Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce

Along with the Peoria Ballet, ICC Vocal Jazz and Hard Bop Band, the Penguin Project, Central Illinois Youth Symphony Orchestra, the family of former Peoria Mayor, Jim Maloof, and others will join forces and talents to raise money in a one-of-a-kind showcase of entertainment for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Mon., April 17, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Performing Arts Center on the ICC East Peoria Campus. This one-night only event, “ICC Presents:  Jim Maloof’s Legacy of Love for the Arts in Central Illinois,” is a family-friendly entertainment extravaganza designed to promote the performing arts in Central Illinois and highlight former Mayor Maloof’s local and national legacy with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The entire event is planned and executed by ICC students each year. Tickets for the event are $7 each. Tickets are required and limited to the first 500 people. They can be purchased online at ArtsAtICC.com , by phone at (309) 694-5136, or in person

You have tax questions. We have tax answers! Certified CPA and small business tax expert Micah Fraim will field your tax-related questions. April 15th will be here sooner than you think.  In this webinar, Micah will only answer audience questions, so come prepared with your concerns. You can submit questions during registration and during the LIVE webinar. He will also offer tax advice you can implement throughout the year.

Ya’ll come out to see our 43 rd Annual Ice Show on Friday, March 3, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. or Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 11:30 a.m. at Pekin Veteran’s Memorial Ice Arena.  There will be performances by all Learn To Skate levels as well as solos, duets and ensembles. There will be a special performance by your award winning Precise Ice Team.  Admission is $8 per person. Skater Jenna Buhs practicing for the Annual Ice Show

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will hold a public hearing to present the study for the removal and replacement of the eastbound McClugage Bridge (U.S. 150) over the Illinois River. Wednesday, March 15, 2017 5-7 p.m. Washington Gifted School Gymnasium 3706 N. Grand Blvd Peoria, Ill. The meeting will be conducted on an informal basis. No formal presentation is planned. Representatives from IDOT will be available to answer questions and receive comments. Comments can be submitted in writing, orally to a court reporter or electronically. Comments received at this meeting or sent in by April 15, 2017, will be included in the official project record. This meeting will address the need for the project, location of the new bridge, bridge type and potential impacts to the communities and cultural/environmental resources including wetlands and floodplains. A previous environmental assessment, as well as engineering reports, exhibits, drawings and aerial pho

I n conjunction with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb 26-Mar 4), The Mansion on Walnut and Crossroads Programs for Women present the work of two outstanding area photographers, Lori Wenzel of Yellow Lily Photography, and Amber Autry of AmberLynn Photography. The body-positive movement is rooted in ideals such as self-love and appreciation; it’s a backlash against a diet culture that defines beautiful as slim and encourages us to continually strive for “better” bodies.    This is a free event open to the public.   “This is a wonderful example of how art and emotional health initiatives can intersect to create a quality life.  This was one of our visions when we relocated to the Mansion on Walnut, sharing the building with Crossroads Programs for Women. This is the first of the Mansion’s Fourth Friday events as part of Central Illinois Artists Organization,” says Shannon Cox, Executive Director of The Pekin Academy of Fine Arts and Managing Director of the Mansion on Walnut

Navigating the Road to Recovery                                 Part 1:   THE FIRST STEPS WHEN: Friday, March 17, 2017, 1:00pm – 3:00pm WHERE: Fondulac Bank, 201 Clock Tower Drive, East Peoria, IL 61611 FOLEPI Room, 2 nd Floor WHAT: 1)       Understand the 12-Steps as a guiding philosophy for recovery from addictions and other problems. 2)       Identify practical applications of key terms in Steps 1-3. 3)       Discuss ways to confront and correct misunderstanding/misrepresentation of the steps. 4)       Learn, share and discuss activities and metaphors that illustrate the meaning of the first steps for any individual or group of clients, regardless of their background. 5)       Application to IAODAPCA has been accepted for 2 CEU’s! Presented by Ed Betzelberger, LCSW, CRADC, PCGC Register for CEUs (by 3/16/17): Contact Brenda Franklin at (309) 477-5526/ bfranklin@tazwoodmhc.org or Ed at (309) 477-5548/ ebetzelberger@tazwoodmhc.

