Schock to Narrate A Lincoln Portrait
Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) will be in Peoria TOMORROW, Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 at 8:00 pm to serve as the narrator for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra production of Aaron Copeland’s: A Lincoln Portrait.

WHO: Congressman Aaron Schock
WHAT: Congressman Schock will serve as the narrator for the Peoria Symphony Orchestra production of Aaron Copeland’s: A Lincoln Portrait.
WHERE: Grace Presbyterian Church, 8607 N. State Route 91, Peoria, IL 61615
WHEN: TOMORROW, Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 at 8:00PM CT

Schock to Host Summer Reading Program Celebration
Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) will be in East Peoria on SUNDAY, October 23rd, 2011 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. to host his annual summer reading program celebration event. Schock will be reading to the kids and talking with them about the importance of reading. The kids will also have the opportunity to enjoy a fall festival during the celebration event.

WHO: Congressman Aaron Schock
WHAT: Congressman Schock will host his annual summer reading program celebration event. Congressman Schock will be reading to the kids and talking with them about the importance of reading. The kids will also have the opportunity to enjoy a fall festival during the celebration event.
WHERE: Eastside Centre, 1 East Side Drive, East Peoria, IL 61611
WHEN: SUNDAY, October 23rd, 2011 from 3:00PM – 5:30PM CT

Manufacturing is alive and well in Central Illinois. While many companies are still rebounding from the economic downturn, we have seen an increased demand and business is returning to pre-recession levels. This means local factories are humming again. Unfortunately we are in need of skilled workers to fill the jobs at those factories. We can’t wait for the government or the educational system to solve this problem, that’s why we have created a program that will help to deliver the workforce we need.

The 3rd annual Discovering Manufacturing Career Expo is happening on October 26th. This event is designed to showcase the modern career in manufacturing. This event has grown from less than 100 students attending in 2009 to nearly 700 high school students from 24 schools attending this year.

The participants will tour and get hands-on demonstrations at local manufacturing companies in the morning (9-10:30a), then attend a mini-trade expo (11a-1:30p) with speakers and a panel of young manufacturing workers at the Peoria civic Center Ballroom in the afternoon. This will allow them to see and hear firsthand what the jobs in this industry are like and break down the stereotype that manufacturing jobs are dead-end, dirty, unsophisticated employment paths. We want to show them what a great career they could find in the manufacturing industry.

The event is hosted by the Economic Development Council for Central Illinois’ (EDC) specialized manufacturing strategy group which is made up of local manufacturing companies, educational institutions and business resource organizations.

The current economy has presented challenges to everyone in the state from businessmen to teachers to local government officials to social service providers. State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) has seen these challenges firsthand and has been working to bring the state’s finances in order.

“Our current fiscal situation was created after years of mismanagement. There are no easy solutions, but I am glad that we have finally started to face our fiscal realities in Springfield since I have been in office.” Gordon explained, “It will take time to fix the situation that we are in, but I am encouraged by reforms that have been put in place.”

This spring, Gordon with worked colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create a budget that increased transparency and cut spending. The budget that was passed requires that all revenues realized in excess of the passed budget be used to pay outstanding bills to vendors. The reforms were designed to help stop chronic overspending that has been practiced for many years from legislatures and governors of both parties.

“Every day I hear from a business and community leaders about the challenges they are facing because of the mountain of unpaid bills,” Gordon said. “Whether it is a social service provider who is not receiving Medicaid payments, or a business who is not receiving payments for the work they are doing for the state, everyone is affected by the state’s financial situation. It is important that every elected official does their part to make sure spending is limited because our businesses and service providers will continue to bear the burden of unpaid bills. I look forward to working in a bi-partisan fashion with other legislators to find solutions for this problem in the same way we worked together on the budget.”

Gordon also cut her own pay in order to be able to give back some money to the state. For more information, or for any questions, please contact Rep. Gordon’s Constituent Services Office at 309-681-1992.

One of the 1950s classic monster movies, “The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” will help celebrate Halloween this year, as the Apollo Theater presents it on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Conceived by William Allard –inspired by a Mexican myth of half-fish, half-human creatures in the Amazon River and “Beauty and the Beast” (and probably “King Kong”) – the 1954 movie follows scientists who return to the Amazon after a geology expedition found a skeletal hand with webbed fingers: possible proof of a link between land and sea animals. Looking for fossils, the scientists find a living creature and try to capture it to bring back to their institute for study. It’s seized but escapes, only to return to abduct a girl with the expedition.

Allard, also producer and actor (he was the main reporter in “Citizen Kane”), had his idea filmed by director Jack Arnold, who also made “It Came from Outer Space” and “The Incredible Shrinking Man” (and, eventually, TV episodes of “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Love Boat.”)

