CW Notes

Clean Water Celebration event set for April 22-23 will include Making Waves Awards

This year’s Clean Water Celebration, presented around the theme Choices, will kick off on the Peoria riverfront on Sunday, April 22. Opening ceremonies will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the Gateway Building with a Native American Blessing of the River and a Parade of Waters. The public is invited to attend and bring water for the blessing. White Beaver Hayna Sine, HoHo Chunk leader, will conduct the opening blessing ceremony.

The kick off will be followed by a keynote dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the GAR Hall, located at 416 Hamilton Blvd. The guest speaker is Terra Brockman, Author and Founder of the Land Connection/Eating For Good: Pleasing Yourself While Saving the Planet. The organic dinner and lecture is $25 and the lecture alone is $15. For reservations, please contact the Sun Foundation online at www.sunfoundation.org or by phone at 309-246-8403 before April 15, 2012.

The Clean Water Celebration will continue on Monday, April 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Peoria Civic Center with an emphasis on educating local students, grades 4 -12. The event is free for registered classes and offers a keynote presentation by In the Heart of the Beast, Puppet and Mask Theater of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to Sun Foundation founder Bob Ericksen, “This performance demonstrates how much of the earth’s water is available for drinking, compares tap and bottled water, and helps us understand ourselves as part of the urban and rural water cycle—bringing water issues vibrantly to life.”

Participants will also enjoy presentations on green initiatives, recycling and conservation, storytelling and exhibits. Awards will also be presented to individuals, students, teachers and/or organizations who have gone above and beyond to protect and preserve water sources and the environment. The Sun Foundation is accepting nominations until March 1, 2012 in the categories of: Student/Teacher/School; Individual; and Government/Organization. Info & nomination instructions can be found at www.sunfoundation.org.

Teachers are encouraged to make the Clean Water Celebration a field trip. To register call Karen Zuckerman at 309-697-1325 or email kzuckerm@comcast.net.

R. Todd Kerr, PA-C, has joined Great Plains Orthopaedics as a certified physician assistant. Kerr has 15 years experience in the medical field and recently completed his multidisciplinary medical rotations as part of his physician assistant studies.

Prior to joining Great Plains, he held a variety of athletic trainer positions including head athletic trainer for the Rockford (Ill.) Riverhawks Baseball Team. Kerr received his Master of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind.

Great Plains Orthopaedics is a full-service orthopaedics practice established in 1967. They are staffed by surgeons, physicians, physician assistants and professional clinical staff who treat a wide range of orthopaedic conditions. They also offer diagnostic testing services, an ambulatory surgery center, physical and occupational therapy, and a sports medicine program.

For more information, please visit www.greatplainsortho.org.

Illinois American Water is inviting 4th grade classrooms within the company’s service area to participate in an Earth Day art contest. The purpose of the contest is to raise awareness about the value of water service and assist teachers in
educating about water protection and conservation.

“A large part of our environmental efforts focus on education to our customers and their families so they can help protect water for future generations,” said Karla Olson Teasley, president of Illinois American Water.

Students are asked to draw a picture and write one sentence that describes why it is important to conserve and/or protect water. Teachers can find instructions and materials online at www.illinoisamwater.com. All completed entries should be sent to Karen Cotton at 123 S.W. Washington Street, Peoria, Illinois 61602, by March 7, 2012. The winner(s) will be selected with guidance from Illinois American Water’s water quality team.

The winning class(es) will receive a pizza party along with a visit from Illinois American Water’s water quality team in April to celebrate Earth Day. The winning student(s) and drawing(s) will also be featured in a future bill insert sent to customers.

Questions should be directed to Karen Cotton via e-mail at karen.cotton@amwater.com.

Suspense and romance collide in 1963’s “Charade,” scheduled to screen at downtown Peoria’s non-profit Apollo Theater on Saturday, Feb. 11

Starring matinee idols Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, the 113-minute movie follows a recently widowed young woman being pursued by crooks and double agents seeking the $250,000 her husband supposedly stole during World War II.
Filmed in Paris by producer/director Stanley Donen (“Singin’ in the Rain,” “Funny Face”), “Charade” is quite stylish, and it greatly benefits from sophisticated and debonair aspects to what otherwise is a chase film.

