June 3 – The next meeting of the Heart of Illinois Knitting Guild is June 3 at 9:00 a.m.  The Guild is taking a field trip and will meet at Knit 4 Together Yarn Shop in Dunlap, Illinois with lunch to follow at Jane’s Ice Box, also in Dunlap.  All knitters or want-to-be-knitters are welcome to attend as we learn about the new yarns and tools available to us. Contact Char Rickey at 309-472-7085 or email to spinwool7@aol.com.

June 7 – 8 – Inaugural Peoria Heights Arts Festival — The Village of Peoria Heights is announcing a new event in June that will give them that opportunity. The 2014 Tower Park Art Festival is set for Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, at Tower Park in Peoria Heights. The festival will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Up to 35 artists and vendors are expected to participate in this inaugural event and the weekend will be filled with highlights. On Saturday there will be an exhibit by the Illinois Art League. Then on Sunday the extraordinary Zoo Lady, who can paint more than 35 elaborate mask faces in an hour, will be on hand for face painting fun. There also will be art vendors, chalk artists, live musical performances, balloon animals and food vendors throughout the weekend. Still accepting artists of all mediums, as well as chalk artists. For more information or to participate in the Tower Park Art Festival call (309) 686-2385 or email administration@peoriaheights.org.

June 10 – The Illinois Budget Policy Toolbox – A project by the Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs – will be presented in partnership with University of Illinois Extension Local Government Information and Education Network. The Illinois Budget Policy Toolbox is a collection of essays that assess policy options that help to frame the issues surrounding Illinois’s precarious budget situation.  Using the best academic scholarship, the University of Illinois’ leading policy experts provide a nonpartisan overview of the state’s fiscal situation and evaluate the pros and cons of a variety of revenue and spending options. Join this first of a three part series on Illinois’s budget situation. It will be held at noon. Registration is required. You will be provided log-on information so that you may participate in the program from your home or your office via the Internet. Each session will be recorded and posted at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lgien/online.cfm  so that if you miss a session you will still be able to listen at a later time.

June 12 – The Peoria County Genealogical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Peoria Public Library North Branch. Rarely do we find a speaker who can give us information on how to do research in France and Germany. Bob Hoffer, one of our new genealogy members has researched in that area and he has agreed to share his knowledge! Bob will demonstrate how to use the web tools to retrieve and study these thousands of records in the database, some of which are in German, but most in French and Latin.

June 17 – The public is invited to a free Caregiver Education Night from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at Peoria Senior World, 719 N. William Kumpf Blvd. Suite 300, Peoria. Mitchell Forrest of the Central Illinois Agency on Aging (CIAA) will present on the topic of “Community Resources – Exploring Care Options.”  Please R.S.V.P. to 495-4530 by June13^th.

June 18 – Peoria County’s Ninth Annual Emergency Expo will be held at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Rain date is June 19, same time and location. Multiple local emergency response agencies will display their emergency equipment in the parking lot along War Memorial Drive for the public to explore & experience, free of charge. Emergency equipment featured at the Expo includes fire apparatuses, a fire safety house, mobile command units, armored vehicles, police squads and motorcycles, K-9 units, ambulance, and much more. First responders from participating agencies will be on hand to answer questions and offer equipment demonstrations. Individuals and families alike are encouraged to partake of this unique opportunity to explore emergency equipment and meet first responders. For more information on the Emergency Expo call Jenny Fulton, Director of Strategic Communications for Peoria County, (309) 672-6918.

June 26 – Come celebrate with the City of Peoria & the All-America City Committee! This community Celebration : “Celebrating Peoria: You Told Us”, is for the one year anniversary of the All-America City award. At the event, the art initiative which asked residents and visitors “why” Peoria is in fact an All-America City will be unveiled. The event will be held on Thursday, June 26, 2014 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. @ Peoria Riverfront Museum (222 SW Washington St., Peoria, IL, 61602). This family-friendly event is FREE and open to the public and will include food, prizes and fun! For more information about the “Celebrating Peoria: You Told Us” event, contact the City of Peoria, City Hall, at (309) 494-8524.

June 26 – Patti Bash will be recognized with the Common Place Love In Action Award at the 8^th Annual Common Place Love in Action Award Dinner at the Embassy Suites Hotel. The June 26^th dinner will honor Patti as the 2014 Love in Action Award recipient, Heartland Community Health Clinic as the Common Place South Side Service Award recipient, and Delta Kappa Gamma, NU Chapter as the Common Place Community Partner Award recipient. The event also helps support the Common Place literacy programs for children, adults and families. Tickets for the Common Place Love in Action Award Dinner are $65 per person. For reservations, call Stephanie at Common Place, 674-3315. Deadline for reservations is June 20. Reception hour will start at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and program beginning at 6:30.