O'Brien Field Tour and Chiefs Game -- August 30, 2010

Our last trip of Summer 2010 featured a visit to O’Brien Field, home of the Peoria Chiefs minor league baseball team.

Chiefs President Rocky Vonachen led a behind-the-scenes tour of the ballpark and facilities. We even had a surprise visit from Chiefs patriarch and Peoria legend Pete Vonachen before the game. After the tour, we enjoyed our box seats in Wrigleyville, dined on a buffet dinner of hot dogs and burgers, then watched the Chiefs take on the Clinton LumberKings (the final score was Clinton 7, Peoria 2).

For more information about O'Brien Field and the Peoria Chiefs, visit the team's website.

Area Organic Farms -- August 19, 2010

Twenty OLLI members enjoyed a mid-August trip throughout Peoria County to visit local farms and business owners dedicated to organic growing practices.

The original itinerary was changed due to the June 5 tornado that hit Elmwood, Illinois, and damaged Basil's Harvest. As a result, we changed the tour to include lunch at Kickapoo Creek Winery in Edwards, then tours of Hart's Honey and Twisted Chicken Acres in Brimfield.

Janet Hart of Hart’s Honey gave a tour of her apiary in rural Brimfield. She discussed her beekeeping techniques, demonstrated how colonies are built from beeswax, and gave a (non-graded) quiz about bee facts and figures.

Leslie Schenkel, owner of Twisted Chicken Acres, was our second host of the day. She explained her growing techniques and her involvement with the Good Earth Food Alliance. In addition, Scott Wallace, District Conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, was in attendance to explain how Leslie was awarded federal funds to construct two hoophouses.

Beer Tasting Class -- August 5, 2010

Pat Hartzler, local beer expert and account representative from Specialty Distributing Company, led more than a dozen OLLI members through the finer points of both domestics and imports during a beer tasting class at Two25 Restaurant in downtown Peoria.

During the two-hour class, participants explored six types of beer, including a pilsner, ale, weiss, pale ale, stout, and lambic. Pat also talked about craft beers, explained the brewing process, and discussed the "green" beer movement.

For more information, please visit the websites of Two25 Peoria and Specialty Distributing Company.

Lake Geneva -- August 11, 2010

Once again, the weather cooperated when OLLI visited Wisconsin for a tour on the U.S. Mailboat-Walworth in Lake Geneva and Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay.

Forty OLLI members were aboard the boat, which delivered mail to about 60 homes around the lake. The two-hour tour, which included commentary about many of the homes, featured a postal carrier who jumped off the bow of the boat while it was still moving, delivered the mail, grabbed any out-going parcels, and leapt back on to the stern of the boat before it passed by.

After a pasta buffet at Gino's East, we headed to nearby Williams Bay for a private tour of Yerkes Observatory, part of the University of Chicago's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The hour-long tour featured a discussion of the latest astronomical research conducted at the observatory, plus a demonstration of the work'd largest lens-type telecope in the 90-foot dome.

For more information about our tours, please visit the websites of Lake Geneva Cruises and Yerkes Observatory.

Princeton and Festival 56 -- July 28, 2010

OLLI members spent a beautiful summer day exploring Princeton's cultural heritage in late July. The day began with breakfast and a presentation by Dexter Brigham, Executive Artistic Director of Festival 56, Illinois' largest summer theatre festival.

Brigham, a 1998 alumni of Bradley University, spent the morning with OLLI, sharing the history of Festival 56 and colorful anecdotes about growing up in Princeton. Before he left to prepare for the weekday matinee, he guided the group through a tour of the theatre's prop department.

After lunch at the locally owned Wine Cellar, we took a guided tour of Princeton's historic homes and buildings, then enjoyed the performance of "Moon Over Buffalo" at Princeton High School.

For more information about Princeton, please visit with city's website.

Peoria International Airport -- July 15, 2010

OLLI got a glimpse of the construction progression at the new terminal at the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport.

Gene Olson, Airport Authority Director, addressed the group and answered questions about taxes, budget for the new facility, and future development. In addition, a representative from Turner Construction of Peoria, general contractor, gave a tour of the new terminal building, which is set to open in January 2011.

For more information about the airport, please visit www.flypia.com.

OLLI Summer Picnic -- June 7, 2010

This summer's picnic was a celebration of the past and present on lower Grandview Drive.

More than 50 OLLI members met at the pavilion on lower Grandview Drive to enjoy lunch and listen as Marilyn Leyland, immediate past president of the Peoria Historical Society, gave a presentation about the history of the Grandview area.

One of the highlights of the presentation was the description of Al Fresco Amusement Park, a riverfront attraction on Galena Road from 1906 to 1929. The park, fashioned after the "White City" World's Exposition in Chicago, featured a Ferris wheel, aeiral swing, and roller coaster. Thousands of people would pack the park, many traveling via streetcars and paddleboats to watch concerts, boxing matches, and even Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

OLLI thanks Marilyn Leyland and all of its members who braved the summer heat to enjoy a day of history and camraderie.

Illinois Shakespeare Festival -- June 24, 2010

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival at Ewing Manor in Bloomington has become another OLLI summer tradition.