It also benefits from Henry Mancini’s memorable score, featuring the Oscar-nominated title song, and a supporting cast ranging from James Coburn and Walter Matthau to George Kennedy and Ned Glass.

Show times at the Apollo are at 7:00 p.m. Donations are $5 and $4 for kids, students and seniors. For details call (309) 673-4343.

Campaign Co-Chairs to Announce Total at Victory Celebration Tomorrow

The Salvation Army’s Tree of Lights Victory Celebration will be held from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, February 3. Jim & Paula Moore, Honorary Co-Chairs of the 2011 Tree of Lights Campaign, will announce the final total raised for The Salvation Army’s annual fundraiser at the Corps Community Center, 2903 W. Nebraska.

“The Victory Celebration is held to thank all those who generously gave of their time and efforts to help make this Tree of Lights Campaign a success,” said Jim Moore, Honorary Co-Chair for the campaign. “Paula and I want to thank the community for its wonderful support. It’s been a challenge and yet a tremendous opportunity to lead this campaign.” The 2011 campaign goal was $1,575,000.

At the Victory Celebration on Feb.3, guests will enjoy food, fellowship and music, as awards will be presented to the top volunteer bell ringers in various categories including service clubs, churches, city and county safety organizations, youth groups, business and professional groups, celebrity and media.

For more information about the Victory Celebration, please call Rich Draeger at The Salvation Army at 655-1348 or 253-9909.

The Illinois National Guard and local Red Cross partner to provide information to military members and families

The partnership between the Red Cross and America’s military began during the Civil War with Clara Barton on the battlefield. She nursed the wounded, wrote letters from soldiers to their families and exerted every effort to get the critically ill to their families. While technology and methods have changed, Clara’s compassionate services during the Civil War foreshadowed the great services that the Red Cross provides today to members of the military and their families.

The American Red Cross and the Illinois National Guard have partnered to bring vital support and information to military families in central Illinois through the Joint Military & Family Member Support Group. The mission is to provide information, resources, and support to the military members and their families or close friends that are geographically separated from the military member’s unit.

The meetings are held twice a month on the second Tuesday and second Saturday of each month.

Upcoming dates and topics include:
•Financial Awareness •Saturday, February 11th 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Tuesday, February 14th 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
•Transition Assistance: Resources Available •Saturday, March 10th 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. and Tuesday, March 13th 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
•Communicating Clearly •Tuesday, April 10th 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 14th 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
All meetings are held at the Central Illinois Chapter located at 311 W. John Gwynn Jr. Avenue in Peoria. Registration is encouraged for each meeting and can be done at www.redcrossillinois.org/military-support-group.

Questions about these meetings should be directed to Amy Quimby, Illinois National Guard, at amy.quimby@ang.af.mil.

A colorful new exhibit opening at the Peoria Public Library Main Library Gallery on Saturday, March 10, “A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs” will be on display at Main Library on Lower Level One until Thursday, April 12 during regular gallery hours Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Americans have always responded to the wit, the passion, and the sophistication of the ballads, dance tunes, jazz numbers, and showstoppers that make up the great “American Songbook.” Songs such as “As Time Goes By,” “It Had to Be You,” and “Over the Rainbow” have captivated generations of audiences and remain beloved musical icons of American popular culture.

“A Fine Romance” celebrates American popular song during the period 1910-1965. The best musical artists of the time combined a genius for melody, a talent for pairing melody with the perfect words, and an ability to connect with a wide audience. A remarkably high percentage of them were Jewish, from families that had immigrated to America in the 1800s or fled pogroms and persecution in Europe at the turn of the century. “A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, 1910-1965” tells their story, using lively and striking images from Broadway musicals, classic films, posters, and personal collections.

The first half of the twentieth century saw the invention of the radio receiver, the broadcasting microphone, the talking movie, and the long-playing record, devices that helped artists and performers reach mass audiences. During their heyday between 1910 and 1965, songs from the great American songbook were essential to the success of Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, the jazz scene, Big Bands, popular vocalists, and night clubs. Songwriters who could craft tunes that appealed to the masses were able to make musical history in a country that offered them that chance. The sky was the limit for talented young people with big imaginations—young people such as Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, and George Gershwin. Irving Berlin, a cantor’s son, had no formal music training and could play piano in only one key, but he was one of the few composers who were talented at writing both music and lyrics.
Berlin’s “God Bless America,” “White Christmas” and “Easter Parade” have become American anthems. Jerome Kern composed the melodies for some of the world’s most revered love songs—“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and the saucy “A Fine Romance.” “The King and I,” “Oklahoma,” and “South Pacific” are only a few of the enduring American musicals created by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. George Gershwin wrote jazz-inflected orchestral pieces that bridged the gap between classical and popular music. His “Rhapsody in Blue” and “An American in Paris” are still breathtaking to hear.