Arnold cast a handful of familiar faces from the ‘50s: Richard Carlson, Richard Carlson, Julie Adams and Whit Bissell. Uncredited were were actors who played the Creature. Ricou Browning played the Gill Man in water scenes; Ben Chapman played him on land. (Also uncredited for his contributions to the score was Henry Mancini.)

“Creature from The Black Lagoon” had two sequels, “Revenge of the Creature” and “The Creature Walks Among Us,” plus children’s books, a pinball game, and even a 2009 musical. A planned remake, in development since 1982, is reportedly on hold at Universal.

Show time 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.

The Salvation Army, Children’s Hospital of Illinois, and WEEK TV are sponsoring the 26th annual Coats for Kids program to make sure that every child in our community has a winter coat this season. Used or new coats in children’s and young adult sizes are now being collected and cleaned until December 3. Over 31,400 coats have been collected, cleaned and given out to area children in need. Applications and coat distribution will be done at The Salvation Army’s Sylvia Fites Family Service Center at 417 N.E. Jefferson St.
Distribution of the coats will begin Monday, November 7 until all the coats are distributed.

Coats can be dropped off at all area Jim Maloof Realty locations, various OSF medical offices and Outpatient Centers in the Tri-County, and American Family Insurance outlets. Other locations include Alexander Financial Services in Washington, WEEK TV and the Northwoods Mall.

Special collection events will be held on Monday, November 21 from 6-8 pm at the Great Hall in the Peoria Civic Center, during the annual Santa Claus Parade on November 25, and on Saturday, December 3rd at the Peoria Rivermen Hockey game.

For more information contact Rich Draeger at 655-1348. For barrel locations and program information, please contact The Sylvia Fites Family Services Center, 655-7272.

With the enormous demand for downloadable books, Peoria Public Library has added a program that will make titles available exclusively for our patrons. Alliance Digital Media Library (ADML) shares titles with all participating libraries, adding new titles twice monthly, but still it can be difficult to get a download immediately. To ease the crunch, Peoria Public Library is now an Advantage member, which means we are purchasing titles that can only be checked out by those with a Peoria library card.

To see Peoria’s Advantage titles, patrons must be logged in or the titles will not appear. Use your library card and PIN to log in and then search for the title or genre. Advantage titles have an icon indicating they are for Peoria card holders only. These ebooks can be downloaded to a variety of electronic devices including tablets, computers, smartphones and more.

Some titles are now available for Kindle as well as Nooks, iPads, iPods, iPhones, Android and other platforms. Simply search for Overdrive in your app store or market.

Please note that ebooks and audio books can not be downloaded on library computers. Complete step-by-step directions are available for many devices on the ADML page at http://www.peoriapubliclibrary.org. Just look for the link under “elibrary.”

Some hints for using the digital library are to click the box that says, “Search only available titles” if you want a book immediately. If there are particular titles you want to read, place them on hold and you will notified when they are available. Creating a list of holds is a great way to never be out of available books.

Library staff continues to closely watch demand for digital materials and adjust purchasing accordingly. While not all titles are available in digital format or readable on all devices, suggestions for future purchases are always welcome.

E-Reader Informational Session November 14
Confused about what e-reader to purchase? Looking forward to buying e-readers as holiday gifts for friends and family? On Monday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. at North Branch see what’s available at an informational session when staff from Best Buy and Barnes & Noble explain the products and their features. Figure out which one is best for you and learn more about downloading free e-books from the Peoria Public Library website.

Peoria Public Library is about to reveal the stunning changes at McClure Branch and Lincoln Branch! Lincoln Branch closed on July 25 after the new addition was completed, but McClure Branch has been closed since Spring of 2011. The buildings are currently just waiting for furnishings, shelving and electronics.

Driving by, onlookers will see the wonderfully revamped look of McClure which now has doors and windows that duplicate the originals, restoring the looks of the Depression-Era building. The building is situated in a hundred year floodplain and so could not be expanded. Inside, new furniture and fixtures will provide attractive and comfortable spaces for users to read and select materials. A number of public computers and wifi will provide convenient access to the Internet. The branch will have the same amenities as the other Peoria Public Library locations including convenient self-check stations and new security gates. Hours for McClure Branch when it reopens will be Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Lincoln Branch, a historic landmark and Carnegie Library, will reopen with a restored Carnegie Building surrounded by garden walls that will frame the original building and hide the new 12, 000 square foot addition. Windows and the front door will now appear exactly as they did in the 1911 Grand Opening photo and inside the fireplace will have been restored. The new addition, joined to the original building with a glass hallway, will contain all the latest technology. Self-check stations, a computer lab, dedicated children’s storytime room, meeting room, public computers, security gates, spaces to read and study and more are all located in the beautiful new addition. After reopening, year round hours for Lincoln Branch will be:Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; closed Wednesdays; Friday and Saturday-10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Sunday-noon to 5:00 p.m.

