Peoria – Heddington Oaks is hosting its first Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 19. The Easter Egg Hunt begins at 11:00 a.m. at Heddington Oaks, 2223 W. Heading Ave in West Peoria. The event allows nursing home residents to continue an experience they had always enjoyed while living on their own: sharing the Easter holiday with children. For more information on Heddington Oaks’ Easter Egg Hunt, please call 636-3600.

Peoria – Tomorrow, April 12, the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport will conduct a full scale emergency preparedness exercise at the airport. The Central Illinois Public Information Officers, in partnership with the Airport Authority, will provide a guided tour to media partners of the simulated crash site. Media covering the full scale exercise as a “real-world” story are asked to meet in the lower level conference room of the airport terminal, by baggage claim, at 8:15 a.m. in order to be escorted on-site; no access to the exercise site will be granted after the media shuttle departs the terminal at 8:30 a.m. Media will have an opportunity to shoot footage of the simulated crash and interview appropriate exercise participants for their story.

For more information on the airport exercise, please contact Jenny Fulton, Chairman of the Central Illinois Public Information Officers, at (309) 672-6918 or jfulton@peoriacounty.org.

Peoria Public Library celebrates National Poetry Month throughout the month of April with a variety of FREE events.

Poetry Contest . All styles of poetry are encouraged and all ages are welcome to participate throughout April Staff will nominate their top picks for a chance to win a Barnes & Noble Gift Card. Three winners will be chosen: 1^st place takes home a $50 gift card, 2^nd place takes home a $30 gift card, and 3^rd place takes home a $20 gift card. Call 497-2000 for more information. Entry forms are available at any Peoria Public Library location or download one at http://www.peoriapubliclibrary.org/national-poetry-month-poetry-entry-form.

Blackout Poetry Wednesday, April 16 at Lakeview Branch at 4:30 p.m. Blackout Poetry is poetry using discarded library book pages and a marker. This activity is best for kids 6^th to 12^th grade. Call 497-2200 for more information.

Poetry in the Movies Monday, April 21, Wednesday, April 23, Friday, April 25 at North Branch at 4:00 p.m. Poetry in the Movies looks at three Academy Award winning films and how the filmmakers included poetry in the story. April 21 looks at Million Dollar Babyfeaturing the poetry of W.B. Yeats. April 23 looks at Awakenings featuring the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. April 25 looks at Hannah & Her Sisters featuring the poetry of E.E. Cummings. Call 497-2100 for more information.

Peoria Public Library North Branch presents Music in the McKenzie: Sally Barris on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m. for an expressive, mountain soprano performance.

Sally Barris has written songs performed by A-List Nashville stars, including Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride and Lee Anne Womack. In 2009, her song “Let the Wind Chase You” was nominated for a Grammy.

Her writing credits are impressive, but what most impresses fans is her bright spirit and expressive voice. Whether touring with The Waymores or doing a solo show, audiences of all ages will be captivated by Sally Barris! For more information on Sally Barris, visit her website at sallybarris.com.

Proceeds from CD sales will benefit Friends of the Peoria Public Library. Free and for all ages.

Peoria, Illinois – April 9, 2014 –   The Peoria County Farm Bureau Equine Committee is hosting a Roundtable in the Farm Bureau auditorium on Monday, April 21, at 6 p.m.  The building is located at the intersection of Interstate 74 and University Street in Peoria.

Jody Booher of Barrick, Swither, Long, Balsley & Van Evera, in Rockford, Illinois, will be the presenter.  She is an attorney specializing in Equine Law.  Topics to be discussed include: Liability for Horse Owners; Horses Left at a Facility; Injuries While Riding Horses; etc. 

Anyone with an interest in horses and the equine industry is invited to attend.  Pulled pork sandwiches and drinks will be served.  For reservations, contact the Peoria County Farm Bureau at 686-7070 by Thursday, April 17.  There is no cost to attend.