“A Fine Romance” is visiting 55 sites throughout the U.S. in 2011-2012. It was curated by David Lehman and developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture, and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, an anonymous donor, and Tablet: A New Read on Jewish Life. A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs is also a book by David Lehman, published by Nextbook/Schocken.

In conjunction with the exhibit “A Fine Romance, Jewish Songwriters, American Songs” Peoria Public Library presents a free program with the Java Jews on Sunday, March 25 in a children’s program from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. and a performance for all ages from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at North Branch in the McKenzie Room.

The Java Jews play Klezmer music, the music of Eastern European Jewish communities during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The music emigrated to this country with the influx of European Jews and began to borrow elements from jazz and pop music. At the same time, pop music was also embracing klezmer. “A Fine Romance” is a colorful new exhibit showing at the Peoria Public Library Main Library Gallery from Saturday, March 10 through Saturday, April 12 that celebrates American popular song during the period 1910-1965. Ziggy Elman’s famous trumpet solo in Benny Goodman’s hit recording of “And The Angel’s Sing” is based on a familiar klezmer song — “Der Shtitler Bulgar.” The Andrews Sister also had a hit with the klezmer song, “Bei Mir Bistu Shein.” Santana even recorded a klezmer tune – Shein Da Vie La Vonna —in the early 1980s!

Klezmer music is upbeat. Klezmer music is tender. Klezmer music is hand-clapping. Klezmer music is tear-jerking. In the hands of the Java Jews it’s always fun!

About The Java Jews- – Organized as the Temple B’nai Jeshurun Klezmer Band in 2002 to help promote the Temple’s annual Jewish Food Fair, the band adopted the name “Java Jews” after a series of crowd-pleasing performances at Java Joes Coffee House in downtown Des Moines. The band plays what they refer to as “highly-caffeinated” klezmer music — a mix of Yiddish and Hebrew melodies combined with dixeland, avant-garde jazz, and a touch of Spike Jones.

Since making their initial appearance at Java Joes in December 2002., the Java Jews have become a monthly feature at the coffee house. They have also played at coffee houses in Ames and Grinnell (where the band had people dancing down Main Street). In addition, the band has played for numerous functions at area synagogues, including services and bar mitzvahs.

The Java Jews are co-sponsored by XXXXXXXXXXXXX

“A Fine Romance” is visiting 55 sites throughout the U.S. in 2011-2012. It was curated by David Lehman and developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture, and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, an anonymous donor, and Tablet: A New Read on Jewish Life. A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs is also a book by David Lehman, published by Nextbook/Schocken.

Methodist Medical Center will offer another in its series of “Coffee with the Doctors” during the month of February

In recognition of February as Heart Month, Methodist will be offering a free community program on “Cholesterol and Your Heart”. The presentation will be Wednesday, February 22, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Presented by Dr. Tahir Ilahi of Methodist Medical Group Cardiovascular Services, the program will be held at the Methodist North at Allen Road Conference Room at 2338 W. Sud Parkway (route 6 and Allen Road).

Dr. Ilahi is an experienced cardiologist who will explain what you can do to control high cholesterol levels that can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Refreshments will be served however seating is limited. To reserve a seat, call 636-9500 by February 17, 2012.

Spanish Conversation Hour, a new program offered on Tuesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Peoria Public Library Lincoln Branch was well received and will now be repeated weekly on Tuesdays through March 27.

What better way to begin learning or practice the second-most spoken language in the United States than during a pleasant conversation with native speakers? Join Spanish Conversation Hour at Lincoln Branch. Co-sponsored by the Peoria Hispanics Club, the event welcomes all ages and all levels of speaking ability. A new Peoria Public Library database, Mango Languages, offers additional lessons and practice in Spanish. Find it at e-library>databases”>www.peoriapubliclibrary.org>e-library>databases. For more information about Spanish Conversation Hour or Mango Languages call 309.467.2600.