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The Pekin Daily Times will again publish an NCAA  bracket page.  Businesses can support the page with their logo assigned to a team.  The cost is just $65. But, it's also a contest for advertisers!  There will be a random drawing from the  teams, and the advertising sponsor for that team will receive free full-page ad.  Second place will get a 1/2 page ad, the final four a 1/4 pg. and the sweet sixteen get an 1/8 of a page! Deadline is March 8 and the bracket will run on March 15th. Contact your sales rep today at 346-1111.

 Illinois Central College S.I.G.N. Club will host its 5 th Annual “Deaf Idol 2017” on Sat., April 1, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm, in the ICC Performing Arts Center on the East Peoria Campus. The event features contestants from the deaf community performing songs, stories, poetry, skits and more in American Sign Language for a grand prize. Judges will select the top five contestants to present to the audience to determine the top three winners. This year, nationally recognized music interpreter Amber Galloway Gallego, from Houston, Texas, will service as celebrity judge; along with Juan Bernal, an ASL teacher from Chicago; and Angela Botz, a Community Outreach Coordinator and Disability Rights Advocate from IMPACT CIL. “We are excited to have Amber, as well as Juan and Angela, with us to celebrate our milestone fifth year,” said ICC Adjunct Faculty and S.I.G.N. Club Advisor DiAnn Sances. “We feel so fortunate to share this unique opportunity to promote and enrich the deaf community and a

More food from the chefs!   Drink tickets!   Wine Tasting!   Dessert! Thirteen local chefs will descend on kitchen stadium to battle it out with a mystery bag of ingredients.  Before the battle, guests will get to try signature items from all the chefs.  2016 winner Chef Amanda Pyle will bring her winning pork and gnocchi skewer with bacon jam on cashew and kiwi greens.  Guests will also enjoy a wine and craft beer tasting during the first hour, drink tickets, and dessert.   Do you want to compete against the chefs?  You can bid on a chance to be a guest chef during our live auction.  We will also auction off private dinners with the chefs. Food Fight helps Neighborhood House feed over 1100 people a day. Ticket Information Get your ticket(s), last year we sold out! $75 per ticket $750 for a table of 10 VIP tickets are available for $150 per ticket and includes 1st time ever opportunity to taste the food from the chef battle.  VIPs can also attend meet and greet with the c

Be sure to attend this breakfast fundraiser for your local special needs Cheer & Dance Team.  IRVSRA.ORG will be hosting an all you can eat breakfast at the Pekin Moose Lodge this Sunday, February 19 th 8am-11am.  This event is open to the public, will cost $8.00 per person, and 40% of proceeds go towards the IRVSRA.ORG Cheer & Dance Team’s annual expenses.  The Cheer & Dance team will be performing cheer and dance routines on stage periodically throughout the morning.  So tell your friends, family, and neighbors to join you for this great cause! Day:            Sunday Date:           February 19th Time:          8:00am—11:00am Fee:             $8.00 per person Location:     Pekin Moose Lodge                    2605 Broadway St. Main Entrance: Dining Hall   Photo: (left to right) Maliya Haynes, Madison Haynes, Natalie Phillips, Bella Bishop pose of a photo after a half -time performance at Edison Jr. High. 

Savant Capital Management, a nationally recognized fee-only wealth management firm with 12 offices in three states, announced today it has been named one of the Top 9 Best Financial Advisors in Chicago for the second consecutive year. The selection process was conducted by AdvisoryHQ and was based on a wide range of criteria including fiduciary duty, independence, transparency, level of customized service, history of innovation, fee structure, quality of services provided, team excellence, and wealth of experience. Review and rankings were 100 percent independently researched and written. Firms were unaware they were being reviewed by AdvisoryHQ until after the reviews had been completed and published to the public. Savant was touted as standing out from the crowd of financial advisors in Chicago with its transparency and focus on client successes, in addition to being a Certified Investment Steward and a Certified Investment Advisor by the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEF

