The 2014 GCS Cigar Summit comes to Peoria, Friday and Saturday, July 25^th and 26^th. The annual event will be held at Jimmy’s Bar, 2801 W Farmington Rd., West Peoria and is sponsored by the Gentleman’s Cigar Society of Peoria.

GCS spokesperson Mark Little says, “This is not only a great opportunity for those who enjoy cigars to get together, but also an opportunity for those people who are new to cigars to learn and ask questions.  It’s not just for your seasoned cigar smokers.”

Cigar representatives will be in attendance to sell cigars as well as answer questions. New this year will be cigar rolling demonstrations as well as a Dominoes tournament! Jimmy’s will also provide liquor tastings Friday evening and Saturday as well as Cuban sandwiches will be available during the event. There will also be raffles during weekend with all proceeds donated to Cigar Rights of America.

For information, contact Mark Little at mlittle@gentlemenscigarsociety.com

Peoria Players Theatre presents our 18^th annual Summer Youth Theatre production, featuring the talents of teens ages 14 to 20!  This summer, our production will be the musical Little Shop of Horrors directed by Megan Cipolla.  A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed. Charming, tuneful and hilarious, this musical never fails to entertain!  Performances include August 6, 7, 8 and 9 at 7:30 pm, and August 10 at 2:00. Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for patrons 18 and younger, and will be on sale July 14.  Call 688-4473 or feel free to use the PayPal option on our website at peoriaplayers.org.

Great Prizes including MLB tickets and iPads part of July 12 driving event to benefit Make-A-Wish^® Illinois

What:  I Spy A Wish Team Adventure is a driving scavenger hunt to raise money for Make-A-Wish^® Illinois in order to grant the wishes of four area children. The goal is to raise $25,000 with your help! Each registered team will use clues to find sponsored stops in the Peoria area. Teams will take a photo at each location and meet Make-A-Wish kids throughout the adventure.  Teams made up of family members, friends, or even businesses or groups of coworkers are welcomed. This year, via the I Spy A Wish website, you can see which of your Facebook friends are participating, and you can create a team by connecting with participating friends and family members. Register now at www.ispyawish.com. If you are unable to attend but would like to support the event, you can also make an online donation on the registration page.

Visit the events website www.ispyawish.com to register and for more details! Questions about the event can be directed to event chair Stacy Borho Byrd at 309-303-1542 or via email at ispyawish@hotmail.com.

When: Saturday, July 12, 2014 from 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.  Advance registration is at www.ispyawish.com; Day of event registration begins at 12:30 p.m.

Where: Starts at Uftring Auto Mall East Peoria, 500 Fairlane Dr., East Peoria, IL 61611.  A party, emceed by reporter Eugene Daniel of WMBD Channel 31 News, will wrap-up the event with various prizes awarded to team finishers, including: an iPad, Cubs-Cardinals Tickets, a Peoria Chief’s Suite for Saturday August 9th, Maui Jim Sunglasses, a gift basket from Fresh Market, and shoes from Running Central, just to name a few!

Cost: $75 per team (2-6 members) per vehicle

How: Make-A-Wish^® Illinois grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich their lives with hope, strength and joy. Since being founded locally in 1985, the chapter has granted more than 12,000 wishes and continues its mission to share the power of a wish^® with special children across the state with help from dedicated volunteers and generous community members.

The southbound lanes of University St at Lake have been closed due to a large water main break.  At this time traffic is routed from Southbound University onto Eastbound Lake to avoid the repairs.  All Motorists are encouraged to use extreme caution in these areas.

Focus Forward Central Illinois (FFCI) collaborates across the Greater Peoria area to focus on four strategic initiatives: Act regionally – Expand economic performance – Improve human capital and to – Enhance the quality of life.

The FFCI team now has three Greater Peoria region members who are dedicated to moving the FFCI strategic plan and initiatives forward. They add their skills to help facilitate the tasks and expertise of the many volunteers who have joined the FFCI organization.

Denny Kief is serving as the Acting CEO for both FFCI and the EDC until the EDC-CEO is hired in the coming months. He is responsible for making sure that both agencies are complying with the needs of the area’s public and private sectors, as well as the various grant requirements. As the former Pekin, IL City Manager, Kief has a large amount of experience in working on regionalism in Central Illinois, especially in economic development. Hired initially as the Project Manager for FFCI and the EDC, he is compiling the new CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy) report for the FFCI five-county Economic Development District and is preparing a project submittal form and ranking criteria for future grant submissions. He also leads the very active Technical Work Group, the economic development professionals representing all areas of the five-county FFCI region. Kief has been an active participant in the two years of regional planning activities that created the strategies guiding FFCI and its regional development goals.

