Whether you call them daffodils or jonquils, these beautiful spring flowers are all botanically classified as part of the genus Narcissus.

Over the years, hundreds of daffodils have been incorporated into the grounds of Luthy Botanical Garden. Within this collection, there are 20-30 different cul-tivars of all shapes and sizes. For the home gardener, daffodils are a great investment because they increase in density with each passing year — and more importantly, an overly-abundant deer population prefers to dine on tulips! In addition, this diverse collection encompasses daffodils that are early, mid or late blooming, which enhances the duration of the display.

Especially noteworthy are the more exotic daffodils like Narcissus triandrus ‘Hawera’ (pictured above), a low-growing daffodil reaching 6-8” in height with 3-5 elegant, canary yellow flowers on each stem. Another, Narcissus ‘Mount Hood,’ is an old favorite with a large flower that opens with a hint of yellow and matures to pure white. There are, of course, a number of the classic yellow cultivars that reflect the beauty of spring sunlight.

See all the blooming daffodils now at Luthy Botanical Garden, 2520 N. Prospect Road, at the corner of Prospect and Gift. Enter the Garden on Gift, north of the Peoria Zoo.

Admission is $2.50 for adults; children 12 and under and Garden members are free. There is no admission charge to visit the Garden Shop. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday noon to 5:00 p.m. For more information, call (309) 681-3506.

The Peoria Park District’s Golf Learning Center will host a Ping Demo Day on Wednesday, April 24 from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Walk-ons are welcome, appointments for fittings are preferred. Call (309) 690-7162.

Demo days are a chance to hit the latest clubs, get free fittings, and enjoy the lowest prices of the season on new clubs that are ordered that day. Free range balls will be available in the demo area.

For more information call the Golf Learning Center at (309) 690-7162.

This Monday, April 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Kelleher’s Irish Pub and Eatery invites you to a pizza party featuring Agatucci’s new line of frozen pizzas. Stop by and enjoy samples of pizza and meet the guys from Agatucci’s. Agatucci’s pizza has been a Peoria tradition since 1926 and Kelleher’s is proud to support this longstanding local business by adding Agatucci’s frozen pizza as a late night menu option.

What to do until help arrives!

Pekin, IL – Jason Fletcher, owner of SERVPRO® of Peoria & North Central Tazewell County is issuing the “WHAT TO DO UNTIL HELP ARRIVES” Emergency Tips for Your Home in the wake of possible heavy rains & flooding in Central Illinois in the next 48 hours. “Servpro will be ready to assist Central Illinois residents with emergencies – our teams will be ready around the clock and can be reached at (309) 346-5600”, says Jason Fletcher.

As a leader in fire and water damage cleanup and restoration, SERVPRO® receives numerous inquiries from homeowners and media contacts about how to deal with water damage whenever severe weather and natural disasters occur.

“Safety is, of course, the most important issue,” says SERVPRO® of Peoria President, Jason Fletcher. “If flooding, contaminated water, sewage and other factors are involved, homeowners clearly should evacuate – or at the very least obey what local government authorities are advising.”

“Providing the home is structurally safe, SERVPRO® recommends several actions homeowners can take after an incident to help in the cleanup and recovery from water damage to their home while they await the help of a professional cleanup service,” says Fletcher.
The tips help homeowners save valuable possessions and money – particularly when storm and water damage is so severe that cleanup crews cannot respond immediately.

Fletcher says homeowners should:
• Safely turn the home’s water main off if running water inside the house is the source of the problem.
• Remove as much excess water as possible by mopping and blotting.
• Wipe excess water from wood furniture after removal of lamps and tabletop items.
• Remove and prop up wet upholstery and pillow cushions for even drying.
• Place aluminum foil or wood blocks between furniture legs and wet carpeting.
• Turn air conditioning on the maximum drying (in summer).
• Remove Oriental rugs or other colored rugs from wet wall-to-wall carpeting.
• Remove valuable paintings and art objects to a safe, dry place.
• Open and place luggage in sunlight to dry, if possible.
• Gather loose items, toys, etc. from floors.

Fletcher says homeowners should not:
• Leave wet fabrics in place. Dry fabrics as soon as possible and hang furs and leather goods to dry separately at room temperature.
• Leave books, magazines or other colored items on wet carpets or floors.
• Use your household vacuum to remove water.
• Use televisions or other household appliances while standing on wet carpets or floors, especially not on wet concrete floors.
• Turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet, and keep out of rooms where ceilings are sagging from retained water.
If water damage has resulted in exposure to sewage and other harmful waste, Fletcher advises to:
• Stay out of the affected areas.
• Call emergency service personnel if the situation is life-threatening.
• Treat all bodily fluids as if they are contaminated.
• Turn off the HVAC system if there is sewage system damage.
Fletcher says not to:
• Attempt cleanup of any kind.
• Touch or handle items that might be contaminated with bodily fluids.
• Eat, drink, smoke, apply cosmetics or handle contact lenses in affected areas.
Fletcher also notes that OSHA recommends a post-exposure medical examination for anyone encountering a hazardous waste problem and suggests contacting your local health department or physician.
Complete tips list for both fire and smoke damage and water damage are available at the SERVPRO® web site:
• http://www.servpropeoria.com/water-damage-tips
Founded in 1967, Servpro Industries, Inc. franchise system is a national leader and provider of fire, water, mold and other specialty cleanup and restoration services. SERVPRO’s professional services network of more than 1,600 individually owned and operated franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from multi-million dollar disasters affecting entire communities to those suffered by individual businesses and homes. Providing coverage in 48 states, SERVPRO® has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners.