Grammy-nominated singer Angela Brown will present a master class on Fri., Feb. 24 from 3 to 5 pm in the Illinois Central College Performing Arts Center Studio Theatre, located on the East Peoria Campus. Admission to this event is free. In addition, Brown will hold a recital titled Watch and Pray on Sun., Feb. 26 at 4 pm at the First United Methodist Church, located at 116 NE Perry Avenue in Peoria. Admission is free; a reception will follow the recital. Opera, pop and gospel come together to create Brown’s voice. She has performed with symphonies and in opera houses all around the world. Her Watch and Pray recital will include spirituals, sacred arias and arts songs. She received her bachelor degree in music from Oakwood University in Alabama. She also attended the Indiana University School of Music and in 2006 was awarded the inaugural Herman C. Hudson Alumni Award by the Indiana University African American Arts Institute. The award is given annually to alumni who have made ou

The Illinois Central College Theatre Program presents the psychological thriller The Bone House, opening on February 24 for six performances over two weekends in the main stage theatre of the ICC Performing Arts Center, located on the East Peoria campus. The show is directed by Robin Berkley and is rated R for mature themes and language. No one under 16 years of age will be admitted. Written by Marty Chen, The Bone House is a chilling and suspenseful immersive thriller which delves into the public’s fascination with serial killers. Rather than a show with a traditional stage and set, the show is an immersive experience, with the performance being conducted as if the audience is attending a lecture about serial killers. Featured speaker and self-proclaimed mind hunter Eugene Crowley takes the audience on a journey into the mind of the world’s most notorious serial killers such as Dahmer, Bundy and Gacy. In addition, Crowley wants to alert, convince and provide proof to the audienc

The Peoria Area World Affairs Council (PAWAC), the Illinois Central College (ICC) Culinary Institute, and the ICC International Education Program celebrate African cuisine with the special dinner program "Taste of Africa" on Thursday, March 2, 2017. The event begins at 5:30 PM at the Culinary Institute located in Dogwood Hall on the ICC - North campus. "Taste of Africa" features a three-course meal specially made by students and staff of the Culinary Institute. Diners will receive copies of the North African cuisine selected and learn cooking techniques by watching the expert chefs prepare menu items throughout the evening. Tours of the Culinary Institute's state-of-the-art facilities are also available. The evening concludes with details of the many international programs available at Illinois Central College. This honors ICC's dinner two Fulbright scholars from Africa; Letshwiti Tutwane from Botswana and Nahed Shata from Egypt. They will be the featur

                High school juniors and seniors and their parents are invited to “Discover ICC” on Tuesday, March 21, from 5─7 p.m., in the ICC Cafeteria located on the East Peoria Campus. The “college fair” event offers information about the college and its programs and includes quick presentations, including a “How to Enroll” presentation at 6 p.m.                 Students can learn about the application and financial aid processes as well as career planning and opportunities to transfer from ICC to a four-year college or university. Students can visit with ICC representatives to learn about all of the programs of study as well as ways undecided students can find a program of study or career area that fits their interests.                 Campus Housing, the on-campus apartment-style residences, will also offer tours from 5 to 7 pm. Tours will begin at the Information Desk.                 The event is free to both students and parents. For questions, please call (309) 694-54

(Preliminary Round) Fri., Feb. 24 from 9 am to 12:30 pm and (Final Round) Sat., Feb. 25 from 10 am to 11:30 am --- Culinary Arts Institute Dogwood Hall ICC Peoria Campus 5407 N. University St., Peoria ICC Culinary Arts Institute will host a “Chopped-Style” High School Competition to foster a love of the culinary arts among high school students who’ve shown interest in cooking professionally. This is the first year for the event. Some of the teams participating include Pekin, East Peoria, Woodruff, Dunlap and Midland High Schools. Each school is asked to send three students to compete. The competition is organized by a bracket system, with the winners of the 1 st round moving to the final round. Available for media interviews : ·          Chef Charles Robertson – ICC Associate Professor, Culinary Arts Institute ·          Students participating in the competition

