Due to weather, the mid-day closure for Oak/Hightower Street was delayed; this work will be done today, May 1^st:

Oak/Hightower Street will be closed on the City side of the intersection with Jefferson Avenue.  This closure is required to install electrical conduits across Oak/Hightower Street.  This partial-day closure will start at 9:00 AM and last until about 1:00 PM.  All businesses will have access via W. John H Gwynn Jr. Avenue to N. Hightower Street.

As always, please slow down and use extreme caution while driving through construction work zones.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Warehouse District TIGER II Project, please visit our website at  http://www.warehousedistrictpeoria.com.  You can also contact me directly at kdvorsky@terraengineering.com or at (309) 472-3132.  Most importantly, thank you for your continued patience as we work to make the Warehouse District a safer, more accessible, and more attractive place to live, work, and shop right here in the heart of Peoria

Peoria Players Theatre proudly presents Shrek The Musical directed by Travis Olson and Mary Keltner! Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film that started it all, Shrek The Musical brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life on stage. In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won’t shut up, a villain with a short temper, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there’s one on hand, and his name is Shrek! 

Guaranteed to be a technical extravaganza, co-director Mary Keltner says: “This production will be a feast for all of your senses. You will be entertained by our dynamic cast, energetic choreography, intricate costumes, and a twenty-foot-long dragon! Don’t miss your opportunity to enjoy this  fast-paced family musical that is sure to delight!” Performances include May 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 pm, and May 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for patrons 18 and younger, with a special $15 adult rate on Wednesday, May 7. Some performances offer limited seating.

For reservations and seating assistance, please call our box office at 688-4473.  All tickets must be paid for in advance.

Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon Guest Speaker (she will be bringing her Banjo!)

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Social 5:00 PM; Dinner 6:00 PM; Speaker: 7:00 PM

Lariat Steakhouse, 2232 West Glen Ave., Peoria, IL61614

Tickets $33 per person – Available at the Door or call 253-7824 for more information

Stop by Peoria Park District’s Franciscan Recreation Complex (FRC) on Saturday, May 17 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and shop the Craft & Vendor Sale. The sale will feature businesses in the arts, crafts, and home-based fields, all displayed on the front lawn of FRC.

More information, including vendor registration forms, can be found at www.peoriaparks.org/frc or by calling FRC at (309) 677-6705.

PEORIA – (May 1, 2014) Dr. Patrick Elwood, “the central Illinois father of neurosurgery,” was named the honorary chair for the 2014 Mark Linder Walk for the Mind.

Dr. Elwood, a Peoria native whose career has spanned more than 50 years, was the driving force in the developing and advancing neurological services in the Peoria area, including establishing the neurosurgery residency in Peoria. He’s a prominent neurosurgeon, scholar, mentor, and known by many patients as a lifesaver.

The 12^th Annual Mark Linder Walk for the Mind is scheduled for September 27, 2014, at the Peoria RiverPlex.

 Named for Mark Linder, a Peoria native who was in his twenties when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Mark’s goal was to create a place where brain tumor survivors and those still fighting the battle could support one another. In 2003, Mark founded the Walk for the Mind to help raise money for brain tumor research in hopes of finding a cure. While Mark died in 2005, at age 31, the walk lives on and since then has raised more than $380,000 for brain tumor research. The Walk has grown from 150 participants in 2003, to 750 people last year.

“Many will remember Dr. Elwood for having done the surgery on their friend or family member” said the Walk’s organizer, Peggy Flannigan, who noted Dr. Elwood likely has performed the most brain tumor surgeries than any other surgeon historically in the Peoria area. “Having Dr. Elwood as the honorary chair will have a personal meaning to a lot of people.”

 To register for the Walk or for more information, go to www.marklinderwalkforthemind.org.

 This is the third year all net proceeds will be donated to the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria for brain cancer research. Last year’s Walk generated a record $50,000 for research.

Peoria – On Sunday, May 4, honor this year’s teacher retirees with a recognition event at Wildlife Prairie Park, 3826 N. Taylor Road in Hanna City. The community recognition event will take place from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. with a recognition ceremony at 2:00 p.m.

The event is a joint effort of the Peoria County Regional Office of Education, Regional Superintendent Beth Crider Derry, and the Peoria Area Retired Teachers Association, President Dave Barnwell. The celebration features bands, raffles, food, and silent auction. All proceeds support the Peoria Regional Learning Center.

 For more information on the event call 672-6906 or email Regional Superintendent Beth Crider Derry at bderry@peoriaroe48.net.

PEORIA, IL – Local attractions are celebrating the 31^st National Travel and Tourism Week with a special passport promotion! From May 1-15, 2014, one Peoria Area Passport grants admission to five attractions for only $10. The participating businesses include:

·         Peoria Riverfront Museum

·         Caterpillar Visitors Center

·         Wildlife Prairie Park

·         Spirit of Peoria

·         Wheels O’ Time Museum

Beginning May 1, people can purchase the passport at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, the Spirit of Peoria, Wildlife Prairie Park, Peoria Civic Center and the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, located at 456 Fulton St., Suite 300.

From May 1-15, participants can visit each attraction, sign in, and receive a passport stamp. Anyone with 3 or more passport stamps can enter to win prizes including tickets to Peoria Chiefs minor league baseball games and gift cards to the Shoppes at Grand Prairie and local restaurants.

The first full week of May is annually recognized as National Travel and Tourism Week. The U.S. Travel Association has created a multi-year campaign— called the Travel Effect—to prove the huge impact that travel and tourism has on lives, businesses and local, state and national economies. Each year, localized events are presented in cities, states and travel businesses nationwide to champion the power of travel.

