At Soldwedel Program Center, located just off Route 98 — adjacent to McNaughton Park and “Rockin’ “P” Riding Stables.

Make time to celebrate the natural beauty of our planet at Soldwedel Program Center. Enjoy a variety of activities that will open your eyes to Mother Nature’s amazing wonders, and learn more about how you can live an eco-friendly life. 

Three special presentations are scheduled to take place in the Soldwedel lodge:

1:15 to 1:45 Sustainability – Amy Wilson, Landscape Architect for The Farnsworth Group
1:45 to 2:45 “Plight of the Monarch” – Cindy and Kirby Pringle of Roadsides for Wildlife
3:00 to 3:45 Illinois Hummingbirds – Illinois Audubon Ornithologist, Vern Kleen

In addition, you won’t want to miss:
 The Tazewell County Health Department Ground Water Program
 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Display and Information
 Recyling Tips with Rikki Wallace of Midland Davis
 Pekin Police Officer Mike Eeten on the Prescription Medicine Return Program
 An Illinois Audubon Craft Activity
 Art displays from area schools
 A Growing Up Wild Activity for little learners
 A Guided hike on McNaughton Park’s Potawatomi Trail
 TREATS and DOOR PRIZES!

And throughout the day, music will be provided by Peoria area musician Barry Cloyd. A Midwestern-based singer/songwriter/guitarist/storyteller, Cloyd has spent a lifetime creating a performance style that weaves the genres of folk,
blues, roots, and Celtic music into a unique blend all his own.

*This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council
Agency, and Twilight Pediatrics of Pekin, IL.

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.

The work to reunite thousands of photos and documents transported hundreds of miles by the devastating  tornadoes of November 17, 2013 continues to make progress and help heal hearts. Over the 5 month course of the project’s initial phase, hundreds of families have been reunited with over 5,000 photographs, documents and irreplaceable mementos that were carried as far away as Chicago. In addition to photographs, items reunited have included priceless military commendations and medals, an antique Bible with family history dating back over 100 years, love letters, family portraits, antique tintypes, handmade items, and more.
“We knew this was an important project to see through, but we didn’t realize how many items could be recovered and are delighted to help so many people in Tazewell County as well as in Diamond and Gifford, Illinois.” Laura Ruff, Community POWER Project Manager explains, “As a statewide coalition, we have been able to team up with many organizations and individuals who partnered through social media and with local libraries to help recover these precious items.” Washington resident, Andrea White, described her experience by relating, “Knowing how far some photos have been, and to have them returned to the families is amazing.”
The Community POWER Project was initially housed at the Morton Public Library and will soon transfer to the Washington District Library Five Points location. Janice Sherman, Director of the Morton Public Library, and her staff have since dedicated hundreds of hours to ensure its successful start-up. “Community libraries have worked together very closely for a long time. This important project has been an opportunity to tap into our long standing relationships and use our professional skills to support our neighbors during the initial recovery phase, just as they would support us if called upon to do so,” explained Ms. Sherman.
Beginning Monday April 18, 2014, the remaining items will be transferred to the Washington District Library Five Points location and will be available to be claimed during regular library hours starting April 21, 2014. The continuing effort is aimed at reuniting the remaining 6,000 items and to serve as a convenient drop-off location for additional found mementos as clean-up efforts continue. Washington District Library Director, Randall Yelverton, and his staff have been preparing to house the next phase of the project since its early stages. “The shared mission of all those involved is to reunite as many items as quickly as possible and we have been a
supporting partner since the beginning, even during our own recovery from tornado damage. Now, we are happy to provide a home for this phase of the project and help successfully reunite the remaining items with our friends and neighbors.”
The public is asked to help in the effort to identify photographs and mementos by viewing the online catalogs on the Facebook Page “Found Items from the Washington Illinois and Diamond Illinois Tornadoes” or by visiting the homepage of the Washington District Library (www.washington.lib.il.us) and clicking on the tornado recovery links or email CommunityPowerProject@gmail.com.

Doors open at 9:00 AM and we will be there till 4:00 PM

Sponsored by Bishop Hill Fiber Guild

Come join us for a fiber retreat at Chillicothe Library, 430 N. Bradley, Chillicothe, IL.   309-274-2719

Open to all who enjoy working with fiber and spending time with like minded people. Bring your knitting, spinning, rug hooking, etc. and relax and have fun.

Cost is just $5.00 per person for the day.

Bring your own food or a covered dish to share. Coffee and tea will be provided.

There are restrooms, a kitchen and the building is handicap accessible. There will be space available for a spinning circle, knitter’s nook and table crafts.

We hope to see you there.

Pre-Registration is preferred. Send the below registration form and $5.00 per person to:

Janet Daum at 652 W. Washington, Lewistown, IL. 61542

For additional information call Janet at 309-547-2456

The Peoria Park District is offering a “Short Season” 7-game adult softball league that runs May 5 – June 23 at Peoria Stadium. Co-Rec and Men’s teams play on Monday evenings. Team fees are $190 for residents and $210 for non-residents. Player fees are $11 for residents and $17 for non-residents.