Illinois Central College’s popular College for Kids program will offer “Club Code” classes beginning in March for students currently in grades 7 and 8 who are interested in computers and learning to write code, build websites, apps, games and more.                  The clubs meet on Tuesdays from March 7 through April 11, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at Hickory Hall, located on the ICC North Campus, 5407 N. University in Peoria. Club Code participants will learn to write code, build websites, create mobile apps, games and more. Meetings are geared toward group learning and team projects based on the presented material. Club members must be self-motivated and disciplined, and able to work well with others, as well as independently. Independent work and learning at home will be necessary to the success of this course level.  The club helps beginners to gain experience in coding while allowing more advanced students to strengthen their skills. Club Code is taught by Brandy Thatcher,

Pekin Park District Registration is now open for new kickball teams.  2017 kickball season starting soon.  For more information or to register your team call DeDe @201-4007.  “Everyone deserves to play like a kid once a week!!!!” Congrats to the 2016 Kickball Champions!  

Illinois public high schools are now required to administered the SAT to high school juniors instead of the ACT or PARCC exams. Illinois Central College will offer a series of four, three-hour review courses to help students prepare for the SAT test, as well as informational sessions for students and their parents or guardians on this transition. All SAT Prep course sessions and the Introductory Night will be held at Hickory Hall on the ICC North Campus, located at 5407 N. University St., Peoria. Participants must register to take the SAT exam separately. The sessions meet in the two weeks prior to each of the SAT test dates scheduled throughout this spring. The next session is scheduled to begin on March 21 . Illinois public high schools will administer the SAT test to area high school juniors on April 5, 2017. However, students may wish to take the test more than once to try to improve their scores. SAT Prep course participants will learn strategies for building test-taking skil

The Illinois Department of Transportation announces the following lane closures on IL 29 in Pekin:  One lane of southbound IL 29 at IL 98 is scheduled to be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20.  Intermittent lane closures on IL 29 at Powerton Road are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21.   This intersection will be a four-way stop, with flashing red signals controlling traffic, during this time. The lane closures are necessary for traffic signal repair work to be completed.  IDOT reminds everyone to please slow down and use extreme caution while driving through all work zones.

By all accounts, Matt Goodyear, of Morton, Ill., has a bright future ahead, full of opportunities he wouldn’t have ever imagined a few years ago. After graduating from Morton High School in 1994, Goodyear enrolled at Illinois Central College but soon ran out of motivation and dropped out. Though he worked as an over-the-road truck driver for several years, Matt knew there had to be more he could do with a better education. Years later, armed with life experience and motivation to earn a better wage and finish his degree, he enrolled again at ICC. He earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in Mechatronics in 2015. Last October, he earned a spot as one of 250 students chosen from thousands of applicants to participate in NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholars program in Huntsville, Ala. There he worked with a team of 10 students from across the nation to build a Mars rover out of Legos and sell it to NASA. Today, Goodyear is concurrently working on a second associate’

The Farmers Automobile Insurance Association held its annual meeting on Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at their Home Office in Pekin, Illinois. The following directors were elected for three year terms: Steven R. Anderson, Loves Park, Illinois; Byron A. Dodd, Anna, Illinois; and Brian K. Lee, Pekin, Illinois. Subscribers elected Steven R. Anderson, Loves Park, Illinois; and Byron A. Dodd, Anna, Illinois, to the Advisory Committee. Pekin Insurance officers elected include; Scott A. Martin, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer; Steven R. Anderson, Vice Chairman of the Board; Daniel V. Connell, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary; Todd A. Clark, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Property/Casualty; Brian K. Lee, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Life; Curtis A. Eeten, Vice President - Claims; Gregory L. Feller, Vice President - Sales; Joel M. Jackson, Vice President - Marketing; Subhasis Mukherjee, Vic

Illinois Central College’s visiting Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant from Egypt, Nahed Shata, will offer a class in conversational Arabic and Middle Eastern and Islamic Cultures with a focus on Egypt. The program will be offered Monday evenings, read Monday, March 20 through May 8, from 4:30 to 6 pm in Hickory Hall on the ICC North Campus, located at 5407 N. University St., Peoria. The class is specifically designed for social science and language teachers but is open to the public as well. PD units are available for completion of the course. The series will focus on the interface between language and culture and will help prepare teachers to offer more in-depth content in this content area. Cost of the program is $55. For more information or to register for the course, please contact ICC’s Adult Community Programs at (309) 690-6900. Registration also is available online at www.icc.edu/acp