The Community Foundation of Central Illinois is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has approved the Distribution Committee’s recommendation to fund 23 grant proposals during the September 2011 funding cycle, granting in excess of $82,000.

“In an economy where every single charitable dollar is critically important, we are pleased to provide more than $82,000.00 in funding to 23 worthy organizations in Central Illinois”- Mark Roberts, CEO, Community Foundation of Central Illinois.

The following non-profit organizations received funding during the September 2011 Community Grants cycle:

The American Cancer Society, IL Division, Inc. was awarded $5000 for: Patient Navigation program from the Caterpillar Community Leadership Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

The American Red Cross was awarded $7150 for: Youth Education program from the Fontaine Earle Fund.

Bureau County Health and Wellness Clinic NFP, Inc. was awarded $5000 for: Primary Medical Services for Uninsured & Low Income clients from the Community Impact Fund.

The Center For Prevention of Abuse was awarded $2500 for: Making Our Shelter a Home: Protecting Victims of Violence from Bed Bugs from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

Central Illinois Youth Symphony was awarded $1050 for: Trumpet Masters Class & Clinics from the George A. Fulton Charitable Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Common Place, Inc. was awarded $5388 for: Soul Expression from the Robert W. Leu Family Charitable Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Crittenton Center was awarded $3700 for: High Reach Curriculum from the Pete and Mildred Donis Charitable Fund, the Cilcorp Education Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Easter Seals was awarded $4125 for: Care Coordination and Counseling Services-CIOAT from the Scott Heimdal Fund.

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois was awarded $3000 for: Automated External Defibrilators for Camp Tapawingo from the Thomas and Ellen Foster Fund and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Heart of Illinois Harvest was awarded $1186 for: Transportation of Donated Food from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

Mental Health Association of Illinois Valley was awarded $2840 for: Mental Health Matters-Community Education program from the Whitney Grotts Endowment Fund.

Methodist Medical Center of Illinois was awarded $3700 for: Healthy Living from the Sandra and Richard Ullman Unrestricted Charitable Fund.

PARC was awarded $2554 for: Young Adults Educational program from the Mental Health Remembrance Leadership Fund, the Thomas and Ellen Foster Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Peoria Ballet was awarded $4000 for: Sugar Plum Dreams from the Russell F. & Eleanor Sikes Peters Performing Arts Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Peoria Promise Foundation was awarded $5000 for: Year 4 Funding from the Yeomans Fund.

Peoria Symphony Orchestra was awarded $5000 for: Educational Outreach for 2011-2012 Season from the Louis and Selma Neumiller Fund, the Mildred L. Arends Musical & Cultural Activities Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

Special Olympics Illinois was awarded $1663 for: Young Athletes from the William L & Mary E. Kella Fund, the Marion & Warren Bohner Fund, and the Eugene & Harriett Swager Fund.

TEEN Challenge was awarded $656.28 for: Stay Sharp from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

University of Illinois Springfield was awarded $8855 for: UIS Conservation Academy from the CFCI Community Works Endowment Fund, the Stephen A. & Bonnie Gosselin Community Works Fund, and the Rinkenberger Community Works Fund.

Westminster Infant Care Center was awarded $2800 for: Transportation program from the Ross E. and Susan M. Canterbury Fund and the For the Family Fund.

Why Not Now? Inc was awarded $1700 for: A New Dock from the Louise Flora Howard Memorial Fund and the Marion and Warren Bohner Fund.

Women’s Pregnancy Center was awarded $4200 for: Classes for Cribs program from the Caterpillar Community Leadership Fund.

YWCA of Pekin was awarded $1667 for: Living with Literature-Writing Our Stories program from the Merle and Barbara Glick Fund.

Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) will be in Canton TODAY, Friday, October 21th, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Harvester Inn Hotel.

WHO: Congressman Aaron Schock
WHAT: Congressman Schock will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Canton Harvester Inn Hotel.
WHERE: Harvester Inn Hotel, North Main & Locust Street, Canton, IL
WHEN: TODAY, Friday, October 21th, 2011 @ 12:00PM CT

Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) will be in Canton TODAY, Friday, October 21th, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. to attend the Chestnut Street at Jones Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

WHO: Congressman Aaron Schock
WHAT: Congressman Schock will attend the Chestnut Street at Jones Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.
WHERE: Jones Park, Canton, IL
WHEN: TODAY, Friday, October 21th, 2011 @ 11:30AM CT
WHEN: Immediately following this ribbon cutting ceremony will be the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Harvester Inn at 12:00 p.m.