April 30, 2014 – Central Illinois – The Central Illinois Public Information Officers (CIPIO) are hosting an Emergency Preparedness Forum on Thursday, May 1 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Stoney Creek Inn in East Peoria. This forum is a national “Day of Action” event in conjunction with FEMA’s PrepareAthon and is intended to encourage residents of the five-county region of Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Marshall, and Stark Counties to become better prepared for disaster. Persons attending the forum will learn the difference between severe weather warnings and watches, how to identify points of contact, how to develop a family emergency plan, what to include in an emergency supply kit, and other preparedness tips.

Speakers at the forum are as follows:
David Zimmerman, Tazewell County Board Chairman
Dave Mingus, Mayor of East Peoria
JD Hulslander, Mayor of Elmwood
Sgt. Dustin Pierce, Illinois State Police
Lt. Steve Roegge, Peoria Police Department
Jason Musselman, Stark County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency Director
Sally Williams, Washington resident
Doug Damery, Washington resident
Alyssa Pollock, American Red Cross

Door prizes include a NOAA weather alert radio, fully stocked emergency supply kit, backpacks with emergency preparedness items, and flashlights. The first 100 families will receive a 14 gallon tote for their emergency supply kit and 150 Safety Preparedness bags and Safety Tube Kits will be given away. The forum is sponsored by CIPIO, Stoney Creek Inn, the Peoria Area Association of Realtors, the Peoria City/County Health Department, the Home Builders Association of Greater Peoria, and Ameren Illinois.

The CIPIO Committee is comprised of over 60 communications and public relations professionals from agencies that may have a role in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, including government, law enforcement, military, public health, education, health care, emergency services, and private business. The CIPIO Committee is a sub-committee of the State of Illinois’ Homeland Security Region 10. The goal of the committee is to provide accurate and timely information and instructions to the media and the public during a natural or man-made disaster.

For more information on the forum, visit www.facebook.com/CentralIllinoisEmergencyInformation or contact Jenny Fulton, Chairman of the Central Illinois Public Information Officers, at (309) 672-6918 or jfulton@peoriacounty.org.

The final concert of the 2013-2014 Peoria Symphony Orchestra (PSO) season is a special matinee on Sunday, May 11, 2014, 3:00 pm, at the Peoria Civic Center Theater. The concert will include guest artists, mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen, and hornist Jeff Nelsen and conducted by Music Director George Stelluto.

As the Peoria Symphony Orchestra ends its 116th season Music Director George Stelluto said, “The PSO continues the tradition of artistic excellence and excitement the community has come to expect. Both our programming and guest artists are without peer. In a sense, the first half is a musical bouquet presented to all mothers. Nina and Jeff had their first child shortly before her debut with the PSO four years ago. So, it’s wonderful to celebrate the day with them. The Dvorak is taken from my first concert over five years ago with the PSO. Its romantic, bucolic qualities remind me of spring and the countryside of both Prague and Peoria.” The music selected for the Mother’s Day concert includes romantic, classical, and popular music from composers Mozart, Bizet, Saint Saёns, and Dvorak.

Married couple, Nina Yoshida Nelsen and Jeff Nelsen, returning as musical guest artists, have multi-generational appeal. Mr. Nelsen, an acclaimed international hornist, is not only a teacher, mentor, writer and solo performer; he is also a trainer and has given TEDx Talks on “Fearless Performance.” Mr. Nelsen will be featured on Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 2 which is virtuosic and warm and Ms. Nelsen will sing the sultry Habanera from Carmen along with a selected aria from Samson and Delilah. Ms. Nelsen has been hailed as a “rich voiced, expressive mezzo-soprano” by San Francisco Voice and “appealingly direct and honest in tone and bearing,” by the Boston
Globe. The Mother’s Day concert ends with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 which is Dvorak’s most bucolic and idyllic symphony.

This concert was specifically scheduled on Mother’s Day afternoon as an opportunity for families to spend time together. The concert is a great way to honor mothers everywhere with beautiful symphonic music.

Nina Yoshida Nelsen Jeff Nelsen George Stelluto Tickets start at $26 for adults and $11 for students and are available by calling the PSO Box Office, at 309.671.1096, online at www.peoriasymphony.org or visiting the Box Office at 101 State Street in the WTVP
building downtown Peoria.

Established in 1897 and recognized as the 14th oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S., the PSO launched a new era with a move to Peoria’s riverfront warehouse district, bridging its status as Central Illinois’ venerable orchestra with a future in the region’s most innovative business and cultural district.

PEORIA – A special message from Don Fites and entertainment from CrossroadsUnitedMethodistChurch will be the highlights of The Salvation Army’s Annual Community Luncheon to be held Wednesday at the Pere Marquette in downtown Peoria.

About 325 people are expected to attend the event, which recognizes community leaders and celebrates the work and mission of The Salvation Army in the PeoriaTriCounty area.

The Peoria Tri County Salvation Army will honor several individuals and companies during the event:

Jim Baumgartner – Certificate in Recognition of Exceptional Service

Chuck Staley- William Booth Award

Patti Mueller- Award of Excellence

Brooke Rennick- Young Leaders Award

Stan Coehn & Nikki Hudson- Others Award

Crossroads United Methodist Church- Spirit of the Army Award

Awards will also be given to the Tri-county Volunteer of the Year- Sharon Craig, and the Volunteer Service Award to Alfred Hetzel.  Special guests include Caterpillar CEO and Chairman Doug Oberhelman and his wife Diane, along with Washington Mayor Gary Manier. Musical entertainment will be provided by a duo from CrossroadsUnitedMethodistChurch in Washington. The luncheon is sponsored by Grizzard, CEFCU, Jill & Charles Drier, Illinois Mutual and The Salvation Army Family Stores.