Registration packets are available at www.peoriaparks.org/softball. Call (309) 681-2867 with questions.

Student-led campaign aims to raise awareness and educate the public about testicular cancer at Peoria Chiefs home game

PEORIA, IL – CorLeonis will kick off its “Go Blue to Protect You” campaign at 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 13, 2014 at the Peoria Chiefs baseball game at Dozer Park.

The “Go Blue to Protect You” campaign was created to raise awareness about testicular cancer and to encourage men within the Peoria community to be more proactive about their health. In addition to the Chiefs, CorLeonis has also partnered up with the American Cancer Society to assist with the cause.

CorLeonis will have a concourse table at the game. Attendees may pick up brochures, fill out surveys, and/or take a pledge to “Go Blue to Protect You.” It is a pledge to perform monthly self-examinations or to encourage a loved one to take action. Attendees may also paint their faces royal blue (official color for testicular cancer) at the table as a show of support.

“Go Blue to Protect You” primarily targets males ages 15-35. Males in this age bracket have the highest risk of developing testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is 100% treatable if detected early, therefore the campaign aims to bring light to the issue and encourage males to perform self-examinations as early as 15. The health of a man’s testicles reflects the overall health of a man. “Go Blue to Protect You” strives to break the stigma that is associated with testicular cancer and to increase general knowledge of the disease.

Since April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, there is no better time to encourage men to take action when it comes to their health, and no better place to start than within our own Peoria community.

 For more information please contact CorLeonis at (708) 752-5093 or by email at corleonisagency@gmail.com. 

The Peoria Police Department, Criminal Investigations Division, Violent Crime Unit, is requesting the public’s help in locating a male wanted for Aggravated Battery with a Firearm and Reckless Discharge of a Firearm. At approximately 9 p.m. 04-11-14, Peoria Police were called to the 2200 block of W. Malone, Peoria, in regards to shots being fired. Upon arrival, officers located a gunshot victim. Through their investigation, the shooter was identified as Adrian L. Jackson, M/B, DOB/04-06-93, 5’06 and 148 pounds. Jackson is wanted for these crimes. 

If you see Adrian Jackson, please call 911. Do not approach him, as he is considered armed and dangerous.   

If you have any information on this case, or any other investigation, call the Peoria Police Dept at 673-4521, or Crimestoppers at 673-9000. 

Comcast Cares Day, the largest corporate volunteer initiative in the nation, will be held on Saturday, April 26.  This year, on its 13th anniversary, Comcast anticipates that more than 7,000 regional employees from Illinois, northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan and their families, friends and community partners will participate in nearly 80 volunteer projects in locations ranging from Quincy, IL, to South Bend, IN; from Decatur to Rockford, IL; and all across the Chicago area.

“Comcast Cares Day makes a major difference in the lives of people in the communities we serve.  We invite area residents who want to help and inspire others through volunteerism to participate in a Comcast Cares Day project in their community,” said Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region senior vice president, John Crowley.

Crowley added that area residents can find Comcast Cares Day projects near them and sign up to volunteer at www.comcastinthecommunity.com.

Comcast expects that more than 80,000 Comcast, NBCUniversal and community volunteers will participate in more than 700 projects across the country and around the globe on Comcast Cares Day.  Since Comcast Cares Day began in 2001, more than a half million volunteers have contributed more than 3 million volunteer hours.

“Volunteerism is a game-changer, and it directly correlates to healthier, more resilient communities. In Illinois and across the Midwest, volunteerism is a part of our culture,” said Brandon T. Bodor, executive director of theServe Illinois Commission, which provides information about ongoing volunteer opportunities.  “Serve Illinois is proud that Comcast reinforces that year after year through Comcast Cares Day.”

Pekin Boys and Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Club of Pekin is The Positive Place for Kids! They offer after-school, summer programs, & extracurricular activities to the children of our community. This is a wonderful facility that includes 2 gymnasiums, a computer room, game room, education room, and much more! We will be helping out the club by painting multiple rooms, doing general cleaning and working on getting their landscaping ready for spring and summer. Sign up for Comcast Cares Day to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Pekin and help us give back to this fantastic organization!

1101 Veerman Street Pekin, IL 61554

April 26

Start Time: 8:30 AM

Washington Storm Relief Clean-up

On Sunday, November 17, 2013, an EF-4 tornado ripped its way through Washington, IL and other surrounding communities. Bethany Community Church has been working since that time to provide relief to the community through sending in thousands of volunteer work teams/clean-up crews and arranging housing for the displaced. As of March 15th, around 50% of the clean-up has been done, but there is still a lot of work to do! Most of the jobs are related to clean up: clearing debris, hauling debris, putting debris in bags, tearing out drywall and carpet, etc. Please join us in helping our friends and neighbors in Washington on April 26th!

April 26

27265 Dutch Lane Washington, IL 61571

Start Time: 9:00 AM

End Time: 2:30 PM