PeoriaStory

Sculpture Garden Dedication Oct 2

PEORIA, IL -- From a  news release: DONOVAN SCULPTURE GARDEN, SET TO BE DEDICATED SATURDAY,    OCTOBER 2, 1030 am   donovansculpturegarden.org    

The Donovan Sculpture Garden Volunteer Team, in cooperation with the Peoria Park District, Build Peoria, and the Urbana Park District, announce the Dedication of Donovan Sculpture Garden, Saturday, October 2,1030am:

 The Dedication will feature the unveiling of local Artist Preston Jackson's new Work, 'About Angels', thus completing the first six Art Works at Donovan Sculpture Garden.  

9:00 am          Hosted by Cyd’s In The Park, local 'sidewalk chalk art' will begin around Cyd's Restaurant at Donovan. Groups include high school art students, Bradley Fraternity/Sorority Members, Artists from 22VA, Richwoods MCJrROTC, BIKE PEORIA, Friends of the Rock Island Trail, and more.

As guests arrive, this area will also be a ‘sign-in’ area - guests asked to add their name, organization, ‘art’, as they wish.

9:00 am          Free coffee and goodies.

9:00 am - 11:00 am        Guests arriving at Donovan via the entrance off Knoxville, and will be greeted (saluted, actually) along the length of the roadway, by a detail of Midwest Central Young Marines –

10:30 am     A Brass Ensemble from the Heartland Festival Orchestra, David Commanday conducting, will begin performing at the site of the Preston Jackson Work, about 40 yards north of Cyds. Volunteers will direct guests to the site.

This area will also include a photographic display of the other 5 Sculptures exhibited at Donovan.  The Artists will be available in this area.

Photographs of those 5 Works are attached.

11:00 am     Master of Ceremonies Lee Wenger will welcome, and begin the brief ceremony, concluding with Preston Jackson presenting his 'Artist's Statement' for the Work, "About Angels".  Emily Cahill, Executive Director, Peoria Park District, and Robert Johnson, PPD Board President, will share thoughts for the occasion. 

A Special ‘Poetic Tribute’ is planned during this brief Ceremony.

Lindsay Couquit, Art Teacher at Peoria Heights High School has had her students craft an 'Art Wrap' for 'Angel' and they, everyone, will be asked to participate in its unveiling.

The Program is brief, but guests are encouraged to arrive early, and Celebrate … “A Day of Community Building in Central Illinois”.

11:30 am      Event concludes.

Please note:  We are following the weather forecast carefully, and intend to ‘Dedicate and Celebrate’ Saturday morning … unless. 

In the ‘event of …’ the Donovan Dedication is rescheduled for 30 days, to Saturday, November 6. 

                                                     -30-

 

Rally for Choice Oct 2

PEORIA, IL --YES FOR CHOICE RALLY

WHEN:  4 pm on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the corner of Main & University streets, Peoria,IL

A Yes for Choice rally, to show solidarity with all working to overturn the laws restricting abortion access, will take place at 4 pm on Saturday Oct. 2 at the corner of Main & University streets, Peoria, IL.

Speakers for the event will include ministers, medical doctors, and others who support choice for all in the USA.

Sponsors for the event are the Peoria chapter of NOW, the National Organization for Women; the Peoria chapter of the ACLU,  the American Civil Liberties Union; Peoria Pride; and others.

The event is part of a national day of these events everywhere to express outrage about unconstitutional and restrictive laws on abortion.

BACKGOUND: The Texas legislature has ended access to safe, legal abortion, before 85% of people know they are pregnant. Texas has placed a $10,000 bounty on women, pregnant individuals within the LGBTQ community, and those who provide support in ending an unwanted pregnancy. This bounty can be claimed by ANYONE wishing to file suit, without protection for victims of rape and incest. The US Supreme Court chose not to stop the Texas law from going into effect, and will hear arguments on a Mississippi abortion ban this fall!

Join us in solidarity with rallies across the country, at the corner of Main & University streets in Peoria, to show support for safe, respectful care for pregnant people seeking abortions regardless of their state of residence. 

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Rally for Auditor

UPDATE, Sept. 29, 2021:  Here's an excellent story by a WCBU-FM reporter: https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2021-09-28/this-is-america-peorians-speak-out-against-county-board-plan-to-slash-auditor-office-staff

UPDATE, Sept 28, 2021: The rally went well with many people defending Jessica Thomas. In an off-the-record conversation, a board member said Thomas has never found anything wrong with the county's finances. My response: good, that's why she is there.  I have seen government bodies in the past told only what they wanted to hear by hired auditors, who ignored corruption. The elected Auditor is responsible only to taxpayers. 

-- Elaine Hopkins

PEORIA, IL -- From an Indivisible post: (See rally info below.)

