This house was once a barn. Dan and Beth Harms will talk about how they made the transformation when they address the Nov. 8 meeting of the Woodford County Historical Society. The meeting is free and open to the public.

COUNTY

How a barn became a home

Dan and Beth Harms will talk at the next meeting of the Woodford County Historical Society about their home. They will tell about how they turned the family farm’s barn into a large, modern home and will share their adventures and knowledge gained in the process. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 8, at the El Paso Public Library, 149 W. First St. The meeting is free and open to the public.

EUREKA

Author to talk about the famous, and not so famous

The Eureka Public Library District, 202 Main St., will host Peoria author Ken Zurski, who will speak at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8, about his latest book, “Unremembered: Tales of the Nearly Famous and Not Quite Forgotten.”  Zurski, author of “The Wreck of the Columbia” and “Peoria Stories,” provides a fascinating collection of once famous people and events that are now all but forgotten by time. Using a backdrop of schemes and discoveries, adventures and tragedies, Zurski weaves these figures and the events that shaped them into a narrative that reveals history’s many coincidences, connections, and correlations. Admission is free. Copies of “Unremembered” will be available for sale and signing. 

Family Reading Night slated for Nov. 15

The Eureka Public Library District wants families to read together on the upcoming annual Family Reading Night.  But not at the library.

Families are encouraged to pick a time that night, slip into their jammies and read for this year’s Family Reading Night – at home. Then, take a picture of the family reading together and e-mail it to richeyrs@hotmail.com.  Library staff will put the picture on a special certificate that will be posted at the library. At the end of November, families can pick up the certificate and keep as a memento. Flyers available in the children’s library outline how to participate in Family Reading Night.

Family Reading Night is an annual statewide event held the third Thursday in November to encourage families to spend quality time reading together.

Singer Jim Cornelison to perform at football game

Celebrated national anthem singer Jim Cornelison will perform before the Eureka College football game on Nov. 10 at McKinzie Field.

Cornelison, known for his performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Chicago Blackhawks games, will sing the anthem before the 1 p.m. game against Rockford.

As part of Eureka’s Veterans Day promotion, veterans will receive free admission to the game and will also be invited onto the field for a pregame recognition ceremony.

Cornelison’s popularity has resulted in him singing at numerous noteworthy sporting events. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway recently announced that Cornelison would return for the third consecutive year to perform “Back Home Again in Indiana” at the 2019 Indianapolis 500.

Eureka College transfer students will get free tuition

A new financial aid program, Uniquely Eureka Promise, offers two years of free tuition to needy community college graduates who transfer to Eureka College. The program is aimed at students who might not have the financial ability to complete a bachelor’s degree after their associate degree.

Applicants are required to be Illinois residents who have completed an associate degree from an accredited community college with a cumulative unweighted grade point average of 2.8. They also must be eligible to receive an Illinois Monetary Award Program grant and a federal Pell grant as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and have a FAFSA Estimated Family Contribution of $1,000 or less.

Eureka College is working with Peoria Promise and Illinois Central College, but the program is not exclusively for students of those schools. More information is available on the college’s website, eureka.edu, or by calling Chris Robinson, assistant dean of admissions/transfer student coordinator, at 309-467-6344.

–Woodford County News Briefs–