CW Notes

SPRINGFIELD – The first of a series of hearings on State Senator Dave Koehler’s (D-Peoria) proposal to label genetically engineered food is scheduled for Thursday in Bloomington-Normal.

The hearing is open to the public. Anyone who wishes to submit testimony should file a witness slip online at my.ilga.gov or in person the day of the hearing. Due to time constraints, Koehler is limiting spoken testimony to two panels – one of supporters of the legislation and the other of opponents. Each panel will consist of four people and have up to one hour to present its position. Everyone else who wishes to testify is asked to submit comments in writing.

Date: June 20, 2013
Time: 10 A.M. – noon
Location: Old Main Room, Bone Student Center, Illinois State University, 100 N. University, Normal, IL
For more information: Sen. Koehler’s district office (309) 677-0120 or Springfield office (217) 782-8250

Additional hearings are planned for Carbondale in August and Chicago in September.

Peoria, Illinois – Midstate College will hold commencement ceremonies on Saturday, June 29, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in East Peoria, Illinois. The featured speaker will be the Honorable State Senator David Koehler. This graduation ceremony will honor and celebrate 152 graduates in various programs ranging from bachelor degrees to associate degrees to diploma programs.

The focus of the ceremony will be on the students and their achievements. In addition to Keynote Speaker State Senator Koehler, the spotlight will also be on student speakers Dannie Garner (3.96/4.0), who will be earning his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, and Kim Stanley (4.0/4.0), who will be earning her Administrative Professional Associate of Applied Science Degree.

Midstate College is celebrating its 125th year providing quality education to the Central Illinois area, and now to a much wider student base via web-based classes. The College takes great pride in spirit and community, and the commencement ceremonies will bring together students, alumni and residents throughout the area.

For more information, please contact Vicki Draksler, vdraksler@midstate.edu or 309.692.4092, ext. 2180.

Red Cross holds golf outing to raise money for services to the community

The Central Illinois Chapter is pleased to announce that the 3rd Annual “Golf FORE the Red Cross” outing will be held at Metamora Fields Golf Club on Thursday, July 25, 2013.

The mission of the American Red Cross is to help people prevent, prepare for and cope with emergencies. Our chapter serves 8 counties and more than 400,000 people by offering a wide array of assistance including:
· Services to military members and their families
· CPR, First Aid and AED training
· Traffic safety education
· Youth education classes
· Disaster assistance
· Disaster preparedness and planning

To continue these efforts we rely on donations from our friends and neighbors right here in central Illinois.

Individuals that are interested in participating in the event as a foursome should visit https://american.redcross.org/peoriagolf to sign up online. Entry deadline July 18, 2013 at 5:00p.m. All entries must be paid by the deadline.

Businesses that would like to consider contributing to the event should call John Wahlfeld at 677-7272 x7214.

Watch animation and history come to life on the brightest screen in the country!

PEORIA, IL¬¬— “Despicable Me 2” will open in Peoria Riverfront Museum’s Giant Screen Theater Wednesday, July 3, 2013; the next Hollywood movie to premiere downtown Peoria! “Despicable Me 2” is an all-new comedy animated adventure featuring the return of Gru (Steve Carell), the girls, the unpredictably hilarious minions and a host of new and outrageously funny characters. In this sequel, the Anti-Villain League consults Gru for help when they find themselves dealing with new super criminal Eduardo (Al Pacino).
The next Giant Screen Spectacular Series kicks off on Tuesday, June 2, with “Lincoln”, a historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, tying into the Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America traveling exhibition to open at Peoria Riverfront Museum on June 18. Daniel Day-Lewis portrays the former head of state in the Tony Kushner-penned adaptation of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals, which chronicles the President’s time in office between 1861 and 1865 as he dealt with personal demons and politics during the Civil War.

Any movie is bigger, bolder and better in Peoria Riverfront Museum’s Giant Screen Theater. The theater has a screen that measures 52 feet tall by 70 feet wide and features RealD 3D, Hollywood’s preferred 3D provider. With the newest and brightest projectors available, visitors take in ultra-sharp, ultra-detailed images. A state-of-the-art audio system with surround sound and stadium seating also enhance the viewing experience. Movie fans can choose from daytime educational movies and evening Hollywood films. Visit www.PeoriaRiverfrontMuseum.org for ticket information.

Peoria, Illinois (June 17, 2013)-The 6th annual Bikers for Ta-Tas Ride for Breast Cancer will again donate proceeds to benefit the Methodist Breast Health Center and Mammography Services.

The annual ride will be held Saturday July 20th with sign at the Bartonville American Legion from 9:00 a.m. to noon and breakfast available. Cost of the ride is $20.00 for a rider and $10.00 for a passenger. Entry fees include a meal at the conclusion of the ride.

Bike Ride founder Nancy Borum says the ride will cover approximately 140 miles with stops in Brimfield, Canton, Havana, Forest City, Delavan, and Groveland, ending at the Bartonville American Legion.

