Monthly Messenger October 2012 September Scenes in Moss-Bradley Right, top: The Duryea House at 1512 Barker Ave and the Duryea Auto Trap that was built in a barn that once stood behind the house, were reunited on Monday, Sept. 10. Kelly Kolton, owner of the Duryea house, and John Parks, president of the museum board and keeper of the auto, were on-hand for neighbors, friends, and media outlets that were present during this historic moment. The auto was temporary housed at the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center on Main Street, and made a stop at the house before making its journey to its permanent home in the newly-constructed Peoria Riverfront Museum. The museum opens to the public on Oct. 20. Right, bottom: During the September membership meeting, Tom Dries, owner of the Murray-Baker house on Moss Avenue, read a statement from his friend and actress, Diane Keaton. She is the vice president of Los Angeles Conservancy and has been involved in historical preservation all over the country. The letter urged Peorians to stop tearing down their historical sites and focus on preservation.
Next Membership Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 3 Social 6:30 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. Westminster Hall, 1420 W. Moss Candidates’ Forum
PHOTOS COURTESY KELLY KOLTON
A Letter from the President I’m tempted to open by saying “welcome back,” but of course for most of us September is a lot like July and August, perhaps (we hope) a little cooler. Nonetheless, back in the day September was the “back to school” season, so we continue to see it as a welcome back season. It is also when the Moss-Bradley Monthly Messenger resumes after a summer break. This issue of the Monthly Messenger is notable for being the last coordinated by Kelly Kolton. Kelly and her fiancé, Reggie, will be leaving Peoria for a great opportunity in the Chicagoland area. We wish them well, and look forward to the times they return for a visit with old friends in the Moss-Bradley neighborhood. I also want to inform our membership that the Monthly Messenger will continue, now under the guidance of co-editors Stephen and Carolina Erke. The Erkes are Barker Avenue residents, currently in the middle of rehabbing an older home there. Sound familiar? They bring a combination of technology and
communication/marketing skills that fit well with the publication of a neighborhood newsletter. I’m looking forward to hearing the new ideas I’m sure they will bring to the task. Look for them at a membership meeting soon. Finally, I want to mention something else new that just happened. MBRA hosted a “get to know your neighbor” event on August 25 on Barker Avenue. The purpose of the event was to provide opportunity for homeowners and students who are temporary residents of the neighborhood to get acquainted. By all reports the event was successful, with a mixture of students, homeowners, and BU administrators numbering about 90 in attendance. We intend to continue the effort to foster positive relationships among neighbors. Jim Evenhuis deserves a big “thank you” for his efforts in coordinating the event. See you soon,
Rod Lorenz
President, Moss-Bradley Residential Association
ANNOUNCEMENTS Condolences to the family and friends of Robbie Roberts. A long part of our history!
Congratulations to Kelly Kolton and Reggie Bustinza, who won the Bremer Jewelry’s 3rd Annual Race for the Ring. They competed along with 266 other couples in a text-messaging scavenger hunt that sent them around downtown Peoria on Sept. 16. The couple with the most points was awarded a diamond engagement ring, and Reggie proposed on-stage after accepting the prize. Best wishes on their engagement!
Newsletter announcement: Please continue to send your news, photos, and submissions for the newsletter to mossbradleynews@gmail.com. This email will be used by the newsletter staff and is the best way to communicate with them.
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Moss-Bradley Residential Associtation
Send us your observations, story ideas or feedback! E-mail us at mossbradleynews@gmail.com 2 – Monthly Messenger – October 2012
Come and meet the merchants!
Friday, October 5, 2012 5:00�9:00 pm Main at Sheridan intersection area Refreshments and Free Samples! Welcome the new and old businesses. Sponsored by the West Bluff Council
Whittier School Fundraiser at Barnes & Noble Submitted by Bonnie Mason
Come to our Barnes & Noble Fundraiser and support Whittier Primary PTO on Saturday, October 20, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. -11:00 p.m. There will be activities for the students through much of the afternoon including a costume parade. Cut out the Voucher attached or get a voucher from the school or a Whittier parent or mention Whittier at any register when checking out, and Whittier will receive a minimum of 20% of your purchase total. (Give the voucher to everyone you know and e-mail it to folks in other cities. This voucher can be used at any Barnes & Noble in the USA on Oct. 20 and Whittier will get credit!) Purchases include DVDs and CDs in the Music and Film Department (do your Holiday Shopping early!) as well as all purchases made in the Café ~
Thru the Windshield How do we look to those passing by?
Observations ... questions ... hopes ... concerns Compiled by Marjorie Klise
“He who controls the image, controls the race.” What a thought! But upon reflection there is much to be said about image and perception and what people think … especially if it isn’t accurate. When it comes to neighborhoods, image is a vital concern. Do people think it is beautiful? Do people think it is safe?
