Entries such as this one will entertain the public at the upcoming Festival of Lights Parade. The parade route will change this year, as a way to improve traffic flow during the event. The parade will kick off as usual at the intersection of East Washington Street and Dolans Lane, at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 18.

COUNTY

Health officials challenge public to walk 132 miles

Start walking.

That is what the Tazewell County Health Department wants everyone to do. The department is holding its annual Trek Around Tazewell to encourage people to walk 132 miles in eight weeks.

The number of miles is the distance around Tazewell County on its perimeter. There is no weigh-in. County health officials just want people to start walking, an easy and effective form of exercise.

This is the third year for the challenge. In the last two years, 60 people took up the challenge. About a third of last year’s participants finished the 132 miles.

The trek runs through Nov. 25. The county will use Benovate, a private health portal, to track the miles. To register your tracking device or app go to leaptazewell.com. The participant will receive a confirmation email from info@benovate.com verifying the account.

The cost to register is $20 per person. The money will go to the Tazewell Public Health Foundation. Make checks payable to the foundation and mail to TPHF, 21306 Illinois Route 9, Tremont, 61568.

Prizes will be awarded for the most miles completed, the person who finishes the required miles in the quickest time, and, for the first time, a random drawing from all who completed the required miles.

Teen program gets anti-drug funds

Tazewell Teen Initiative in Tazewell County is among the recipients for national anti-drug funds.

National Drug Control Policy has awarded 719 Drug-Free Communities Support Program grants totaling $89 million. The grants will provide local community coalitions funding to prevent youth substance use, including prescription drugs, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol. The $89 million represents the largest number ever in grantees in a single year ever to come from the White House Drug Policy Office.

Tazewell Teen Initiative has invested in teaching youth and community members about substance abuse prevention, in an effort to invest in the future of Tazewell County and make the county a safe and drug-free place for teenagers. The new funding will be used to help area youth make healthy choices about substance use.

WASHINGTON

Federal government honors local school

The U.S. Department of Education has recognized Central Intermediate School by naming it a National Blue Ribbon School. The Washington school received the honor along with 15 other public schools and nine private schools in Illinois. A total of 342 schools across the country received the designation.

The honor recognizes a school’s exemplary performance. Schools must be in the top 15 percent of all schools in the state based on student performance on state assessments, as well as other performance measures.

A school can be nominated for the designation only once every five years.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools in two categories, exemplary high-performing schools and schools that make outstanding academic gains in closing gains based on race or economic status.

Central Intermediate School officials are expected to attend a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in November.

In addition to Central Intermediate School, area schools that also were named National Blue Ribbon Schools were Peoria Christian Elementary School, Bloomington Central Catholic High School and Rogers Elementary School in Waterloo.

EAST PEORIA

Festival of Lights parade route altered

The Festival of Lights parade route is changing this year, as a way to improve traffic flow during the event.

The parade will kick off as usual at the intersection of East Washington Street and Dolans Lane, and will continue on Washington Street, turning left at the intersection with Camp Street. Then the route will change. The lighted floats will turn right from Washington onto Taylor Street and continue along Taylor in front of Central Junior High School, ending at Taylor Street and Springfield Road at the U.S. Post Office. The new route is designed to keep Illinois State Route 116 open and help with overall city traffic flow, particularly at the Main and Washington streets intersection, and reduce the number of detours.

The parade will begin at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 18.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–