Just announced! Director Mary Ellen Ulrich will hold an Annie Audition Workshop on Saturday, August 13 from 9:30 am to noon. The workshop will be held for girls, ages 7 to 13, who are interested in auditioning for the part of Annie or an Orphan. Learn all the ins and outs of the audition process — what to expect when auditioning, choosing the best song for your voice, what to wear, and much more!

At this workshop, the girls will learn a song from another childrens show (that may be used for the audition song!), along with “Maybe,” a song favorite from Annie! The girls will also be taught a dance for “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” It is important to note that attending this workshop does not guarantee a role in the Peoria Players’ production of Annie; rather, it is intended to be a learning process and to develop auditioning skills and confidence.

The workshop will be held at First Christian Church, 6400 N. University in Peoria. The registration cost per girl is $12 in advance (must be paid in full at the time of registration), or $15 at the door as long as spots are available. To register, please call 688-4473.

After careful review of numerous submissions, our judges have selected the winners of the “Name The Nuisance Abatement Vehicles Contest.” The police department announced a public campaign to name the two Armadillo mascots to provide names that will be displayed on the respective units.

The announcement of the Grand Prize winner of the “Name the Armadillos Contest” will be held at the Center Bluff Neighborhood Association’s National Night Out Against Crime event on Tuesday, August 2, at 6:00 p.m., at Columbia Park (located at McClure and Bigelow Streets). Prizes for the runner-up will also be awarded at that time.

Tuesday, August 2nd, is the 28th Annual National Night Out Against Crime. The purpose of National Night Out is to celebrate neighborly relationships, connect with neighborhood youth, and to strengthen collaboration between residents, businesses, and the police. Over 35 associations will be participating in National Night Out events. For a list of neighborhood events, please go to the City of Peoria website at www.ci.peoria.il.us.

Decades before Harry Potter popularized rounded eyeglasses, one of Hollywood’s most popular comedy stars was the bespectacled Harold Lloyd, and downtown Peoria’s Apollo Theater is showcasing him with a feature and a short subject on Saturday, August 13.

Mentored by film-comedy pioneers Hal Roach and Mack Sennett, Lloyd soon perfected his stock character, a typical young man somehow capable of overcoming any obstacle set before him. He made dozens of shorts and feature films, such as “Safety Last” and “Speedy,” in the silent era, during which Lloyd’s status rivaled Charlie Chaplin.

The nonprofit Apollo will show 1925’s “The Freshman” after a short subject.

“The Freshman” stars Lloyd as Harold Lamb, a country boy who’s so excited about going to college that he works hard to earn spending money, practices college yells, and even learns a special way of introducing himself that he saw in a movie. When he arrives on campus, he becomes the butt of practical jokes and ridicule. Helped by one friend, a coed named Peggy, the nerd resolves to become popular, and resorts to playing for the college football team.

The National Film Preservation Board in 1990 named the 76-minute feature to the National Film Registry.

Show times 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.

Starting Friday, July 29th at 5pm get your tickets for just $10!

For this weekend only from 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 29th through Sunday, July 31st at 5:00 p.m. Tickets for the Carnival of Madness Tour stop at Three Sisters Park on August 14th will be just $10 each! This is a $15 savings! The Carnival of Madness will feature performances by Theory of a Deadman, Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Adelita’s Way and Emphatic live at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, IL on Sunday, August 14th.

Advance tickets now on sale at all Peoria area Co-Op Records, by phone 1-800-514-ETIX or on-line at www.jaytv.com.

Check out the Carnival of Madness on-line at:
www.carnivalofmadness.com/
and/or:
www.facebook.com/CarnivalofMadness

Bikers for Ta-Tas, a motorcycle run that was held Saturday, July 13, 2011, presented a check to Methodist Medical Center for $24,000 as proceeds from the event. The money will be used to support the Methodist Mammography Van and breast cancer screening in Central Illinois.

This is the fourth year of the bike run, with the event growing from just 10 motorcycles the first year to nearly 800 this year. The check was presented July 22 to interim Methodist CEO Debbie Simon by Nancy Borum and her husband Greg, founders of the event.

Almost 1200 riders participated in the run, which started at BG Karaoke Saloon in Bartonville and made a circuit through Central Illinois, ending at the Bartonville American Legion.

The Methodist Mammography Van was on site at the start of the race and performed a number of screenings prior to the ride. Methodist’s Mobile Mammography service operates in ten Central Illinois counties, bringing breast screening to rural and underserved populations.

Heartland Festival Orchestra’s (HFO) Season 3 begins on August 27 at Five Points Washington. HFO is the professional chamber orchestra that was founded in a recession – ready to begin its 3rd season having recently been named Illinois Council of Orchestras Professional Orchestra of the Year and our artistic director/conductor David Commanday named ICO Professional Conductor of the Year.

You now know what to expect at an HFO concert – the unexpected! There is always an unannounced surprise (we have a very special one for our August concert), there will be music performed exquisitely by the finest professional musicians in central Illinois, and there will be fun. Concerts are family-friendly. Live video enhances the concert-going experience. Who ever said classical concerts had to be “stuffy”? It sure wasn’t the HFO!

Come on August 27 as superstar guest artist Adam Neiman performs Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The program includes Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished), Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, and Mozart’s Overture to Don Giovanni.

Season and single tickets are available online at: http://www.heartlandfestivalorchestra.org/ or by calling (309) 444-8222 or in person at Five Points Washington or Kidder Music in Peoria. Season tickets are $135 for adults and $35 for children and students through college. Single tickets are $30 for adults and $8 for children/students.