Dedicated to helping each other, informing, and serving the Pekin community A group of women who own businesses in Pekin started meeting recently, joining efforts to inform the public of high quality personal services available in Pekin.  Participating in the group are:  Kellie Branch-Dircks LCSW, EZ Dreamin’ Therapeutic Equine Assisted Counseling Services; Kim Brooks-Miller, owner of Your Story Confidential.com; Lenora Fisher of Innovative Medical Technologies; Shannon Cox, Executive Director of The Pekin Academy of Fine Arts and Managing Director at the Mansion on Walnut; Brigitte Krieg, Owner of Events 309; and Bonnie Harken, Crossroads Programs for Women and owner of The Mansion on Walnut.  Their common bond is that all their businesses are service providers and they each have a passion and commitment to their businesses and the Pekin Community.  It is their belief that a group of women committed to helping others can impact a community when they jo in together to promote their

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Mark your calendar for this special event! Our outing will be held, Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Look for more information being sent to you around March 15th. We appreciate your continued support and are looking forward to seeing you on June 7th.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is asking for additional input from the public in developing its Long Range Transportation Plan. The plan will identify policies to provide Illinois residents and businesses with innovative, sustainable and multimodal transportation solutions that support local goals and grow the economy. Feedback and comments can be provided at AllOurIdeas.org/IDOTideas between Feb. 8 and March 8.  "We really want this plan to drive how we operate as an agency and how we are making investment decisions," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. "By working together with members of the public and our industry partners, we are confident we can develop a solid vision for how we are going to invest in transportation in Illinois over the next 10 to 20 years." Last year, IDOT received more than more than 700 survey responses during the initial comment period. More than a quarter indicated that safety was their top p

Maurer-Stutz Inc. and Hanson Professional Services Inc. won an Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) in recognition of Emiquon Preserve’s water control system, which is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world. The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Maurer-Stutz and Hanson were honored for the project Feb. 9 during the ACEC-IL’s annual Engineering Excellence Awards in Lisle, Illinois. Emiquon Preserve, one of the largest floodplain restoration projects of its type in the Midwest, is located near Havana, Illinois. The floodplain had been farmland that was separated from the Illinois River by a levee. To keep the 5,500-acre wetland in the preserve from degrading, TNC teamed with Maurer-Stutz and Hanson to create a water control system that reconnects the floodplain to the river for the first time in nearly a century. The team designed a multipurpose, gated water control structure; a pump station; and an elevated control building.  The w

The Unity Point Health – Pekin Auxiliary is now accepting scholarship applications from local students enrolled in a health care professions program. Each year the Auxiliary’s scholarship committee reviews applications and awards funds based on course of study, scholarship achievements, course requirements, letters of recommendation and financial need. The committee awarded a total of $3,500 to seven students in 2016. Any student residing in the Pekin area is eligible to apply. Priority is extended to those students who intend to return to the community to practice their professional skills. Scholarship applications are available at unitypoint.org/pekin or pekinhopsital.org under the “Foundation” tab. Completed applications must be returned to UnityPoint Health – Pekin’s Volunteer Services Department no later than 4:30 p.m. on April 14, 2017. The UnityPoint Health – Pekin Auxiliary is comprised of 130 volunteers who donate their time and raise needed funds in support o

Two-part series puts a human face on the budget impasse and will broadcast on statewide public television stations Stranded by the State —a two-part documentary special presented by Illinois Public Media focusing on the long-term toll the Illinois budget crisis has had on everyday people across the state—will begin broadcasting on public television stations with a the familiar voice/face of Yvonne Greer as the host. Illinois has not passed a budget in over a year, and this historic stalemate has proven to be the longest period that any state in the nation has operated without a budget since the Great Depression. Directed, edited, and produced by Kartemquin associate Liz Kaar, Stranded by the State was originally conceived as a multi-part web series, which launched in November 2016. "There's been plenty of coverage of the politics behind the budget stalemate in Springfield, but not enough on the impact to families and communities,” said Moss Bresnahan, CEO and pr