Beginning the week of July 28, Peoria Public Works started the process of alley maintenance.  Part of this process consists of applying a liquid primer in the alleys where repairs were completed.  Citizens may notice a dark colored liquid primer in the following areas of the City: Center Bluff, Southern Valley and East Bluff.  Motorist can drive on the alleys, but are advised to drive slowly if they notice primer. The application process and alley maintenance will continue until completed.

For more information, contact David Haste, City of Peoria Streets & Sewers Manager at (309) 494-8800.

Peoria, IL July 29, 2014:

IPMR Senior World, Molina HealthCare of Illinois, Grand View Alzheimer’s Special Care Center, and Peoria Humane Society are teaming up  to provide Pet Rodeos for local senior citizens.  The Pet Rodeo will feature man’s best friend and his handler.   Pet therapy is a popular method of mild therapy for seniors.

The first Pet Rodeo stop will be at IPMR Senior World Peoria on Wednesday August 6, at 10:00 a.m.  where the handlers  will demonstrate their beloved pet’s skills.  Jackie Bowers, Director of IPMR Senior World, said, “we are excited to have therapy dogs and other trained volunteers and their pets provide entertainment to our seniors.   In doing so, they improve the mental and physical health of all they visit.”   The dog handlers will then stop by the Grand View Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Peoria.

Michelle Sanders, Community Outreach Coordinator, Molina Healthcare of Illinois; Jackie Bowers, Director, IPMR Senior World; Julie Hess, Administrator, Grand View Alzheimer’s Special Care Center; and Kitty Yankow, Education Coordinator, Peoria Animal Welfare are the architects behind the Pet Rodeo.

The “Special Pals” and their handlers are trained through the therapeutic pet program at the Peoria Humane Society.   The Peoria Humane Society provides therapy pets for senior living centers and day programs throughout Peoria County.

9th Annual Tower Park event Aug. 1 and 2

Peoria Heights, IL – Spectacular music will fill the air in Peoria Heights during the 9^th Annual Tower Park Music Festival, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1 and 2.

The festival, free and open to the public, blends a variety of music with delicious food, a beer tent and family fun over the two days  ̶  all centered at Tower Park at Prospect and Glen in Peoria Heights. 

Bands include Heavy Shake, Roundstone Buskers and Paige DeChausse and the Reverent Few on Friday. On Saturday musicians will be the Robin Crowe Band, The Midnight Special, Celtricity, featuring Barry Cloyd, and Drivetrain featuring Nick Boettcher.  

For more information visit www.peoriaheights.org.

Thursday July 31, 2014 – Please join us for the Kick Off of the 26th Annual Duck Race to Stop Abuse.

Who: Martha Herm, Executive Director, The Center for Prevention of Abuse

What: Duck Race Kick Off Press Conference

When: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 @ 10:00 am

Where: Riverfront Park (behind Walmart), East Peoria, IL 61611

Why: To announce the 26th Annual Duck Race and Giant Quacky, the World’s Largest Duck who will be nesting at Riverfront Park in East Peoria.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse is the only agency authorized by the State of Illinois to provide a combination of domestic violence, sexual assault and adult protective services. Annually, more than 5,000 women, men and children, affected by violence and abuse are served by The Center. Additionally, The Center offers school-based abuse prevention programming to students pre-K through college age, reaching out to over 20,000 young people annually. Through these activities, plus community presentations and trainings, The Center lives out its mission which is to empower everyone – women, men and children – to live free from violence and abuse.

Effective Friday, August 1st, Washington Street will be open to traffic. Pavement construction on Washington Street will be completed Thursday night, but work on sidewalks, landscaping, and side road paving will continue until complete. Expect some daytime lane closures on Washington until all associated work is complete.

Construction work on Adams Street and the side roads continues. As always, please use caution when driving in construction zones. As the work progresses, the public will be regularly notified of construction and traffic changes.

The City of Peoria would like to thank you for your continued patience as we work to make the Warehouse District a safer, more accessible and attractive place to live, work, and shop in the heart of Peoria. If you have any questions or comments regarding the Warehouse District TIGER II Project, please visit the website at http://www.warehousedistrictpeoria.com or contact Karen Dvorsky at kdvorsky@terraengineering.com or at (309) 472-3132.

8/2/14

BE THE MATCH MARROW DRIVE, India Fest, Peoria Riverfront, 2-:00 – 7:00 PM

Be A Hero. Save a Life.

WHAT: Join the Be The Match Marrow Registry at India Fest. You could be the one to save a life!

WHO: TO JOIN THE BE THE MATCH REGISTRY: You must be 1. Ages 18-44 2. In good general health 3. Willing to donate to any patient in need

WHY: Every year 12,000 patients who need a life-saving marrow or blood cell transplant search for a donor. Leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases such as sickle cell can be cured with a marrow cell transplant, but only if there is a match. Patients find matches in their own family 30% of the time. The rest of these patients look to the Be The Match Registry.

Patients in need of a marrow or blood cell transplant are most likely to match someone of their own race and ethnicity. There is a great need for more Asian Indians/South Asians/Asians in the Be The Match registry. Currently only 7% of the registry identifies as Asian. This can make it harder for patients of this descent to find a matching donor and get the life-saving transplant they need.

Most often marrow cells are donated from your arm in a procedure similar to donating plasma or platelets. See if you match a patient in need.

