meeting, and enjoy an interesting program at 1:00 p.m. For more information call 822-8308, or visit peoriapoetryclub.com.

Jan 12 – Eagle Day at Forest Park Nature Center at 10:00 a.m. Each year hundreds of bald eagles over-winter in the IL River Valley. The Peoria Audubon Society and Forest Park Nature Center offers this presentation/tour to view the Bald Eagles along the river. Call 309-686-3360.

Jan 12 – Songs from the Woods at Forest Park Nature Center at 7:00 p.m. The woods will ring with music at this monthly concert series featuring some of the best singer-songwriters and folk musicians! It will take place in the museum of Forest Park Nature Center. Advance ticket sales are at the Trailhead Nature Store or you can buy at the doo. Fee: $7/adult; $6/12 and under; $1 discount for CORE members. Call 309-686-3360.

Jan 12 – The Chillicothe Public Library District will host: Operation Smile Day Volunteers Needed. 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Use your sewing skills to help a needy child facing surgery. Local Girl Scout troops will be making cloth dolls for Operation Smile. Material, thread, and pillow stuffing are needed as a donation. Material colors can be skin tones from peach to brown. If you have a portable sewing machine, please bring it. Snacks are provided. Operation Smile provides patient evaluations and free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other deformities. Operation Smile helps people in more than 60 countries world wide. Must RSVP by calling 309-265-2770 or 309-274-2719.

Jan 13 – Animal Encounters at Forest Park Nature Center from 1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Insects and Spiders will be featured. This short program will give you a new respect for those critters who don’t fit into the cute and cuddly mjold. Call 309-686-3360.

Jan 17 – Novus Networking Group meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center at 801 W. Main St. The topic will be “local Advice Resources for Business Owners.”

Jan 21 – 2nd Annual Reverse Science Fair at Forest Park Nature Center from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This event is held on Martin Luther King Day. There will be a series of interactive, nature-themed displays for grade-school-aged kids. Call 309-686-3360.

Jan 23, 26, Feb. 2 – 2013 Winter Tutor Training Workshop for Adult Literacy – All sessions are required and will be held at Common Place. Call 309-674-3315 to register.

Jan 24 – The Chillicothe Public Library District will host: Take Charge Illinois: Identity Theft & Fraud at 6:00 p.m. Learn how to … Identify potential scams and frauds, Protect and prepare yourself against identity theft, and address concerns if you have been a victim of identity theft. RSVP: 309-274-2719