Peoria Magazines

11/30/2023

"I have a weird guilty pleasure: Reading old newspapers."

When newspapers were king 82 years ago, there was no indication of the war horror to come Ihave a weird guilty pleasure: Reading old newspapers. I bet not t ...

11/29/2023

All you need is love and dinner theater.

Mary Simon’s life and legacy are as enduring as the dinner theater she helped launch and lift through the decades All you need is love and dinner theater. T ...

11/28/2023

“We wanted something that was really easy to eat, very crunchy (and) also very healthy."

A new pumpkin seed snack made by Top Fox outside Congerville is in more than 5,000 stores nationallySeeking a healthier diet, Jeremy Zobrist discovered a fi ...

11/27/2023

“I think growing up around livestock and around the farm teaches you responsibility and to be selfless."

In Princeton, Coal Creek Brewing Company got a quick start, and began making a name for itself just as fastThe new Coal Creek Brewing Company in Princeton c ...

11/16/2023

Lincoln is a city that is steeped in history but not immune to modern challenges.

Founded in 1853, the Logan County community ‘is known throughout the world’Lincoln is a city that is steeped in history but not immune to modern challenges. ...

11/15/2023

Walking into the gift store at The Hayloft Shops along old Galena Road in Mossville is like stepping into a travelogue.

For more than a half century, The Hayloft Shops in Mossville has charmed customers with a shopping experience all its ownWalking into the gift store at The ...

11/14/2023

The basic equation could not be more simple: Ukelele + electric guitar + drums = Fun Music.

Peoria-based emily the band is turning heads in music circles The basic equation could not be more simple: Ukelele + electric guitar + drums = Fun Music. Th ...

11/13/2023

Despite the tragic evidence that lay all around them, many residents of Washington found themselves saying how lucky they felt.

On that fateful day, an EF-4 tornado struck central Illinois, and 10 years later, survivors recount the harrowing taleJessica Uftring and her sons headed to ...

11/10/2023

You can get coffee or tea, with a side order of cats.

The Cat’s Meow Café is the first of its kind in this part of central IllinoisThe Cat’s Meow Café in Bloomington peddles pours and purrs.You can get coffee o ...

11/09/2023

The Smithsonian Institute has the first gasoline-powered automobile ever built in America, or more precisely, built in the Village of Peoria Heights.

The former observation tower on Grandview Drive Downtown Peoria Heights is one of those charming places where, if you were on vacation, you’d take a picture ...

11/08/2023

Long-term monitoring can show changes and challenges to the ecosystem, which then can be dealt with and hopefully remedied.

For some 150 years, scientists have conducted research on fish and waterfowl populations from biological field stations near HavanaThe Illinois River provid ...

11/07/2023

"It’s climate change. It’s inflation. It’s a combination of both."

Given the ‘severe and erratic weather,’ Pekin Insurance suspends writing new home insurance policies in IllinoisIt’s climate change. It’s inflation. It’s a ...

11/06/2023

“I’ve been very lucky as a broadcaster. Where else in American could a guy … decide the topic, decide who the guests will be, tape the show and not have interference?”

After 35 years as host of At Issue on WTVP, H Wayne Wilson – make that just H – is riding off into the sunsetAfter arriving in Peoria, H Wayne Wilson didn’t ...

11/03/2023

The Forest Park Foundation, a gift that has kept on giving to the Peoria area for 84 years, has come to an end.

The philanthropic organization founded by three of Peoria’s biggest names left a mark like no other in central IllinoisThe Forest Park Foundation, a gift th ...

11/02/2023

“I felt whatever went in there needed to be a big concept."

Local entrepreneur Andrew Driscoll is getting creative and taking risks in trying to enliven Peoria’s DowntownWhen it came to finding a tenant for the space ...

11/01/2023

2023 has produced another stellar crop of Forty Under 40s.

40 Leaders Under Forty2023 has produced another stellar crop of Forty Under 40s, ranging in age from 27 to 39, cutting across multiple careers and contribut ...

10/31/2023

The November issue is out.

10/30/2023

Religious radio has long had a loyal following in central Illinois.

For more than 50 years, ‘God has provided’ to keep the Christian broadcasting format alive in central Illinois Religious radio has long had a loyal followin ...

10/27/2023

Eureka was not only the first school in Illinois to admit women as equal partners when it came to educational opportunity but just the third in the country to do so.

And where the chaplain plays a role to this dayReviewing the origins of Eureka College, a school founded in 1855, provides a history lesson that involves re ...

10/26/2023

You might not know his name or face. But you know his work.

You may not know Aaron Zigman but you know his work, and now he knows Peoria and he’s impressedA chance encounter makes me wonder:At any given time, how man ...

10/25/2023

There are many reasons to be intrigued by Peoria Kiwanis Club, but at the heart of the matter is our mission.

'Kiwanis is … a global organization of volunteers, dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time.”There are many reasons to b ...

10/24/2023

"The owner/operator of the “I Know You Like a Book” bookstore in Peoria Heights was widely known as both a champion of the arts and an advocate for local businesses."

When Mary Beth Nebel died in July at the age of 67, the owner/operator of the “I Know You Like a Book” bookstore in Peoria Heights was widely known as both ...

10/23/2023

“It’s hard drawing people to a small country church."

For 182 years, Blue Ridge Church near Chillicothe has proven ‘a spiritual anchor’ in central Illinois farm country The small country church may be the last ...

10/20/2023

“There’s really nothing like this in the area."

Religious principles and solid business sense converge at Braker’s Market outside Eureka, a throwback to an earlier eraFamily vacations and stops at Amish m ...

10/19/2023

Founded as a religious commune in 1846, Bishop Hill has gone through many phases.

Founded as a refuge of religious freedom, Bishop Hill marches forward on its Swedish heritage and modern hospitalityReligious freedom is fundamental to the ...