Ray Lees is the Managing Director of the FFCI WorkForce Alliance initiative dedicated to a mission of developing the quality and quantity of skilled workers to grow the region’s economy. Lees is responsible for coordinating and managing the collaboration of various stakeholders representing community, education, training, certification and employers. He served as a principal of the Peoria-based architectural/engineering practice of PSA-Dewberry and has been engaged in State and regional municipal, economic development, education and workforce planning in Illinois and Arizona. The WorkForce Alliance collaborative process will also increase awareness of career opportunities and make the region a superior resource of talented, motivated people.  It will ultimately serve as a catalyst for employer expansion and location in Central Illinois.

Heather Wolbeck is the Fund Development Coordinator for FFCI. She works with the FFCI Fund Development Committee to introduce private donors as well as the counties and cites who are current and future investors to the FFCI regional strategies. She also leads the FFCI grant process to expand the base of financial support for FFCI. Wolbeck’s experience includes all aspects of fund development including planned giving, major gifts, annual fund, direct mail, and special events for non-profit administration. These included program development, communications, marketing leadership, and strategic planning at local not-for-profits including Bradley University, Goodwill Industries, and Catholic Charities.

The Peoria Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) Musical Discovery performance Chillin’ Cello airs on WTVP Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 4:30 pm. The production is the final concert in a three part series which explores the instruments in the orchestra with narration and demonstration. The concerts are designed for children ages 5-10 and are hosted by Music Director George Stelluto. Maestro Stelluto said “I am excited we are offering this series so families have the opportunity to spend time together learning about music.”

Chillin’ Cello features Peoria Symphony Principal Cellist, Adriana Ransom, who demonstrated the cello. The concert was taped before a live studio audience on March 23rd in the WTVP studios.

The musical series is a collaboration of the PSO and WTVP and is generously underwritten by Flo and Sid Banwart as a project designed to extend the cultural impact and presence of the PSO beyond concerts and on the stage.

FRIENDS OF ROCKY GLEN

An Illinois not-for-profit corporation

2422 W. Moss, West Peoria, IL. 61604   309/676-5237

www.FriendsOfRockyGlen.org

For more information:  Dave Pittman,  309/676-5237 or cell: 309/573-2354 or email: DvdPttmn@aol.com

Friends of Rocky Glen is sponsoring an all-day celebration to highlight our newest local park, Rocky Glen, and raise funds for a parking lot, trails and interpretive signage. On Saturday, July 19, Friends of Rocky Glen will be at Jimmy’s Bar, 2801 West Farmington Road in West Peoria from 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM for hikes, breakfast, lunch and live music.

The event celebrates Rocky Glen, a box canyon with 80-foot sandstone walls covered with carvings, seasonal waterfalls, rare plant communities and a rich history of coal mining, labor organizing and outdoor recreation.

The first hike into Rocky Glen will leave at 9:00 AM, with additional hikes throughout the day. Hikers will travel to the glen by shuttle van and make a round-trip hike of approximately 1.5 miles over rough terrain. Guides will provide details on Rocky Glen’s geology, ecology and human history. Long pants and hiking footwear recommended. No pets please. The last hike into the glen will leave Jimmy’s at 4:00 PM.

At Jimmy’s, a pancake and sausage breakfast will run from 10:00-11:00AM, followed by a hot dog lunch and ice cream.

Live music will begin at 4 pm with TnT & Friends followed by Two Feet That Way at 6 pmy, ending at 8:00 pm.

Thanks to the generosity of Jimmy’s Bar, Raber Meat Packing, The Spotted Cow, Left Hand Brewing Company, Friends of Rocky Glen board members, the bands TnT & Friends and Two Feet That Way, and Crusen’s (who donated use of their Blue Bomb van for shuttling hikers to the glen), all proceeds from the event will go directly toward the parking lot, trails and signage. Friends of Rocky Glen is also proud to announce that funds raised at the event will be matched by Forest Park Foundation as part of a $25,000 challenge grant. The first $5,000 has already been raised, so Friends of Rocky Glen is hoping to bring that total to $10,000 this July.

New tie-dyed t-shirts, the book Horseshoe Bottoms, and Friends of Rocky Glen memberships will be available. In addition, there will be a 50-50 raffle at $1 per ticket, 6 tickets for $5, and 15 tickets for $10. One winner will be drawn for half the total collected, with the winner not required to be present to win.

Rocky Glen came into public ownership in December 2012 when it was purchased using previously set aside natural areas funding. The property was transferred to the Peoria Park District in December 2013. Currently Rocky Glen is only accessible on Friends of Rocky Glen monthly hikes and during other approved events. Friends of Rocky Glen is a non-profit group dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Rocky Glen.

More information is available on the Facebook page for the event at https://www.facebook.com/events/381942218608559/

collaboration of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and WTVP.

Peoria Symphony Orchestra

101 State Street

Peoria, IL 61602

309.671.1096

www.peoriasymphony.org

A project by the Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs Presented in partnership with University of Illinois Extension

Local Government Information and Education Network

Illinois is in fiscal crisis, with no easy solutions.  Many tools will be needed to fix the problem.

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.  Please join us in the first of a three part series on Illinois’s budget situation.

Registration is required at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lgien/ . 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.