SPRINGFIELD– Years of less-than-adequate state funding have taken their toll on Wildlife Prairie State Park. The 2,000 acre park, which allows the people of Illinois to see the state’s indigenous wildlife in a natural setting, has survived the state’s budget cuts largely due to the efforts of Friends of Wildlife Prairie State Park, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the park’s mission of promoting conservation, education and recreation. State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) is sponsoring legislation that will permanently transfer ownership of the park to the Friends board.

“We can’t allow Wildlife Prairie State Park to fall prey to Illinois’ budget woes,” Koehler said. “Friends of Wildlife Prairie State Park will keep this important Peoria-area landmark open for our friends and children to enjoy for years to come.”

Despite Koehler’s best efforts to get funding for the park reinstated, the state has been unable to provide significant financial resources to the park for the past three years, a situation unlikely to change in the near future.

Though the state is transferring ownership of the park to the Friends group, the legal agreement requires the group to keep the park open to the public and to maintain its current mission.

Koehler’s measure has passed the Illinois House and the Senate Agriculture Committee. It is poised to pass the Senate and is supported by the governor. Koehler sponsored a similar plan last year, but it stalled in the Illinois House.

PRAIRIE FIBER ARTS GUILD
Discover the Fiber Arts! Meet our Vendors . . .

Art to Wear – Phil Krumholz – Handmade jewelry designs
ClearView Cormo Wool – Sandra Schrader – Raw Cormo & Corriedale fleeces, roving, combed top & yarns
Spring Beauty Farm – Alda Behm – Wool & mohair roving, swifts, spindles & Kumihimo
Designs by Dana – Dana Baldwin – Upcycled sweaters, hoodies, sweater coats, head bands, texting loves, scarves and boot toppers made from wool
Fiber, Flora & Clay – Ann Pastucha – Polymer clay buttons, polymer clay covered bowls & vases, polymer clay jewelry, felted wool coffee cup covers
Happy Hoppers Angora -Mary Stough -Angora yarns, Angora socks, organic catnip toys, Angora batts
Rabbits and Soaps – Kate Stough – & roving, goat’s milk soaps
Happy Thought Coffee – Wes & Sarah Williamson – Muffins and coffee
Heritage Hill Farm – Julie Mathis – Alpaca, Shetland & Leicester longwool: roving, raw fleece, yarn, needle felting supplies
Hopewell Creations – Jennie Hawkey – Weaving instruction
Il Wool & Fiber Mill/ – Jane Zeien – Fill service Mill. Yarn, roving, felting supplies, book and The Complete Sheep Shoppe sheepskin products
Inspired Creations – Karen Vaughn – Handfelted hats, purses, hair barrettes and jewelry made with peacock feathers. Décor and ornaments. Crocheted hats, scarves & animals
Knit & Fiber Creation – Tammy McRae Lampe – Hand dyed wool & wool blends in assorted weights, stitch mark ers & hand dyed roving
Chris Lewis Llama – Chris Lewis – Yarn, roving, raw fiber, llama dolls, chairs
Maple Row Stock and Wool – Deb Cline – Pack baskets, roving, books, mugs & Lendrum spinning wheels
Rock Farms – Deb Rock – Luxury fibers & yarns, yarn-a-long bracelets and wood tools
Spring Beauty Farm – Alda Behm – Wool & mohair roving, swifts, spindles and Kumihimo
SunRise Suris/Lavender Sunsets – Sue Hart – Natural & dyed Suri Alpaca yarns, rovings, wraps, scarves & hats, lavender products
The Fiber Universe – Erin & Melinda – a selection of yarns from Cascade, Plymouth, Skacel, Kauni, Pagewood Farms, Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, Jojoland, Misti Alpaca, Euro Yarns, and Three Irish Girls, needles, notions, Ash ford spinning products
Tom’s Wood Stuff – Tom & Diana Bell – Handcrafted benches and stools
Twisted Chicken Beads/Annie’s Leslie Schenkel & Creations Annette Fisher – Lampwork beads, bracelets, earrings, pendants & necklaces
Walnut Wood Lathe – John Katzke – Wood turned items—bowls, vases, plates, plus postcards & roses in wood

Join us for fabulous shopping at the Folk, Fiber & Friends Weekend 2013 Marketplace at Three Sisters Park Pavilion, 17189 N. Rt. 29, Chillicothe, Illinois 61523, Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Marketplace is open to the public with free admission and parking. We are pleased to pre-sent Midwestern vendors representing a wide variety of fiber arts media. There will be fiber arts demon-strations by local Guilds throughout the day and a fundraiser for Paws Giving Independence.
The event is sponsored by The Fiber Universe.

