Monthly Messenger October 2011 Inside this Issue: President’s Letter 2 Westminster News 3 School Notes 3 Thru the Windshield 4 Malvern Musings 5 Events 6 Calendar 7
Next Membership Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 5 Social 6:30 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. Westminster Hall, 1420 W. Moss Presenters: Amanda Hendricks, Admissions and Marketing Director for Courtyard Estates Earl Power Murphy, new owner of the church at Main and High Street
PHOTO BY TATIANA JOHNSON
A Letter from the President In last month’s newsletter I concluded with a somewhat glib comment about making a good neighborhood into a great one. Afterwards I wondered if someone might ask me “What makes a neighborhood great?” This got me thinking. What is it that defines a great neighborhood? How would any of us know if we found ourselves in one? What neighborhood characteristics don’t matter at all? Here are a few thoughts that might define a great neighborhood. People care about the neighborhood per se, and are active and diligent in enhancing quality of life in the area. Residents know many of their neighbors, care about their well-being, and look for ways to help, both routinely and in times of stress. Residents understand the value of diversity and embrace their differences, while remaining united in pursuit of highest possible quality of life for all in the neighborhood. An organization with transparent governance represents the neighborhood and coordinates neighborhood activities; the great majority of residents are active in the organization. Give this question some thought. Send me your ideas about what makes a great neighborhood—either abstractions such as those above or more concrete activities. We’ll come up with a prize for each contribution. In the process you’ll identify some of what you and the Moss-Bradley Residential Association should be working on this year.
2 – Monthly Messenger – October 2011
Rod Lorenz
President, Moss-Bradley Residential Association
Editor’s Note: Want to submit your ideas? Please send contributions to mossbradleynews@gmail.com with the Subject Line, “Great neighborhood idea.” If you do not have e-mail, you can mail them to the Moss-Bradley Residential Association, 1512 W. Barker Ave, Peoria, IL 61606.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Volunteer Opportunities: the Moss Bradley Residential Association is always looking for extra help. You can volunteer to help set up refreshments at the monthly meetings. The newsletter is also recruiting volunteers. We’re looking for a proofreader. For details on how you can get involved, e-mail Kelly at mossbradleynews@gmail.com
News from Westminster Presbyterian Church
School Notes
Submitted by the Westminster Church Office
Everyone is invited to “Abraham Lincoln in Song,” a free performance by award-winning folk musician Chris Vallillo, on Sunday, October 9, at 3:00 p.m. Vallillo uses both contemporary music and traditional songs that Lincoln himself would have known to tell the story of Lincoln, his life, and his times. The free concert is presented by the Gretchen R. Iben Fund. Each Sunday night from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., college students and their friends are invited to join Westminster Presbyterian for a free meal and a fun discussion through SNAC3 (Sunday Night Alive with the College-Church Connection). Meet with Bradley University personnel, get rides if you need them, and go home with baked goods. SNAC3 happens every Sunday during the Bradley school year. Join us in the Bible Garden at Westminster for “Hearts on Fire,” a campfire worship service, on Sunday, October 16, at 5:00 p.m. Worship is casual, and everyone is invited. Stay afterwards for a hot dog and marshmallow roast. The event is free. Everyone is welcome to join us in the Westminster Fellowship Hall for a Fellowship Luncheon on Sunday, October 23, at 11:45 a.m. The luncheon is free; a free-will offering will be accepted. For family fun at Halloween, join us in the Westminster Fellowship Hall for “Fall-o-Ween” on Sunday, October 30, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. We’ll have food, crafts, and games for kids and adults. The event is free; a free-will offering will be accepted. For more information, call 673-8501 or visit www.westminsterpresbyterian.org
News from Whittier
Submitted by Doug Atkins
News from St. Mark’s Submitted by Pat Nedza
Our District is initiating a “Reading Buddy” program for our 3rd Grade students to fully enhance their reading abilities. So far, we have not quite reached our ultimate goal of attaining 500 volunteers. Interested participants may follow the online sign-up below:
The 2011-2012 is off to a great start despite the extreme heat. We hope our neighbors are now getting used to the sounds of children on the playground!
Volunteer Registration:
October 12 – Students in grades 3-8 will participate in the Guinness Book of World Records Jumping Jack Event at 8:00 a.m. Join us and local celebrities as we participate in this national event sponsored by National Geographic for Kids.