In 2012, Bikers for Ta-Tas raised $30,000 that was donated to the Breast Health Center and Mobile Mammography Services at UnityPoint Health-Methodist.

The Bikers for Ta-Tas ride was established in 2008 by Nancy Borum to benefit the fight against breast cancer in Central Illinois after a series of cancer events in her family. Her grandmother and aunt died from breast cancer and her mother and sister are both breast cancer survivors.

For more information, including registration forms, go to www.bikersforta-tas.com.

Peoria, IL – The Home Builders Association of Greater Peoria (HBAGP) has announced details for its 22nd Annual Parade of Homes. This year’s line-up includes a wide range of home locations and offers visitors the opportunity to see homes in a variety of price ranges, from starter homes to luxurious dream homes.

The Parade of Homes is a freestyle new home tour showcasing new construction in several area communities. See the one home that suits your needs, or take the tour and see them all! You decide where to go and which houses to see on this self-guided tour of incredible homes. This year’s entries are located in eight local communities — Metamora, Pekin, Canton, Elmwood, Hanna City, Edwards, Dunlap, and Peoria!

The event is open to the public and features 14 Builder Members of the Association proudly displaying 20 newly-constructed homes. The event is held two consecutive weekends:

June 22-23 and June 29-30, and the homes are open all four days from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Admission is free to tour the homes.

An official “Tour Guide” featuring information on each home and driving directions to the homes is available free of charge after June 20 by visiting any area CEFCU Member Center. The book will also be distributed in the Saturday, June 22 edition of the Peoria Journal Star for home subscribers. Visitors can even get started on the tour without a book in hand, as driving directions to the homes can be found on the Association’s web site at www.peoriahba.com. Once you reach a Parade Home, the “Tour Guide” books are available in each of the homes.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Peoria is also proud to showcase the work of two high school building trades programs with home entries. Most importantly for our visitors, remember that some homes may be owner-occupied and that none of the homes are open outside of the posted event hours. This is a new home construction showcase, not a decorated home tour – although some homes are fully completed, landscaped and furnished; while others are still in various stages of construction. This aspect of the event offers visitors a chance to see the various stages of construction, and offers the potential buyer an opportunity to make some personal selections for the home prior to completion.

For a complete list of the participating builders and directions to the homes, visit the Association’s web site at www.peoriahba.com and become a fan of our Facebook Page by searching for “Peoria Parade of Homes.”

I am pleased to announce that Peoria is once again an All American City and has won the 2013 All America City Award! Ten communities received the award earlier tonight at the All America City Award conference in Denver, Colorado. The Peoria Chamber’s Young Professionals led this initiative and we are beyond thrilled at the support we received from individuals and businesses all across the region. We brought a delegation of 30+ people (including the Elite Drumline) with us to Denver to present Peoria’s story to the National Civic League this weekend and we are so very excited to let everyone know that Peoria is a 2013 All America City!

We also won the separate online video contest! More than 500 people participated in our video and the final tally was more than 20,000 views and over 1,800 likes. The video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HanJnGg4ZP4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Additionally, one of our own Elite Drum Corp, Ethan Mosher, earned the distinct recognition of the All America City Youth Award.

We couldn’t have done this without the support of our community so thank you to everyone who participated!

We will be heading home Monday evening and will announce details for a press conference to present the award to the city later this week.

If you have any urgent questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to our Chair of the Peoria delegation, Dr. Tim Cundiff at 309-657-9447 or Councilman Ryan Spain at 309-648-3074.

From all of us here in Denver, thank you again.
All of our best,
The Peoria Delegation

The Peoria Park District Glen Oak Amphitheatre presents The Lorax on June 24, with a pre-show performance by Camp On Stage actors at 7:30 p.m. Movie begins at dusk. Cost is $.50 per person.

The Lorax is sponsored by Tricoci University.

Movies are projected onto the Glen Oak Amphitheatre’s band shell, located in Glen Oak Park. Pack some snacks or purchase some from the concession stand.

Visit www.peoriaparks.org for the complete Family Flicks schedule or call (309) 688-3667 with questions.

The Peoria Park District’s 50 Rock program for active 50+ individuals will go on a tour of Peoria Hidden Parks on June 29 from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Cost is $22 and includes a box lunch.

50 Rock tours teach about the history of the Peoria Park District with fascinating behind-the-scenes information on the establishment and growth of its beautiful parks. Some walking will be required.

Register using code 56680. For more information, and to register online, visit www.peoriaparks.org or call (309) 681-2859.

The Peoria Park District’s Baking with the B.O.S.S. class for children ages 5-16 takes place at the Christian Center on Saturday, June 29 from 1-3 p.m. Cost is $35/residents, $43/non-residents. Register using code 56553.

Taught by Cookie Shack bakers, students will learn how to make their own cookie dough from scratch, decorate sugar cookies, read recipes, sift ingredients, and learn of the tools needed for baking. Each participant will receive a grab bag or a discount coupon.
For more information or to register, visit www.peoriaparks.org/craft-classes or call (309) 688-3667.