 

"County Auditors are becoming an endangered species. They are fiscal watchdogs who answer to the voters, not to the county boards who are spending the county's tax dollars.

 

Some county boards would rather not have this kind of independent oversight and look for ways to eliminate this position. It has happened in a number of counties in Illinois.

 

Please read below about the current attempt to reduce, drastically, the funding for the Peoria County Auditor office and call your board member to voice your concerns. Remember that an elected County Auditor answers to you, serves you and all the voters, and does not owe his/her position to the County Board. All details and instructions are below.

Thanks.

Jean Sloan

Indivisible Peoria Area

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The People of Peoria County voted for fiscal accountability and transparency when they voted specifically to retain the elected office of County auditor -- position and staff -- in 2018 (whether to retain the office was a question on the ballot) and elected Jessica Thomas to fill the position.

 

Now the independent fiscal oversight chosen by County voters is in limbo due to an attempt to starve the position of funding. Please support the voter-accountable, elected Auditor position here in Peoria County! And one more consideration is the union jobs at the Auditor office are at stake.

>>> ATTEND RALLY

Rally on Monday, September 27th

@ the Peoria County Courthouse at 4:30pm for an informational picket by the Abraham Lincoln statute, outside the Peoria County Court house. We need to send a message that independent fiscal oversight is the choice of the voters and that the dedicated union workers in the Auditor's office should be retained.

>>> CALL YOUR COUNTY BOARD MEMBER

DEADLINES: Call before Executive Committee meeting Tuesday, September 28 2pm (best). Or before next Peoria County Board Meeting, Thurs, October 14, 2021 at 6pm.

ASK THEM TO VOTE TO REINSTATE FUNDING FOR THE ELECTED AUDITOR AND STAFF. THE CURRENT DRAFT COUNTY BUDGET IS MISSING THIS IMPORTANT LINE ITEM. IF YOU AGREE, TELL THEM THAT YOU DO NOT SUPPORT ELIMINATION OF THE AUDITOR FUNDING (TO BE INSTEAD GIVEN TO AN UNACCOUNTABLE OFFICE OF THE TREASURY).

 

In an intentional power-play against transparency and good government oversight, the current draft budget nearly eliminates funding for the elected Auditor position and staff members, thereby removing properly funded, effective independent review of how the board actually spends public money.

 

The elected Auditor position has been an “accountable to the voters” position to support relative transparency and aligned follow up government actions and to reduce cronyism.

 

The best ways to support reinstatement of this voter-supportive budget line item, are to make calls and send emails to the voting County Board members in support of the elected Auditor position and staff.

 

A Letter to the Editor reaches a wider audience who may become moved to call or email their County Board member. The opposition forces have drafted the budget with funding to an un-accountable Office of the Treasurer instead, which operates in ways much less responsive to public concerns.

Who is your county board member? Click here. Then see just below.

https://www.peoriacounty.org/755/County-Board-Members

The Peoria County website lists board member names/addresses/phone numbers/emails. To find your Board Member’s name and your district, find the link in the list at the left for “FIND MY BOARD MEMBER” and click. WAIT for the map page to fully load, then type in your address, choose the correct address from the list of results. A list of all your elected officials will appear. Click on 'County Board Member' for the member's name and your district number. Go back to the main list for your member's contact info."

 

I support the Auditor.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

 

 

Heartland's September Serenades

WASHINGTON, IL -- 'September Serenades' was the title of the Heartland Festival Orchestra's opener for its '21-'22 season.  The concert at Five Points auditorium featured four pieces with 'serenade' in the title, and ranged from Mozart to three 20th century composers.

The most interesting work was Serenade for String Orchestra by George Antheil (1900 - 1959,) an atonal number with contrasting key changes.

The other works, Serenade in D Major, K 239 by Mozart, Serenata in Vano by Carl Nielsen and Serenade for String Orchestra, Opus 6 by Jose Suk, were more conventional.  The Suk piece sounded a bit like movie music  Conductor/artistic director David Commanday called it "a treasure" rarely heard.

Commanday played the cello in the Mozart and Nielsen pieces, but conducted the other two. He told the audience that all the pieces are "beautiful," and he was not wrong.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Sculpture Garden Dedication

PEORIA, IL -- Here's an interesting event: Dedication of Donovan Sculpture Garden

WHO: Donovan Scultpture Garden Volunteer Team, Peoria Park District, BUILD Peoria, and Urbana Park District

WHAT: These organizations will come together to celebrate the dedication of the Donovan Sculpture Garden, BUILD Peoria's 2020-2021 Community Project. The dedication will feature the unveiling of local artist Preston Jackson's new work, 'Angel', completing the first six art works at Donovan Sculpture Garden.

WHERE: Donovan Park, 5805 N. Knoxville Ave., Peoria

WHEN: Saturday, October 2 at 10:30 am.  There will be music and speeches.