Free bus rides to the concert leave from 2Chez at 6:15 p.m. and Junction City (near Butcher Block) at 6:30 p.m. Call the HFO at (309) 339-3943 to reserve your spots on the bus. Seating is limited.

Pre-concert dinners are available in Peoria at Butcher Block (free glass of wine or dessert with dinner for ticket-holders) and 2Chez, and in Washington at Denhart Baking Company (free glass of wine or dessert with dinner for ticket-holders). Maria’s in Washington will open specially for pre-concert dinners on August 27; reservations encouraged – 444-7805. Please patronize our supporters!

Concert benefits: http://www.casapeoria.org/

The Morton Chamber of Commerce upcoming Local Education at an Affordable Price (LEAP) program is “Trends in Counterfeit, Identity Theft, and How to Protect Yourself and Your Business.”

Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product, whether it be currency, forged checks, or even works of art. Scott King with the United States Secret Service will provide important information that can help business owners and their employees, detect counterfeit money and/or checks. Also, determining the link between data breaches and identity theft is challenging, primarily because identity theft victims often do not know how their personal information was obtained. Scott will provide resources and information to help us individually combat this fraud.

LEAP will be held on Wednesday, August 17th, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Morton Fire Station located at 300 W. Courtland St. Cost is $25 for Chamber members and $50 for non-members. Register on-line at www.mortonillinois.org Sponsored by: Husch Blackwell LLP

CONTACT: Kim Uhlig, Business Development Director, Morton Chamber of Commerce at
309-263-2491

Educating, Encouraging and Enlightening women of all ages! Please join Women In Business for breakfast on Thursday, August 11 from 7:00-8:30am in the Terrace Room at the Best Western in Morton. Tracy Brewer, of Illinois Central College, will present on “Time Management” and provide you with tools to help uncover time wasters and how to prioritize your schedule.

Women In Business is a new breakfast series offered through the Morton Chamber of Commerce. The series is designed for professional women of all ages to engage in personal and professional development at an affordable price during the year.
Time Management is the second breakfast in the 2011 series; upcoming sessions include: Work/Life Balance and Goal Setting. For $25 per ticket, each breakfast will provide networking opportunities and a presentation with practical application.
For more details and to make reservations: www.mortonchamber.org/women-in-business-breakfast-series

State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) on Wednesday attended a bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 2168, legislation that adds Peoria to the small list of communities whose riverfront properties will be eligible for special economic development incentives, including a new program to help revitalize abandoned or historic properties.

Through Gordon’s legislation, Peoria joins the communities of Aurora, East St. Louis, Elgin and Rockford as a designated location in Rivers Edge program. River Edge locations qualify for a number of incentives, including a Historic Preservation Tax Credit created with through Gordon’s bill.

“Making Peoria part of the River Edge Program was one of the top priorities for me and other local lawmakers on both sides of aisle.” Gordon said. “The Historic Preservation Tax Credit and becoming part of River Edge will give Peoria’s riverfront and downtown businesses some assistance as they continue to grow.”

The River Edge program plays a role in efforts to revitalize the riverfront and the city’s Warehouse District through various projects expected to create over 1,400 jobs and bring in millions of dollars of private investment.

“In today’s economy, business development can be challenging and it is often very difficult to get assistance from any level of government because they have budget challenges of their own,” said Roberta Parks, President of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber wants to thank Rep. Gordon for working very hard to bring the Historic Preservation Tax Credit and the redevelopment zone to Peoria. Our businesses – and the community at large – will benefit from the jobs and investment that are a result of this program.”

“There are many issues facing the state right now, but none is more important than finding ways to put people back to work and looking for ways to grow our economy,” Gordon added. “We have to focus on ways to bring jobs to the state by making reforms that will help businesses invest in the local workforce. I am looking forward to seeing the creative ways our business community will use these new economic development tools to create jobs and grow our economy.”

For more information, or for any questions, please contact Rep. Gordon’s Constituent Services Office at 309-681-1992.

State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) on Wednesday attended a bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 2168, legislation that adds Peoria to the small list of communities whose riverfront properties will be eligible for special economic development incentives, including a new program to help revitalize abandoned or historic properties.

Through Gordon’s legislation, Peoria joins the communities of Aurora, East St. Louis, Elgin and Rockford as a designated location in Rivers Edge program. River Edge locations qualify for a number of incentives, including a Historic Preservation Tax Credit created with through Gordon’s bill.

“Making Peoria part of the River Edge Program was one of the top priorities for me and other local lawmakers on both sides of aisle.” Gordon said. “The Historic Preservation Tax Credit and becoming part of River Edge will give Peoria’s riverfront and downtown businesses some assistance as they continue to grow.”

The River Edge program plays a role in efforts to revitalize the riverfront and the city’s Warehouse District through various projects expected to create over 1,400 jobs and bring in millions of dollars of private investment.

“In today’s economy, business development can be challenging and it is often very difficult to get assistance from any level of government because they have budget challenges of their own,” said Roberta Parks, President of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber wants to thank Rep. Gordon for working very hard to bring the Historic Preservation Tax Credit and the redevelopment zone to Peoria. Our businesses – and the community at large – will benefit from the jobs and investment that are a result of this program.”

“There are many issues facing the state right now, but none is more important than finding ways to put people back to work and looking for ways to grow our economy,” Gordon added. “We have to focus on ways to bring jobs to the state by making reforms that will help businesses invest in the local workforce. I am looking forward to seeing the creative ways our business community will use these new economic development tools to create jobs and grow our economy.”

For more information, or for any questions, please contact Rep. Gordon’s Constituent Services Office at 309-681-1992.