It’s a girl! Vivian the Giraffe welcomed her second baby at 2:38 a.m. Jan. 7,  at the Peoria Zoo. The public will be able to see them in the coming weeks.

EUREKA

Reagan biographer to deliver keynote address

Author, lecturer, historian and public affairs consultant Craig Shirley will be the keynote speaker at a dinner in honor of the 107th anniversary of the birthday of President Ronald W. Reagan, a graduate of the class of 1932, on Feb. 2 at the Donald B. Cerf Center on the campus of Eureka College. A cocktail hour is scheduled for 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. 

Shirley has written four bestsellers about Ronald Reagan: “Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed America” (2014), “Reagan’s Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All” (2005), “Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan” (2015), and “Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980” (2017). He is also the author of “Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative” (2017), the only authorized biography of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s early career. 

Shirley was the first Reagan Scholar at EC where he taught a coursed titled Reagan 101. He is a regular commentator on many network and cable shows and a contributor to national publications.

The public is invited for $50 per person. Tickets are limited. Reservations can be made by e-mail or calling (309) 467-6319. Shirley will sign books following the dinner.

The Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College is dedicated to helping President Reagan’s alma mater study, teach and share the same lessons and values President Reagan learned from Eureka College and used in his lifetime of leadership roles.

Public invited to ‘Frozen’ sing-along

Calling all fans of the movie, “Frozen.” Come to the Eureka Public Library, 202 S. Main St., at 10 a.m. Jan. 20, to watch the movie and sing along to all of its popular songs. Participants are invited to come dressed as their favorite “Frozen” characters. Children ages 3 through kindergarten must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call (309) 467-2922.

CHILLICOTHE 

Singer-songwriter duo to perform free concert

Bloomington-based singer-songwriters Karen Bridges and Clint Thomson will bring their group, Stone & Snow, to Chillicothe Public Library Jan. 28. This free concert will take place at 2:30 p.m. at the Chillicothe Public Library, 430 N. Bradley Ave., Chillicothe. 

With a soulful indie rock/folk sound, their repertoire includes melancholy folk songs on love, loss and exploration amidst the imagery of the Western mountain landscape. Their music has taken them on the road to places like Summer Camp Music Festival, Taste of Chicago and the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

The duo continues to grow their catalog of songs, and in 2016 they released their newest record, “Devil That I Know,” in collaboration with David Rossi of Bombsight Recording Studio in Bloomington.

For more information, visit the band’s website at stoneandsnow.com or the library’s website at chillipld.org or call (309) 274-2719.

PEORIA

Zoo is caring for new baby giraffe

It took more than 15 months – about 425 days – but at 2:38 a.m. Jan. 7, Vivian, a giraffe at the Peoria Zoo, gave birth to a girl calf, weighing 122 pounds and standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall.

Zoo officials say mom, Vivian, and baby are doing great, but Vivian needs time to heal and the unnamed baby needs time to grow before they will be ready for visitors. That could take two to four weeks. This was Vivian’s second birth.

An announcement will be made about how the public will be involved in naming the baby, such as through a contest or poll. The community has helped to name other zoo animals.

Until the baby and Vivian are ready for visitors, the Peoria Zoo is sharing pictures and offering a live video feed on its Facebook page, Peoria Zoo, and website at peoriazoo.org. Mom and the rest of her zoo family are “registered” at peoriazoo.org/donate/giving-tree/.

–Woodford County News Briefs–