The Eureka College Music Department will present its 19th Annual Eureka College Summer Choral Camp the week of July 8-14. (Photo courtesy of Summer Choral Camp)

STATE

Tickets for bicentennial celebration on sale July 6

Illinois is the Land of Lincoln and of the Ferris wheel, cellphone, zipper, skyscraper, dentistry, the NFL and the Tootsie Roll. All of these accomplishments and more will be celebrated Dec. 3, during the state’s 200th birthday party. The bicentennial celebration will be held at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago. The evening will honor the people, places and things that were born and bred in Illinois.

Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. July 6 at the United Center box office and ticketmaster.com, and will cost $50 and $75. The celebration is part of a yearlong commemoration of the anniversary that includes a U.S. Route 66 motorcycle ride, festivals and more.

The gala will be emceed by television journalist Bill Kurtis, and will feature talent including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Styx, the Chicago Bears, Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee and actor Joe Mantegna.

Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy, who came to Illinois almost 61 years ago to pursue a music career, will perform in the grand finale of the evening that will also feature historic moments and figures such as the birth of the NFL, the four presidents who hailed from the Prairie State and state military veterans.

Nominations for 200 Illinois veterans to be honored for their service will be accepted through Aug. 31. Nomination forms and additional events celebrating the milestone can be found on the Illinois Bicentennial’s website, illinois200.com.

State to hire conservation police

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is seeking applicants for the position of Conservation Police Officer Trainee. The department is beginning the selection process with the written exam to be administered through Aug. 30, with the intent to hire up to 20 officers in 2019.

Interested applicants should complete a CMS100 employment application from the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS), which can be found online through this link, illinois.gov/sites/work/Pages/CMS100_help.aspx.

Applicants should also review the hiring information contained on the IDNR Law Enforcement webpage dnr.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/Pages/ConservationPoliceOfficerCareerOpportunities.aspx

For more information about the hiring process, review the detailed information available on the IDNR website at dnr.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/Pages/ConservationPoliceOfficerCareerOpportunities.aspx or call Lt. Curt Lewis, IDNR Office of Law Enforcement, at 217-785-8407 or e-mail him at curt.lewis@Illinois.gov.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Former Caterpillar staffer to head United Way

Jennifer Zammuto, who has spent 10 years with the Caterpillar Foundation, will be the next president of the Heart of Illinois United Way.

Zammuto will join United Way on Aug. 1 and replace current president Michael Stephan, who will retire Aug. 31.

Heart of Illinois United Way is the largest non-governmental funding source of health and human care programs in central Illinois. The money it raises stays in the community funding programs in Peoria, Tazewell, Marshall, Putnam, Stark and Woodford counties that help one in three people in central Illinois each year.

EUREKA

EC holds annual summer choral camp

The Eureka College Music Department will present its 19th Annual Eureka College Summer Choral Camp the week of July 8-14.

The camp, hosted by Dr. Joseph D. Henry, camp director/senior conductor, will bring together eighth grade graduates through graduating high school seniors for a camp focused on having fun through vocal music.

This week-long residential choral camp provides campers with a comprehensive and accelerated learning experience that includes small and large ensemble experiences, choir rehearsals, voice classes, private lessons, music theory and solfege classes, daily recitals by professional musicians, a square dance with a live band, a funniest camp video competition and a student talent show. Enrollment is capped at 60 on a first-come, first-served basis. Go to eureka.edu for more information and registration forms.

–Woodford County News Briefs–