1. Log on to the www.psd150.org. 2. On the left side of screen, select the link: “A Classroom is Calling” 3. Choose the “3rd Grade Reading Buddies” link. 4. Select “Volunteer Registration Form” 5. Fill in the necessary information and submit. (In addition to these instructions for approved volunteers to sign up for training, potential volunteers must complete the district volunteer applications. The application packet can be found at www.psd150.org. Click on the link for “ A Classroom Is Calling” and follow the Reading Buddies links.)
Upcoming events at St. Mark School include:
October 21 – Grandparents and special friends will join the students for lunch. October 30 – Families are invited to join us for “Trunk or Treat” in the church parking lot. Decorate your trunk or truck and give out treats to the kids as they trick-or-treat from car to car. Event starts at 4:30 p.m. with food and games and trick or treating shortly thereafter. You do not have to decorate your vehicle to participate in the trick-or-treating. Small admission fee.
For more information: contactPrincipal Atkins at 672-6569.
State of the Media Industry Panel
The Department of Communication at Bradley University sponsors a panel discussion about the Media Industry on Thursday, October 13 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Caterpillar Global Communications Center Horowitz Auditorium. Free and open to the public.
Monthly Messenger – October 2011 – 3
Thru the Windshield How do we look to those passing by?
Observations ... questions ... hopes ... concerns Compiled by Marjorie Klise
Several weeks ago a couple people showed up at my house for a 48-hour visit. It was a scheduled visit. And the purpose was to “do whatever needs doing by two people with minimal skills but a lot of generosity and willingness to be of help.” I was amazed, as I have been in the past when similar things happened. (Aren’t families wonderful?) So, this time I was ready with a list. Doors to be taken off. Plants to be moved from the
Support Our School Bookfair Fundraisers
Submitted by Bonnie Mason
Our neighborhood schools need our help. Available funding has changed, but our kids’ needs haven’t. Our neighborhood schools are turning to us for help through creative fundraising of all sorts, including Bookfairs. Whittier Primary School is having a Bookfair on October 29 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5001 N. Big Hollow Road, Peoria (in the Glen Hollow Shopping Center). Make a list of the books you want or would buy between now and October 29 and purchase them at the Bookfair. Do your Christmas shopping on that day! Buy the books on your Book Club list for next year. Meet neighbors in the Café for breakfast, lunch, or a coffeebreak. Shop for DVD’s and CD’s in the Music Department. Buy your favorite magazines. Check out the educational toys and games for your children / grandchildren for birthdays and holi4 – Monthly Messenger – October 2011
inside to the outside. A variety of yard chores. We dug holes. We transplanted bushes. We laid stone. We fertilized. We trimmed and we had a really fun time. The work that gets done by three people is so much more than can be accomplished by just one … even in three times the hours. Isn’t it funny how many tasks need three hands … at least? Isn’t it wonderful to have another pair of eyes to say “over a bit to the right” or “let’s try it here.” The laughs overshadow the bruised knees. The “atta boy” and “good job” make the day speed by. Is there any way we could set aside a Saturday morning (or two) this fall or next summer and do this sort of organized labor for people in the neighborhood? Three hours of work by five or six people could make a huge difference. We would only do outdoors’ days. The term Bookfair is somewhat misleading, so here is how a Bookfair works: »»
The school is given a voucher with an assigned ID number.
»»
On a designated day – during all store hours - a percentage of the sales including that ID number is contributed to the school.
»»
Supporters must present a valid Bookfair voucher or mention participation in the Bookfair at the register for their purchases to count toward the in-store Bookfair total.
»»
The higher the Bookfair total, the greater the contribution percentage for our school.
Anyone in the United States can shop at any Barnes & Noble with the Bookfair ID number on the designated day. E-mail it to friends and family in San Francisco or Miami. Get everyone involved! The St. Mark’s Grade School Bookfair will follow in December.
work. No construction or heavy lifting. Maybe some porch cleaning or hedge trimming. Some weeding or raking. The project would benefit us all as the neighborhood began to sparkle. If you need help … perhaps a person living alone who needs a hand, or an elderly neighbor with a bum hip or a single parent who can’t corral the kids long enough to plant some bulbs ... leave your name at our monthly meeting. And if you would like to help, you can leave your name at a meeting also, and someone will contact you. It will be fun. It will be fast. Just a couple hours. It will be our contribution to improving the planet we have been loaned for this short while.