4 – Monthly Messenger – October 2012
have breakfast or lunch or both! Whole Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes are available to order for the Holidays! Don’t forget the new Educational Toys & Games ~ the entire store is your shopping adventure! Online purchases can also be made in Whittier’s name although the percentage is less than in-store. On-line purchases may be made through October 24th (at the bottom of the payment screen you will find a place to enter the Bookfair ID Number listed on the Voucher). Wish Lists will be available for parents & friends to purchase books to donate to student classrooms and the school library. All funds will be used to support the Whittier teachers and the Whittier school library. Questions? Call Amy Summers (Whittier Fundraising Coordinator) at 6738177 for more information. Thank you for supporting the Whittier PTO!
Are there places to shop or to eat? Do people think they could meet there at entertainment venues? So, who sets the image? It could be the article in the newspaper or sometimes there is TV coverage of an event that reaches many listeners/viewers. If those media send out news of a garage breakin or a college brawl or a messy alley, that’s the image that is spread. Reporters are not always accurate, nor do they have the time or space to flesh out the whole story. Now is the time to set our own image. It is up to all of us to do whatever is necessary to send out positive news throughout the city about our neigh-
borhood. Take time to look at yourself first … your own house (check the paint, the yard, the garbage cans, etc). When people drive by, they will pass a positive image. Then look up and down your block … help a neighbor when they need it, pick up litter, be alert to unusual activity. The word will spread that we are active citizens. Finally, join with our neighborhood organization to help organize an event, pass out some flyers or serve on a committee … these events present positive images to the press. We can make our own image. We can determine our place. We are stronger when we join together.
The October Review
bring to our own domestic spaces. HOUSE is Diane Keaton’s stunning portrayal of the way we may, and do live now in rusticated, reimagined, or repurposed spaces across the country.” Should be very interesting! Published by Rizzoli, out 10/16/2012, hardcover, the book sells for $85.00.
Submitted by Bonnie Mason
Ah, Fall! I do so love this season and just as an extra bonus, in a few days I get to balance eggs. The autumnal equinox does it – I have had as many as seven eggs just standing straight up on end, their ivory image reflected in the black granite counter in my kitchen (it’s quite a photograph) ... I am so easily entertained by the magic and majesty of this World I live in – so many people simply miss the wonder of it all. I, on the other hand, am completely entranced, and just in time for Halloween black squirrels have appeared in my yard! I can’t get used to them. New animals do not frequently appear and these little creatures make me think my squirrels have been caught in an oil slick and need help. They are even sleek. My squirrels are rather fluffy. They all appear to be having a good time together shaking acorns down from the oak tree; the sidewalk is covered, which presents a wonderful crunch when we walk. Ah, Fall! Halloween is my favorite Holiday (it’s actually a tie with the Fourth of July). I love the total atmosphere surrounding Halloween especially the idea of costumes. I have really never given clowns much thought until recently when the Circus sent clowns to do StoryTime at Barnes & Noble. My friends’ reaction to the idea of clowns took me by surprise because mostly they didn’t like them. I was then quite surprised when pulling up Diane Keaton, author, to find she had compiled a book of clown paintings which she has collected, and combined with responses to the collection written by actors with a bent for comedy. Critics referred to Clown Paintings as an odd book that is “as much a look into the dark heart of Hollywood narcissism and juice as it is an excellent introduction to a grim, fascinating artistic subgenre.” The unlikely combination of clown
paintings and text “yields irony levels reaching that of Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and is every bit as entertaining and affecting.” I think this book bears looking into. In high school a friend painted a clown for me with a half smiling half crying face washed in dark blue, I wonder ... Diane Keaton’s book published by powerHouse Books, 10/28/2002 (Halloween), hardcover, sells for $29.95. I found Clown Paintings as a result of my search for Diane Keaton’s new book out next month on Oct. 16, entitled HOUSE. This book promises to be a fascinating study of the resurrection of structures “repurposed” and saved by creative, loving and unique design talents across the USA. To quote: “Inventive designers ... have brought their talents to bear upon the structurally old, the disused, and the antiquated, finding in these buildings the hidden beauty that lies beneath the surface of neglect and decay and through their work revealing to us the many possibilities we might
You might be interested in reading Diane Keaton’s memoir entitled Then Again which was a New York Times bestseller (something I almost never review!) but I am really interested since Diane has been so generous with her time and thoughts in our fight for preservation – I sort of feel as if she is part of our neighborhood, not to mention the fact that I have always loved her as an actress, and her seeming free spirited attitude. I do so love a good free spirit! And my mother put quotes everywhere as did Diane’s, only she went so far as to work her favorites in needlepoint making them into pillows or framing them – she was serious. Then Again is published by Random House, 2011, paperback, it sells for $16.00. I have such an appreciation for this rather unusual neighborhood we live in with all the delightful characters ... It is a fantastic place to celebrate Halloween! Enjoy, and Happy Fall!
Monthly Messenger – October 2012 – 5
School Notes News from St Mark School Submitted by Pat Nedza School Secretary
St. Mark School will be hosting our grandparents for a special luncheon on Thursday, October 18. If you have a neighbor who is a St. Mark student and you know they do not have grandparents close by, you are welcome to join them for lunch. Simply ask them to make a reservation for you. Sunday, October 28 is the date for our annual Trunk-or-Treat. This is a safe and fun way for families to trick-or-treat. There will be a trunk decorating contest, games, food and trick or treating from trunk to trunk. The fun starts at 4:30 p.m. and there is a very small admission fee. St. Mark School will be having an open house for students who will be entering Kindergarten for the 2013-14 school year. The open house will start at 10:00 a.m. in the school. If you have questions, contact the school office at 676-7131.