Fondulac District Library announces Star Wars Day, which celebrates reading and the stories of one of the most popular sagas of all time. The all-ages event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 12, 2014, at Fondulac District Library in East Peoria, Illinois.

Free activities and programs for all ages will run throughout the day and include a story time, Jedi training, a costume derby, crafts, a Star Wars Science Station, games, a Wookieespeak contest, prize drawings, and much more. Special guests from the 501st Legion, the Rebel Legion, and the Mandalorian Mercs costume clubs will be in attendance and available for photographs. Additionally, members of the costume clubs will participate in a panel discussion and question and answer session. The library also offers Star Wars-related books and movies on display and available for check out to library cardholders.

Additional details will be released on www.fondulaclibrary.org as the event nears. For more information about this special event, visitwww.fondulaclibrary.org or call (309) 699-3917.

The Peoria ACLU Chapter’s annual meeting on Thursday, April 24, 2014 will feature Guest Speaker Hon. Joe Billy McDade, Senior District Judge, United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois.  He will speak on Reflections of a Federal Judge.

In 1982, Judge McDade was appointed an Associate Circuit Judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Illinois, and was later elected as a Circuit Judge in the same circuit. He was the first African-American in those positions outside of Chicago. He became a federal judge in December 1991, when President George H.W. Bush appointed him as United States District Judge for the Central District of Illinois, the first African-American federal district judge in downstate Illinois. Effective March 1, 2010, Judge McDade assumed senior status.

The event takes place at the IVY Club, 1502 N. Galena Road, Peoria Heights, and begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. with the speaker, presentation of awards and election of officers to follow.

Reservations for the dinner must be made by April 19.  Contact Elaine Hopkins, 309-231-5758 for more information.  The dinner costs $40.  The public is invited, and welcome to attend the program free of charge.  

Peoria, East Peoria stores team up to give back to community

April 6 – 13 in National Volunteer Appreciation Week.  On Friday, April 11 from 9:30 – 11am, the East Peoria and Peoria Kohl’s Store will be at Crittenton Centers to guest read to all seven Child Development Center classrooms and the Crisis Nursery.  They are also donating books and stuffed animals to all children.  Kohl’s, a longtime supporter of Crittenton Centers, volunteers on a regular basis as part of their “Kohl’s Cares” Program.  Crittenton Centers is located at 442 W. John Gwynn Jr. Ave. in Peoria. 

Crittenton Centers has been serving the Peoria community for 122 years.  Our mission is to protect and nurture children and families in the Peoria community.  Crittenton Centers’ services include: The Crisis Nursery, Child Development Center, and Family Services.  To learn more about Crittenton Centers, please visit our website at www.crittentoncenters.org.  

Have you ever wondered… “How much do rhinos eat in a day?” or “Where do giraffes sleep?” All this and more will be answered during the Peoria Zoo’s Behind the Scenes tour that is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at 9:00 am.  This hour long tour will take you into areas the public doesn’t normally get to see.  You can learn more about the animals and how we care for them. Cost of the tour is $22 per person and includes Zoo admission.

For questions or to register, call the Peoria Zoo Education office at (309) 681-3559 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.

The Peoria Police Department would like to make the citizens of Peoria aware of a rash of vehicle burglaries that have been occurring in the Richwoods Area of Peoria; this includes the neighborhoods with the boundaries of McClure Ave north between Knoxville and University and the neighborhoods boarding War Memorial Dr., Northmoor and University.

The Peoria Police Department strongly urges citizens to be extra vigilant in locking their vehicle doors, closing their overhead garage doors, locking main floor house windows, locking entry doors from the garage to the main part of the house, and locking back and front doors. Also, keeping front and back porch lights on; as well as being aware of who is coming and going in your neighborhoods will not only help our officers possibly identify the perpetrators, but it will hopefully discourage more burglaries.

The Peoria Police Department urges anyone with information about these vehicle burglaries to contact the Peoria Police Department at 673-4521 or Crime Stoppers at 673-9000.