Malvern Musings A monthly column about growing things and growing a great neighborhood Submitted by Dan Callahan
Editor’s Note: this piece originally appeared in the Sept. 25 edition of the Peoria Journal Star and is reprinted with permission. The dogwood leaves are loosening themselves and drifting earthward here on Malvern Lane.The gentle descent into autumn has begun. The mood is somber, as is the news about the regal presence of this street - Westminster House at 1508 Moss. That Prairie Style/”Early Modern Rectalinear” home has graced the neighborhood for over a century. After a four-year effort by Westminster Presbyterian Church, three trials and an about-face by the Peoria City Council on its historic preservation ordinance, it looks like Westminster House will be demolished. On Sept. 8, a local circuit judge ruled that Westminster Church is exempted from historic protection and has the right to tear the house down. We who live nearby and countless other visitors to the neighborhood expected this house to survive. Built in 1901 by William Reeves, architect of Peoria’s City Hall, this residence was sturdily constructed of the finest materials. These included red slate (no longer mined,) Roman brick (which accentuates its smooth planar surfaces), beveled glass, copper, limestone and fine woods. In this era, we’ve come to realize the ecological cost of abandoning such precious elements. Its materials alone would have merited adaptive re-use. This house also carries an incredible cultural pedigree as the private home of a master designer. It could have endured another century as both a testament of good design and superior construction. Sadly, its church owners could not or would not see this. I have never witnessed such fervor, such determination to
PHOTO COURTESY DAN CALLAHAN
“Epilogue”
throw out something of great value. In a neighborhood experiencing a renaissance, where there has been so much renewed energy and reinvestment, it makes no sense to work so hard to destroy a place that could have been a lovely, inviting home. Or used for any number of institutional or community functions. Neither ethically nor economically is demolition justified. Even more ironic and disingenuous are the claims of “religious mission” that require it to be destroyed. And yet, we must prepare ourselves to say goodbye to this grand sentinel of the bluff. I encourage readers to make a last visit before it’s too late, while keeping in mind the confluence of events that have precluded its future, the failure to appreciate what an incredible architectural heritage we’ve inherited, the politics that have diminished the role of historic preservation locally, and the waste of resources and energy it will take to replace them. Let us hope that we will renew our commitment to prevent future losses like this. A first step would be for the City Council to review the hastily approved revisions of Feb. 8. Those changes to the historic preservation ordinance have made it far too easy for a jewel like Westminster House to be discarded.
Upcoming Jazz Event Submitted by Dick Marsho, Publicity Chair, Central Illinois Jazz Society
Kevin Hart and the Vibe Tribe, along with David Hoffman, had an active summer of outdoor concerts throughout the region, including the 2011 Iowa City Jazz Festival, which has been named by Downbeat magazine as one of the top ten jazz festivals in the country. For this CIJS performance, Kevin on vibes will be joined by Adam Wilhelm on piano, Andy Crawford on bass, Tom Marko on drums, and special guest Carlos Vega on saxophone. Kevin’s CDs are available at performances and at www.kevinhartjazz.com. Carlos Vega is a recent D.M.A. graduate of the University of Illinois Jazz Studies program. Dr. Vega has taught at the college and university level for over a decade and has performed and recorded with many of the top jazz artists in the jazz, Latin, and commercial music scene. Dr. Vega is currently an active performer in Chicago and is featured in the group Chicago Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble.
Bradley Symphony Orchestra News Submitted by Bradley
The Bradley Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Brian Dollinger, will present its first concert of the 2011-2012 Concert Season on Saturday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dingeldine Music Center, located at 1417 W. Barker Avenue. Admission is $5 for adults, and free for students. The performance will include faculty guest artist Alison Robuck, as she per6 – Monthly Messenger – October 2011
The Central Illinois Jazz Society (CIJS) House Band will play during the first set, under the leadership of Larry Harms. The CIJS House Band features outstanding jazz musicians from the area. They will entertain you with a mixture of jazz styles. This talented group is the heart of our monthly jazz program for the jazz fans of Central Illinois. They will present a variety of live jazz offerings. For more information call 692-5330 or visit www.peoriajazz.com.
