CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Music teacher to be honored with scholarship in her name

The children of well known and loved music teacher Pat Hackler are raising money for an endowed scholarship fund in her name. The goal is to raise a minimum of $25,000 that will produce dividends for up to three full scholarships yearly and support future generations of musicians. Supporters are hoping to raise enough money in time for the endowment to be announced at the Central Illinois Youth Symphony’s 50th Anniversary Concert April 17. She was an original founder of the symphony.

To donate, go to www.razoo.com/us/story/The-Patricia-Baum-Hackler-Fund-For-The-Ciys.

The CIYS spring orchestral concerts will be held April 17 at Metamora Township High School, 101 W. Madison St., Metamora. The Prep Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble will perform at 2 p.m.; the Youth Symphony at 4 p.m.

PEORIA COUNTY

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to take off 

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight (LLHF), beginning its eighth year of operation, will take its first flight of the 2016 season on April 19. On this Flight #37, LLHF will be honoring five World War II, 30 Korean and 44 Vietnam War era Veterans, consisting of 13 who served in the Air Force, 47 in the Army, 7 in the Marines, 9 in the Navy and 3 in the Coast Guard.

On this all-expenses-paid daylong trip to Washington, DC, to visit and reflect at their national memorials, all the veterans will be accompanied by a volunteer escort, who are responsible for the comfort, logistics, mobility and safety of their doyen for the full day.

These 79 heroes come from 50 Illinois cities and communities, consisting of Alton, Auburn, Beason, Benton, Bethalto, Brighton, Bunker Hill, Carlinville, Carrollton, Champaign, Chatham, Clinton, Congerville, Coulterville, Danville, Decatur, Downs, Effingham, Eldred, Forrest, Gibson City, Heyworth, Hillsboro, Jacksonville, Lake Fork, Lincoln, Litchfield, Loraine, Manito, Marion, McNabb, Morton, Murrayville, Pana, Pawnee, Peoria, Petersburg, Rochester, Springfield, Staunton, Steeleville, Taylorville, Troy, Vandalia, Virden, Virginia, Warrensburg, White Hall, Williamsville and Witt In the country’s capitol, the veterans’ itinerary includes the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War National Memorials, the Air Force & Marine (Iwo Jima) Memorials, the National Air & Space Museum and Arlington National Cemetery. There they will view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and Changing of the Guard. During the day all will also have the opportunity to visit the Lincoln Memorial, as well as see the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, the Pentagon and much more from the bus prior to departing back to Springfield.

Veteran applications continue to be accepted, with priority given in the following order:  World War II (person enlisted by 12/31/1946), then Korean War Era (01/01/1947 to 12/31/1957), followed by the Vietnam War Era (01/01/1958 to 05/07/1975). Any certified terminally ill veteran should contact LLHF directly. Also, because every veteran flies with a guardian escort – a volunteer who pays their own way – applications for future guardians are also currently being accepted.

Veteran or guardian applications may be obtained at www.LandofLincolnHonorFlight.org or by contacting John Dust at HonorFlightGuy@aol.com or (309) 339-0227. LLHF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that receives no government funding or grants. Please visit the website, www.LandofLincolnHonorFlight.org, to make a donation, consider holding a fundraiser, book a board member speaker or to obtain more information on the Honor Flight mission. Also consider following LLHF on Facebook page to stay current on upcoming events and flights for this year. Land of Lincoln Honor Flight has also announced upcoming flights on May 17 and June 21. August, September and October flight are being planned, pending available funding.

Bridge repairs slated to end in September

The rehabilitation of the bridge on Cameron Lane approximately 1/2 mile north of US 24 was scheduled to begin April 11. This project will replace the existing bridge deck and repair the slopewalls in the stream. The project is being overseen by the Peoria County Highway Department.

Stark Excavating, which is based in Bloomington, is the general contractor and will be performing the majority of the work along with various subcontractors. The project is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, but weather and unforeseen conditions might affect the schedule. Stark’s regular work hours will be 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, hours may change periodically based on the work schedule. During construction, Cameron Lane will remain open to traffic, but will be reduced to one lane across the bridge with temporary traffic signals. Weekly newsletters will be posted on the Peoria County website at www.peoriacounty.org/countyhighway/construction-projects/

PEORIA

Park district has new leader

The Peoria Park District has announced its new executive director of parks and recreation. She is Susan Knoblauch, the current director of activities and sports at the National Federation of State High School Association. Her first day on the job will be June 1.

She served the Illinois High School Association as an administrator for cheerleading, speech, drama, debate, music, tennis and journalism for 10 years.

Knoblauch earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois State University, was a high school teacher and coach for 17 years before joining the IHSA staff.

She is succeeding Bonnie Noble who held the position for 24 years and worked more than 40 years with the department. Noble announced her retirement Oct. 26, 2015.

Mayor joins challenge to conserve water

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis has joined mayors across the country in asking residents to make a commitment to conserve water and cut pollution—and in return, residents get a chance to win a new Toyota Prius, water saving fixtures and other prizes.

The Wyland Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, run during the month of April, is a non-profit national community service campaign to see which leaders can best inspire their residents to make a series of informative and easy-to-do- online pledges to reduce water and energy usage.

Peoria is currently facing several wet weather issues specific to the area and water conservation can help with these challenges. For more information, visit onewaterPeoria.com.

Ardis is encouraging residents to conserve water, save energy and reduce pollution on behalf of Peoria at mywaterpledge.com. Last year, residents from more than 3,900 cities in all 50 U.S. states, pledged to reduce their annual consumption of fresh water, reduce waste sent to landfills and prevent hazardous waste from entering watersheds.

Cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category are entered into drawings for hundreds of eco-friendly prizes, including home improvement gift cards, home irrigation equipment and a Grand Prize Toyota Prius.

The challenge also features additional resources for residents to take their commitment of conservation even further, from regional water and energy resource issues to cost-saving tips at home.

The 5th National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation is presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the U.S EPA WaterSense, The Toro Company, National League of Cities, Conserva Irrigation and Earth Friendly Products (makers of ECOS).

–Peoria Area News Briefs–