This year, we had platinum plus tickets for an evening performance of "The Tempest." Dr. Susan Hillabold, who teachers a Shakespeare class and study group for us, accompanied our group of 40 to enrich our understanding of the play's subtleties.
During the ride to Bloomington, she encapsulated the plot of the play, pointed out the important characters and themes, and gave us four important points to watch for our discussion on the way home.

At the venue, we ate a gourmet catered picnic on the patio with wine, took a personalized backstage tour with the show's director, Deb Alley, enjoyed a musical performance in the dining area, then watched the show from our center section seats.

In all, it was another great evening of camraderie, learning, and travel with OLLI. Special thanks to Dr. Hillabold and the staff at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival for making our evening even more special!

Canoe the Kankakee -- June 30, 2010

Our 2009 canoe trip was such a success, we decided to do another one this year! On an incredibly beautiful, mild summer day, we tackled the Kankakee River in a 12-mile journey with scenic views and opportunities to observe creatures in their natural habitats.

The immense amount of rainfall in the previous month made our original route through Kankakee State Park impossible, so we instead paddled our way through Momence to Aroma Park, which was studded with numerous small islands and channels. Stacy Johnson, an interpreter from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, led our group of 26 canoes down the river, pointing out heron, swans, beavers, turtles, and even a river otter!

After our four-hour journey, Stacy spoke on the bus about the history of the river, the challenges wildlife are facing now, and answered a variety of questions about the habitat along the river.

OLLI thanks Stacy and the staff at Reed's Canoe Trips for helping us navigate the river safely and learning a bit along the way!

Emiquon and Dickson Mounds -- June 16, 2010

OLLI spent an amazing, beautiful summer day visiting the Emiquon floodplain restoration project and touring Dickson Mounds, one of the major on-site archaeological museums in the country.

In the morning, officials from The Nature Conservancy led us on a short hike atop a bluff to view the incredible watershed project. We were also treated to a presentation at an archeological dig conducted by Michigan State University students. After lunch, we traveled to Dickson Mounds Museum, where Alan Harm, an archeologist with 41 years experience, gave an amazing tour and presentation about the latest research and studies underway at the museum.

OLLI extends a big thank you to Deanna Zercher, Conservation Coordinator at the Nature Conservancy, and Alan Harm of Dickson Mounds for providing an incredible day!

Reception with Nancy Pearl -- June 14, 2010

OLLI members were treated to an exclusive private reception and book signing on Bradley's campus with Nancy Pearl, award-winning author and regular commentator on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”

Nancy discussed her new book on travel, recommended fiction and non-fiction books, and signed copies of her bestselling “Book Lust” series during the reception.

Immediately following the OLLI-only event, Nancy gave a public presentation on "Dive Into a Good Book." Throughout the hour-long talk, she discussed her adventures as a judge for the Pulitizer Prize, her new favorite reads, and a list of recommended fiction and non-fiction books.

Her recommended reads are as follows:

Alan Bradley. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Frank Baker. Miss Hargreaves
S. J. Bolton. Blood Harvest
Justin Cronin. The Passage
Guy Gavriel Kay. Under Heaven
Michael Gruber. The Good Son
Georgina Howell. Gerturde Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
Emma Larkin. Finding George Orwell in Burma
Emily St. John Mandel. Last Night in Montreal and The Singer’s Gun
Daniel Mendelsohn. The Lost: A Search for 6 of 6 Million
Lisa Moore. February
Karl Marlantes. Matterhorn
Nathaniel Philbrick. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and The Battle of the Little Big Horn
Helen Simonson. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
Tatjana Soli. The Lotus Eaters


OLLI extends a big thank you to Nancy for taking time out of her busy schedule to meet with our members.

Photo Experience II: June 11 and 18, 2010

One of our first summer trips of 2010 was a two-part photography adventure at Luthy Botanical Gardens in Peoria.

On day one, OLLI members met for a breakfast buffet at The Butcher Block at Junction City. Photography experts Ray Keithley and Barb Hoffman gave an interactive presentation about how to best photograph plants in the summer sun, and dispensed advise about how to utilize the tools in our digital cameras.

After breakfast and the presentation, we traveled to Luthy to explore the gardens, and photograph the plants, flowers, and statuary under the helpful guidance of Barb and Ray.

One week later, we met on campus to share our photos, discuss our themes and techniques, and then created three collage displays to showcase at our Fall OLLI class gathering.

Kudos to Ray and Barb, OLLI members and dedicated instructors, for another job well done!

Illinois River Update -- June 5, 2010

Steve Jaeger, Director of the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District (TransPORT), provided an interesting and informative presentation on the status of Illinois River commerce during a two-hour cruise on the Spirit of Peoria.

OLLI members enjoyed a buffet lunch on the first deck, then Steve explained how his group is charged with the task of fostering commerce through Central Illinois. TransPORT's enabling legislation mandates the responsibility to stimulate and promote commerce and cargo shipping within its district, and appoints it as an advocate for legislation that supports the attraction, maintenance, and growth of businesses within the region.

OLLI extends a big thank you to Steve for spending part of a Saturday afternoon educating its members on the latest regarding the Illinois River and its related commerce.