UPCOMING CIJS EVENT:
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011
Uncovering the Stories of Midwestern Women Artists, 1840-1940. Symposium at Bradley University. October 20-21, 2011 Exceptional speakers. Original conversations. Engaging art exhibition. Free and open to the public. Details and registration: http://iwa.bradley.edu/symposium
CIJS House Band - 6:00 p.m. Kevin Hart and the Vibe Tribe with special guest Carlos Vega – 7:15 p.m. Finish Line Banquet Room (Located in Landmark Rec. Center) 3225 N. Dries Lane, Peoria Admission: $5.00 Members $7.00 Non-Members Children 14 years and under Free Contact: 692-5330 or www.peoriajazz.com
forms Mozart’s Concerto for Oboe in C major. The concert also will include the most popular movement from Smetana’s Ma Vlast, The Moldau, as well as the dramatic and rich Symphony No. 2 by Alexander Borodin. This performance marks the beginning of the sixth year of the Bradley Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mr. Dollinger. Dollinger is a native of Morton and first performed with the BSO as a double bassist in the late 1980’s under the direction of Dr. John Jost. Dollinger is the instructor of double bass and conducting at Bradley and
Submit your organization’s news and events to mossbradleynews@gmail.com
is the Music Director and Conductor of the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra (IA), Clinton Symphony Orchestra (IA), and the Conductor of the Central Illinois Youth Symphony. The 22nd Annual Bradley Stringfest will be held on Tuesday, October 11 on the Bradley University campus. The day-long event includes a workshop for hundreds of high school string students from the surrounding communities followed by a concert performance at 7:00 p.m. in Dingeldine Music Center, located at 1417 W. Barker Ave.
October 2011
Calendar compiled by Amy Blain
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Win great merchandise from Wicked PLUS refer others to win a pair of main floor tickets (Row J) at the Peoria Civic Center! Find more details at:
Bradley Univ. Theatre Ragtime 8 pm Hartmann Center
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Bradley Univ. Theatre Ragtime 2:30 pm Hartmann Center
Moss-Bradley Membership Meeting Social - 6:30 pm Meeting - 7 pm
Zoning Commission 1 pm City Hall Room 400
No School
Bradley String Festival All Day Dingeldine Music Center, Free
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MSCS - Bradley Jazz Ensemble 3 pm - Dingeldine Music Center, $5/ Students Free
Bradley Parents Weekend
Band Concert 2 pm - Dingeldine Music Center, Free Choir Concert 4:30 pm - Dingeldine Music Center, Free Bradley Symphony-Orchestra Concert 3 pm - Dingeldine Music Center, $5/Students Free
PSD 150 Half Day of School
Historic Preservation Commission 8:30 am City Hall Room 400
Bradley Chorale Talent Show 7:30 pm - Dingeldine Music Center, $5
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Newsletter mossbradleynews@gmail.com Kelly Kolton, Editor Skip Cravens, Mailing and Subscription Coordinator Amy Blain, Calendar Monthly Contributors and Photographers as credited
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Officers & Committees West Bluff Council Bradley Univ. Moss Ave. Sale Neighborhood Pride Social Historic Commission Landscaping Greeter Greenway Project Webmaster TriCorn Park
Marjorie Klise Paul Masick Robert D. Aviles Jan Krouse Available Dr. Lindsey & Kathy Ma Paul Masick Sid Ruckriegel Dan Callahan Skip Cravens Peter Getz Steve Erke Jim Adams
674-6864 674-6365 673-8896 676-7900
Board Members President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Director Director Director Director Director
Rod Lorenz Jim Evenhuis Brian Buralli Jim Adams Margaret Cousin Wayne Johnson Marjorie Schwebel Tim Shaw Rita Speck
673-9520 303-3245 369-2037 256-1484 676-2460 453-9436 672-2363
Non-Voting Past Presidents Sid Ruckriegel Andrew McGowan Paul Masick Joanne Bannon
637-3271 674-6365 303-0083 673-7348 674-8037 673-0925 678-0370 256-1484
453-6700 303-0083 677-9808 674-6365 676-0330