The kindergarten and first grade classes at St. Joseph Catholic School of Pekin enjoy Talk Like a Pirate Day, Sept. 20. The children dressed like pirates and enjoyed pirate themed games, activities and snacks. The students are pictured with their teachers, Susan Coyer (kindergarten) and Tracie McConnell (first grade).

PEKIN

Expanded health services slated for 2017

OSF HealthCare is expanding services in Pekin by establishing a new medical facility at 3500 Court St., in a current vacant building in the East Court Village Shopping Center.

OSF Center for Health-Pekin will open in early 2017 and offer primary care with same-day access to a team of providers that treat patients of all ages; provide clinical access to a variety of specialists; in addition to offering ancillary services such as lab, EKG, and X-ray, all of which will improve the convenience of services to residents.

Permits have been filed with the city of Pekin to allow for the construction and renovation of the former Big Lots building on Court Street. Cullinan Properties owns and operates the center and will be coordinating the design and construction work. As a tenant of the building, OSF will lease more than 18,000 square feet for its Center for Health-Pekin.

The Center for Health-Pekin will complement the recent additions of OSF Medical Group-Pekin and OSF Medical Group-Tremont to the family of OSF physician practices.

EAST PEORIA

Auditions slated for ‘Joseph’ musical

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will returns for its 26th year at Eastlight Theatre. This Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical tells the Bible story of family, betrayal and redemption about Joseph, his 11 brothers and their father. It was created as a soft rock fantasy that is entertainment for families of all ages.

Auditions for prospective cast members will be held at the Fon du Lac Park District Administration Building, 201 Veterans Drive, East Peoria, at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 and 1 p.m. Oct. 8.

The play’s director is Kyle King; musical director is Brandon Chandler.

Show times and dates are: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10, and 2 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11. Eastlight Theatre is at 1401 E. Washington St., East Peoria.

Region

Extension unit working on school breakfast programs

The National School Breakfast Program (NSBP) is a federally funded program which provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free breakfasts to young students. University of Illinois Extension, Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit SNAP-Ed educator Michelle Fombelle has been reaching out to school administration and food service directors to provide information and assistance in improving local school breakfast programs.

University of Illinois Extension, Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit SNAP-Ed’s role is to help get new breakfast programs started and improve participation in current programs by implementing alternative models and/or special events and marketing. In Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties there are 73 schools eligible for SNAP-Ed, which includes the NSBP. In Illinois, 80.5 percent of eligible schools participate in NSBP.

Several school breakfast grants are available through various venues. University of Illinois Extension is working with eligible schools interested in implementing a new breakfast program or improving their current program to find and apply for grants.

Museum exhibit tapped as top to see

The traveling “Be the Astronaut” exhibit at the Peoria Riverfront Museum has been listed among the 12 best museum exhibits open to the public this fall, according to USA Today.

The national publication compiled a list of both permanent and traveling exhibits at museums. The display at the museum, 222 SW Washington St., Peoria, is ranked alongside the newly renovated Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, an exhibition marking the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks at the International Museum of World War II in Boston and a variety of other shows.

The exhibit is on display at the museum through Oct. 16. It uses STEM-based content and includes simulators, video game technology and NASA reconnaissance data. For more information, call (309) 686-7000.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–