Used Book Sale
Submitted by Jo Grewell, President of the Friends of Cullom-Davis Library, Bradley University
Annual Used Book Sale on Saturday, October 27 at the library from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The sale will benefit the Bradley University Library. If one would like to donate books to the sale, contact Todd Spires at the BU library at 677-2841 or tspires@bradley. edu to arrange for drop-off of books. 6 – Monthly Messenger – October 2012
Live Music Corner October 21 –the Central Illinois Jazz Society presents the Bradley Jazz Ensemble. The Bradley Jazz Ensemble, under the leadership of Dr. Todd Kelly, is the most visible ensemble in the Bradley jazz program. The Central Illinois Jazz Society House Band will perform during the first set, which will begin at 6:00 p.m. The Bradley Jazz Ensemble will start their set at 7:15 p.m. Our programs are in The Starting Gate Banquet Room, located in Landmark Recreation Center, 3225 N. Dries Lane, Peoria. Admission is $5/Members $7/Non-Members, free for students. Visit www. peoriajazz.com.
Sports classes are starting at Franciscan Rec Complex in October! There are soccer, baseball, and all-star sports for ages 3-6 starting the week of October 9. Franciscan Recreation Complex 908 Sterling Avenue in West Peoria www.peoriaparks.org or call 677-6705.
Sign up online at www.peoriaparks.org or stop in to FRC.
Westminster Presbyterian Church Submitted by the church office
Hearts On Fire campfire worship and hot-dog roast -- Sunday, October 14, 5:00 p.m. in the Bible Garden. Free; a free-will offering will be accepted. American Guild of Organists organ recital -- Friday, October 19, 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Service Auction and Luncheon -- Sunday, October 28, 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Bid on services, from cookie baking to dog-walking, to benefit the church. Free; a free-will offering will be accepted.
Fall-o-ween Festival -- Sunday, October 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Costumes, trunk-or-treating, potluck dinner, crafts, and fun for all ages. Free; a free-will offering will be accepted. The neighborhood is also invited to use the Peoria Public Library’s Bookmobile, which comes to Westminster’s parking lot every other Wednesday from 11:30 to 12:15. This month’s dates are October 3, 17, and 31. For more information on these events, call 673-8501 or visit http://westminsterpeoria.com.
Submit your organization’s news and events to mossbradleynews@gmail.com
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Student Recital- Katie Burnham (voice) 7:30 pm Dingeldine Music Center Free
PDC Pick-Up
27 Student Recital- Emily Volz (voice) 7:30 pm - Dingeldine Music Center - Free
Friday, November 2 Register at ExplorePeoria.com or Facebook.com/ExplorePeoria
(main floor)
Bradley Symphony Orchestra - 7:30 pm Dingeldine Music Center $5/Students Free
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Bradley Chorale, Chanber Singers & Women’s Choir 4:30 pm - Dingeldine Music Center - Free
Bradley Symphonic Winds & Band - 2 pm - Dingeldine Music Center - Free
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Win 2 Tickets to
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Faculty Recital- Michael Hull (guitar) 3 pm Dingeldine Music Center Free
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PSD 150 School Improvement Day - Early Dismissal
Historic Preservation Commission 8:30 am - City Hall Room 400
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Zoning Commission 1 pm - City Hall Room 400
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Moss-Bradley Membership Meeting Social - 6:30 pm Meeting - 7 pm
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Bradley Chorale Talent Show - 7:30 pm Dingeldine Music Center $5
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No School
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Bradley Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Lab Band - 3 pm Dingeldine Music Center $5/Students Free
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Find money saving online coupons from Peoria area businesses!
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October 2012
Moss-Bradley Residential Association 1512 W Barker Ave Peoria, IL 61606
Dated Material – Please Deliver Promptly
PRST.STD U.S. Postage
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Permit #1036 Peoria, IL 61601
Newsletter mossbradleynews@gmail.com Kelly Kolton, Newsletter Editor & Layout Design Skip Cravens, Mailing & Subscription Coordinator Susan Bock, Proofreader Amy Blain, Calendar Monthly Contributors and Photographers as credited
A picture is worth a thousand words. A picture of our neighborhood is worth even more to us!
Send us your neighborhood photos! E-mail your favorite high-resolution JPEG images to mossbradleynews@gmail.com and you might see your photo in an upcoming issue of the Monthly Messenger!
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 Director
Rod Lorenz Jim Evenhuis Tim Shaw Brian Buralli Jim Adams Margaret Cousin Rick Melby Rick Tomic Sid Ruckriegel Marjorie Schwebel
673-9520 303-3245 397-3275 369-2037 256-1484 676-2460
Non-Voting Past Presidents Andrew McGowan Paul Masick Joanne Bannon
637-3271 674-6365 303-0083 673-7348 674-8037 673-0925 678-0370 256-1484
303-0083 672-2363 677-9808 674-6365 676-0330