Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who wrote a diary about hiding from the Nazis with her family in World War II Amsterdam, is the subject of a new ballet the Central Illinois Ballet will perform March 22-24.

PEORIA

Yard waste pickup season returns

Peoria resumed its yard waste pickup service this week.  Pickup will be weekly on the same day as trash pickup.

Yard waste materials include grass clippings, leaves, tree limbs and brush, and must be set out for collection in one of the following options in order to avoid a missed pick up.

• Use plastic or metal garbage cans that are between up to 45 gallons in size, with two handles, and a tight fitting lid.
• Use wheeled carts that are either 65- or 95-gallon size. Residents are encouraged not to use the city of Peoria trash carts for yard waste. The limbs and branches cause harm on the carts and reduce the life of the City’s carts.
• Use paper yard waste bags, which may not exceed 30 pounds in weight.
• Tree limbs and sticks can be bundled with nonmetallic cord, such as twine, but must be less than five feet in length and less than 50 pounds in weight.

Resident should label cans or carts with green Yard Waste Only stickers. The stickers are available at City Hall, Public Works or any Peoria Disposal Company location.

As with trash and recycling, all yard waste materials must be set out by 6 a.m. on collection day. Cans, carts or materials must be set next to trash carts, leaving three feet of space between and avoiding obstacles such as cars, snow or mailboxes. Any cans or carts need to be removed from the curb or alley by 5 p.m.

Yard waste pickup will continue through the week of Dec. 9-13.  For more information, visit PeoriaPicksUp.com or call PDC at 309-674-5176, ext. 1.

Holocaust is subject  of new ballet

When many people think about ballet, images of beautiful princesses and princes in lavish costumes come to mind. Ballets about war and human suffering are in the minority. But add one by Central Illinois Ballet Artistic Director Rebekah von Rathonyi. She is tackling the inspirational and heart-wrenching story of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis with her family in World War II Amsterdam.

Anne Frank’s story has been told a few times through dance, but there was no script or score available, so von Rathonyi wrote her own. She began working on the ballet about a year ago, starting with doing historical research.

Classical music, mostly by Jewish composers, will accompany about 50 dancers from Central Illinois Ballet and its school, the Cornerstone Academy for Performing Arts, during the 48-minute production. Playing the lead of Anne Frank is Cornerstone student Coralie Zika.

Because the ballet addresses difficult topics and contains historically accurate scenes of Holocaust-related violence, organizers have posted a warning on the company’s website that the production might not be appropriate for small children.

The Central Illinois Ballet will perform “Anne Frank” March 22-24 at the Central Illinois Ballet Theatre, 830 W Main St. in Peoria. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and children

To help soften the emotional toll on the audience, the evening will feature a lighter second half.

Club will discuss book that takes light look at aging parents

The Bibliophiles Book Club will meet at 1:30 p.m. April 2, at Lakeview Branch of the Peoria Public Library to discuss the 2019 Peoria Reads selection, “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir,” by Roz Chast.

In her first memoir, New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast brings her signature wit to the topic of aging parents. Spanning the last several years of their lives and told through four-color cartoons, family photos, and documents, and a narrative as rife with laughs as it is with tears, Chast’s memoir is both comfort and comic relief for anyone experiencing the life-altering loss of elderly parents. While the particulars are Chast-ian in their idiosyncrasies–an anxious father who had relied heavily on his wife for stability as he slipped into dementia and a former assistant principal mother whose overbearing personality had sidelined Roz for decades–the themes are universal: adult children accepting a parental role; aging and unstable parents leaving a family home for an institution; dealing with uncomfortable physical intimacies; and hiring strangers to provide the most personal care.

The Lakeview Branch is at 1137 W. Lake Ave., Peoria. For more information, call 309-497-2200.s

Vendors wanted for new Market season

One of many signs of spring: The Riverfront Market is looking for vendors as opening day nears. The market opens May 18, and will be open from 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday through Sept. 28, at Peoria’s RiverFront.

Vendors will supply shoppers with selections of fresh produce, local meats, eggs, berries, breads and cheeses. Everything is locally grown and sourced, and will brought directly from farms and gardens each week.

Also featured will be pottery, blown glass, jewelry, wood turned items, candles, soaps and more — all handcrafted by local artists.

The market will be located in the River Station parking lot, 212 SW Water St., directly across from the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Free parking is available in surrounding lots and streets.

Applications and Rules and Regulations for art and produce vendors are available at downtownpeoria.com or by calling 309-671-5555.