More than 30 floats, such as this one, will be in East Peoria’s annual Parade of Lights, slated for Nov. 18 this year.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Comcast to increase internet speeds

A system overhaul will increase Internet speeds for many Comcast customers throughout the Peoria area, including Pekin, Washington, Eureka and other towns. The overhaul that will be done over the coming several weeks will affect hundreds of thousands of customers in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Some customers may see their download speeds more than double. The change in download speeds will differ across tiers of Internet service. The cable and Internet provider will alert customers to the specific changes to their accounts through letters in the mail and some email notifications.

Comcast customers may need to reset their modems to access the higher speeds. Directions on how to reset modems will be included in notifications to customers. Also, some modems provided by Comcast will not be compatible with the upgraded system and must be replaced.

EAST PEORIA

Street closures, new route planned for annual parade

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as East Peoria prepares to close streets to make way for the annual Parade of Lights. The annual celebration, featuring approximately 30 lighted floats, many animated will kick off at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 18.

Springfield Road will be closed to traffic from its intersection with Taylor Street to North Main Street from 4 p.m. Nov. 18 until 4 p.m. Nov. 20. The closure will allow for the parking of parade floats in preparation of moving them to the Folepi’s Winter Wonderland drive-through display.

Most roads along the Washington Street route will be closed to traffic at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18. Motorists will need to use alternate routes. Any traffic exiting Interstate 74 to Washington Street will be routed west toward Main Street, away from the parade route.

As a way to save money in the city budget, this year’s parade route has been shortened. The 2017 parade will start at the intersection of East Washington Street and Dolans Lane, where Auto Zone is located. It will continue along its traditional Washington Street route, turning left at the intersection with Camp Street. 

Shortly after that, the route will change. The floats will turn right from Washington onto Taylor Street at East Peoria Autobody, and continue along Taylor in front of Central Junior High School, ending at Taylor Street and Springfield Road at the U.S. Post Office. 

A map of the new parade route is available at folepi.org.

PEKIN

Choir rehearsing for its annual show

The Friends in Harmony, a 34-person Pekin choir, will sing in the Christmas season with this year’s show, “Merry Christmas to All!” Performances will be given at 7 p.m. Dec. 1, and 3 p.m. Dec. 2, in the F.M. Peterson Theater at Pekin Community High School, 1903 Court St.

Friends in Harmony describes itself as a close-knit group that enjoys singing and giving back to the community. Out of the 34 singers, 30 of them are returning members.

Patti Johnson will serve as director for the third year. Her daughter Hailie Johnson does the choreography. Val Springborn will be the accompanist, and the Friends in Harmony Orchestra will provide the music for the singing group. 

Kidz Friendly will also return for the fifth year. Nicole Ferree will direct the small children’s group.

This year’s show will have a mix of traditional, spiritual, a cappella style, a few Pentatonix songs and more.

Tickets are $10, and can be purchased from any Friends in Harmony  member; at Steger’s Furniture, 818 Court St.; at the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce, 402 Court St.; or by calling (309) 346-1896. Proceeds go to the United Way of Pekin. In its 12 years of donating, the choir has raised approximately $47,500. The goal this year is to exceed the $50,000 mark.

In addition to ticket sales, the choir raises money with a gift basket raffle. Added to the raffle this year, will be a chance for someone to be the guest conductor for the Friends in Harmony Orchestra. No musical background is required to win.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–