Eureka Public Library staff members Cindy O’Neill, far left and Ann Reeves delivered 361 personal items and supplies to Sara Cosgrove  far right, at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy as part of a new summer reading service activity. The items, donated by Eureka community members, will be used by the veterans and their spouses residing at the home.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Free performances of Shakespeare coming

Shakespeare is coming to central Illinois and celebrating Illinois’s Bicentennial.

Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks is coming to Peoria, the first time the program will travel outside of Chicago in its seven-year history. This summer, the theater group’s Tony Award-winning founder and artistic director Barbara Gaines stages her new music-filled adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless classic, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The Peoria performances will be presented in Glen Oak Park, 2218 N. Prospect Road, at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 and 2 p.m. Aug. 19. A specially equipped truck will travel from Chicago and unfold into a stage—and a company of professional actors will share Shakespeare’s comedy with the audience. The public is invited to bring blankets or lawn chairs. The play, which is for all ages, will run for 75 minutes with no intermission.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is working in partnership with the Peoria Park District—the oldest and largest park district in Illinois—as well as residents and community organizations to cultivate new audiences from neighborhoods across the down state region. The first-of-its-kind tour is made possible by a civic, cultural, and corporate partnership between Chicago and Peoria.

Pollinator Palooza explains importance of pollinators

Join University of Illinois Extension and the Illinois State University Horticulture Center as they celebrate the world of pollinators. 

The Pollinator Palooza: A Party for the Pollinators will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Illinois State University Horticulture Center, located along Rabb Road in Normal, across from The Corn Crib Stadium.

This family-friendly event is attracting more than 15 community organizations offering a variety of activities and information booths on all things pollinators: bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, and plants. 

Make a hummingbird feeder, learn the bee waggle dance (how bees fly from flower to flower), play pollinator games, purchase pollinator plants and honey, and more. Also, enjoy some light refreshments that would not be possible without pollinators, including fruits, vegetables, and chocolate.

At the event, the public can help save the pollinators that are not only critical to the food supply and human survival but make the world a more beautiful and interesting place.

There is no cost or registration to attend. For more information, call the McLean County Extension Office at 309-663-8306. 

EUREKA

Library drive nets donations for veterans

The Eureka Public Library tried something different this past summer. As part of an adult summer reading program focusing on Woodford County veterans and the Illinois Bicentennial, the library launched a service project to support veterans and their spouses residing at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy.

Working with Sara Colgrove, director of volunteer services and activities at the home, the library distributed a list of personal items and supplies needed at the home to library patrons and area residents. The community responded with the donation of 361 items and $1,020 dollars.

In addition, the library collected 50 thank-you cards and donations for the purchase of eight military-themed children’s books. The books were sent to the Veterans’ Home in June and read as part of a special intergenerational story time event with residents and Quincy YMCA youth. The books were then added to the Veterans’ Home’s library collection. The remaining donations were delivered to the Veterans’ Home on July 27 by library director Ann Reeves and program coordinator Cindy O’Neill.

AARP offers public refresher driving classes

A two-day AARP Smart Driver Course will be held at the Eureka Public Library, 202 S. Main St., Eureka, 9 a.m. to 1p.m. Aug. 9 and Aug. 10. Drivers interested in attending have to make a reservation by calling the library at 309-467-2922. The course is open to the general public. 

Cars have changed. So have traffic rules, driving conditions and roads. An AARP Driver Safety Course is a refresher that will enable drivers to gain confidence in defensive driving techniques. 

The materials, videos and oral presentations are filled with useful, new information about how to drive more safely in today’s increasingly challenging driving environment. The course is presented over two days for four hours each day. Although the course is designed for those over the age of 50 anyone is welcome to take the course.

AARP membership is not required to take the course. There are no tests to pass, in the car or in the classroom. A fee of $15 for AARP members and $20 for nonmembers, is collected to cover the cost of student materials. Payment will be collected at the first class.

–Woodford County News Briefs–