Peoria – Peoria County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is partnering with Peoria Riverfront Museum this month to encourage people to prepare themselves and their families for tornadoes and other severe weather that affects Central Illinois. Now through the end of April, anyone who sees Tornado Alley at the museum can enter to win one of two NOAA weather alert radios donated by Peoria County’s EMA. Contestants are also eligible to win Giant Screen Theater tickets for a future showing.

EMA and Peoria Riverfront Museum want to remind people that preparedness saves lives. EMA Director Vicky Turner explains, “Having an emergency plan in place and practicing that plan before disaster strikes will help family members know what to do and where to go when disaster strikes. Not only does this save precious reaction time, but it also saves lives.”

Drawing entry forms include detailed actions to take in the event a tornado warning has been issued or outdoor warning sirens have been activated, as well as directions for identifying local and out-of-state points of contact for family members to report into should disaster strike. A sample entry form has been attached to this release for your reference. Winners will be drawn on May 1, 2013.

For more information on the weather alert radio drawing or tornado preparedness, please call Peoria County EMA at (309) 691-3111.

Hopedale, IL – This past March, the Hopedale Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine (HRSM) team collected shoes for the Soles4Souls shoe drive. Collection boxes were placed on the HMC campus, the Wellness Center, and at 5 local area high schools.

Over 1073 shoes were collected! These shoes were taken to a Soles4Souls distribution center near Chicago where they were donated, sorted, and distributed throughout the world. Shoes that cannot be reused will be recycled so that nothing goes to waste.

The HRSM team would like to thank all of the shoe donors and Signs of Success/U-Haul owner Chris Durham for a U-Haul moving truck to transport all the shoes to Chicago. This type of community support is greatly appreciated.

Hopedale Medical Complex, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to promoting excellent healthcare, healthy lifestyles, health education, and wellness to all of our surrounding communities. Visit HopedaleMC.com to learn more about the services offered at Hopedale Medical Complex. HMC is located minutes south of Morton, off Interstate 155 (Exit 19.)

Starting Monday, April 22, Franciscan Recreation Complex’s Drop-in Yoga classes will change to the following schedule:

Mondays: 6:30 p.m.
Tuesdays: 10:00 a.m.
Wednesdays: 6:30 p.m.
Fridays: 10:00 a.m.
Cost is $4.50/drop-in.

More complete descriptions and online registration can be found at www.peoriaparks.org/frc or by calling FRC at (309) 677-6705.

The Peoria Park District (PPD) Volunteer Department is pleased to announce that twenty-two of its most generous volunteers will receive the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, formed in 2003 by former President George W. Bush, recognizes volunteers around the nation. Those volunteers who give the most of their time, usually a minimum of 100 hours in a calendar year, are presented with this prestigious award. The PPD will be presenting awards to the following individuals and groups:

Individuals (over 100 hours):
Cheri Ruskusky, Chris Trompeter, Shirley Gray, Richard Hinds, Marilyn Hogue, Bruce Culler, Michael Stringer, Darrel Hedman, Brendan Kennard, Jasmine Turner, Margaret Steenrod, DeShonna Williams, Susan Culler, Mike Snyder, Tara Ripka, Dee Baer, Nicholas Humes, Jillian Wahlfeld, Christian Brown, William Cunningham, Aimee Brown, Kendall Fromm, Phyllis Baylor, Holli Cook, Marjorie Crane, Judy Dawson, Ethel Flanagan, Ed Hardman, Carol Kemmerer, Nena Parn, Mary Rogers, Ben Hillman, Dolly Albers, Jackie Payne, Dick Albers, Caitlynn O’Brien, Jacob Lewis, Tanner Thiessen, Carley Seed, Diane Hanelt, Andrea Blackburn, Rebecca Maloney, Ashton Williamson, Susan Dobyns, Kevin Helenthal, Scott Harlan, Phyllis France

Groups (over 250 hours):
Children’s Home Residential, ELITE, Peoria Park District Golf, Vagabond Tours

The announcement of these honorees comes at a particularly fitting time, during National Volunteer Week (April 21-27). Sponsored by Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network—the nation’s largest volunteer organizing network—National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 by former President Richard Nixon and has grown exponentially each subsequent year, with literally thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week.

For further information on the accomplishments and efforts of PPD volunteers, please contact Brittney Richardson, Volunteer Coordinator, at brichardson@peoriaparks.org or (309) 681-2822.