WHEN/WHERE: 8/2/14, 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm – India Fest, Peoria Riverfront, Be The Match booth, 200 NE Water Street, Peoria, IL 61602

 BACKGROUND: The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) facilitates unrelated marrow and blood cell transplants as a single point of access for a long-standing collaborative network of national and international leading medical facilities in marrow and cord blood transplantation. The NMDP connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives.

 VISIT: www.bethematchfoundation.org/goto/PeoriaTrisha for details.

CONTACTS: Taylor Campbell, NMDP Recruiter, 319-330-7930 (cell) or email tcampbell@rrvbc.org

Suresh Reddy, 309-657-4358 (cell), sureshbreddy@hotmail.com

Illinois teens host event to help local youth, families live healthy on a budget

WHAT: As part of the 4-H Food Smart Families program, the University of Illinois Extension 4-H and teen teachers will host a community event to help local youth and their families to live healthy on a budget.

WHEN: Friday, August 8, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Closed to the public)

WHERE: Peoria Zoo, 2320 N Prospect Rd., Peoria, IL 61603

VISUAL:  Approximately 500 participants in the 4-H Food Smart Families program will take part in the healthy living event. Teens will share what they’ve learned from the 4-H Food Smart Families program.

MORE INFORMATION: The event will be a celebration of nine weeks of summer programming where 4-H teens who have been trained to deliver the 4-H Food Smart Families program will share what they’ve learned and families can enjoy a meal, educational activities and fun at the zoo. Each family will receive a passport to track all of the learning activities they participate in as they navigate the zoo.

The 4-H Food Smart Families program was created by National 4-H Council and ConAgra Foods Foundation to address hunger and obesity in the U.S. by equipping more families with nutrition education, cooking skills and grocery budgeting skills. The program will target 2,500 youth and their families in Illinois.

Dr. Dave Vroman’s Concert Band has Five Unique Guests, who will bring their HUGE Swiss Alpine Horns (seen on TV – in the Arcola Cough Drop advertisement). His guest vocalist, Colleen Longo, is Special too.

Come and join in the fun – with the many Peorians whose numbers have exploded within its four year history in Peoria’s Warehouse District.

A FREE Concert with Free Parking too!

The City of Peoria’s New Concert Band is Now Playing on Peoria’s Riverfront” on Wednesday evenings. These Street Concerts are always in the Warehouse District on “Water Street @ State Street.

There are Two Wednesday evening concerts, out of a total of nine, scheduled yet this year. Wednesday, July 30^th and Wednesday, August 6^th. Note: If the Aug. 6^th concert – is rain out, tonight’s concert will be your last opportunity to experience the action – this year.

Here is the Story – if ever there was one. It started 6 years ago – resulting in 2 years of planning. And now, for the last four years, it is – “Lights & Action”. It seems like an obvious “Slam Dunk” now – however multitudes of individuals were “Nay-Sayers” in the formative years.

Almost everyone carries lawn chairs with them. The days of the Park Benches are history – and that is all there is to it. Peorian’s can easily carry their lawn chairs in their cars now days. Sometimes they use them only as a backup when they “are planning on sitting at a table to eat, and the crowds are so large that they need to create their own eating location”. The area restaurants will serve the food to the concert goers– wherever they are located in the concert area.

There are numerous lawn chairs holding spectators in the grass area along the railroad tracks. (Note: it is rare that a train comes along during a concert, but if it does – everyone complies with the Illinois Commerce Commission Rule and they walk over to the blacktop parking area until the train passes on its way).

Three of the area restaurants have made it convenient to purchase food and drink for those who want that service during the hours of the concerts. This has provided survival business while the road work in this immediate area is being completed.

The ambiance of the setting in daytime and at dusk is something to behold. It is both enjoyable and – just plain fun to be in this audience both visually as well as listening to the music with your many friends.

Change is hard – however it is worth all of the effort that is needed to implement that change. The crowds attending exceed, by far, the Wednesday night crowds in all previous years.

Under the leadership of Dr. David Vroman – Peoria’s Municipal Band has changed. The music being played identifies the “New City of Peoria’s – Concert Band”.

The Peoria Park District’s Sommer Park is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with an Open House and Picnic on Saturday, August 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Prairie Shelter.

Normally a use-by-reservation facility, Sommer Park will be free to the public on August 9. Help celebrate this milestone by bringing a picnic lunch for the family while enjoying free hayrack rides, Fun on the Run inflatables, cupcakes and a slideshow featuring highlights of Sommer Park’s 50 years.

History of Sommer Park – The Koerner Family purchased the farm in 1848, and the family resided onsite for 98 years. After this time, several people owned the property including the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and William Rutherford. In 1964, Rutherford sold the property to the Peoria Park District, and the park was named in honor of his father-in-law, William H. Sommer, the President and CEO of Keystone Steel and Wire at that time.

Sommer Park consists of 320 acres and is a use-by-reservation rental facility. Over the years, the park has been used for special events such as the Return to Pimiteoui Pow Wow, Balloon Festivals, Hayrides and Hotdogs, Chickin-N-Pickin, environmental education school programs, Living History 1855 Illinois Pioneer programs, Civil War and World War I and II re-enactment programs, weddings, private rentals and 44 years of Ancient Oaks Day Camp for children.

For more information on the 50th Anniversary Open House and Picnic, contact Sommer Park at 309-691-8423.