by NORMAN V. KELLY
The truth is that over the past thirty-five years I have discovered numerous men and women that were either born here or lived here in the Peoria area that went on to accomplish things that in many instances made them famous. I did feature stories on them and to this day I still write a series of stories called Child of the City. The seven men that I want to tell you about will all…
After the loss of Officer Faulkner and Sheriff Schofield, I remembered what the sheriff said when he dedicated OFFICER DOWN. He was referring to the officers that died in the line of duty here in Peoria, Il
It was a glorious day here in Peoria, Illinois when news that the ‘War To End All Wars’ was finally over. Our local boys marched off to war after the United States declared war on Germany
Evann (Host and Producer) and Zack (CoHost) interview Derek Hulett of Boy Scout Troop 165.
For thirty-four years I have researched the bawdy, somewhat seedy side of Peoria, Illinois, and wrote books to perpetuate those stories. I began reading about us from the records of 1830 all the way through 1951, and believe me there is...
Evann, Zack and Clair interview Stacy Borho (Make-A-Wish) and Riley (A Wish Kid) about the up coming I Spy A Wish event.
by Norman V. Kelly
As a local historian, most of my writings and speaking engagements concern the bawdy, seedy side of Peoria, Illinois, circa 1845-1950. Seems folks are more interested in our sordid, gangster and gambling past than they are about the truly remarkable history surrounding this great city. So it is with pleasure that I tell you about one of the most beautiful...
by Norman V. Kelly
Let’s go back to 1900 in Peoria, Illinois. By then Peoria was sophisticated lady, I can tell you that. The population was 56,100 and we lived in a 9.1 square miles of City Limits. We had a magnificent GRAND OPERA HOUSE, a fistful of breweries and distilleries and a highly rated park system and school system. We were the center for all...
by Norman V. Kelly
There is a lady who resides with her many friends at Buehler Home who is a living historian with a great memory. She told me about her childhood trips to the Upper Free Bridge. After a bus ride and a streetcar ride, they found themselves at...
by Norman V. Kelly
It’s just a guess on my part, but I would bet that the average Peoria family rarely thinks of our park system or even visits ours parks except to take their kids to a soccer game. I can tell you that parks were a big part of...
by NORMAN V. KELLY
Photo Courtesy of Peoria Historical Society
I remember seeing ‘The Shaft,’ that’s what we grew up calling it, standing there within the square on the Jefferson Street side of the courthouse. It was 1950, the Korean War was on and I was heading for the United States Air Force. On my last day in Peoria, I stood looking up at that old weather-beaten, limestone shaft thinking a bit about the Civil War. I remember wondering why it was still...
by Norman V Kelly
When 1860 began there were editorials and comments from everyone that ever picked up a newspaper here **in Peoria, Illinois** that it looked like the **United States was going to have a Civil War.** The local newspapers who were always at each other’s throats seemed to think there was no way out of it. If you think we have political battles now you should sit down and read our old newspapers. I did for thirty-three years. I wrote twelve books and hundreds of articles from the information I gleaned from all those articles and historical records and I followed our very early history for well over three decades.
by Brian "Fox" Ellis
**Spring Jubilee** has deep roots in Bishop Hill. After that first, long, cold winter in 1846, the pioneers were eager to celebrate the jubilee that is spring. The folks who live and work in Bishop Hill today are celebrating **Spring Jubilee Saturday, April 2nd from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm** with crafts, exhibits, and programs that invite families to enjoy the season. Visitors can receive a nose gay flower arrangement, craft a flower pot or bug catcher, plant a prairie, paint a gourd, view a toy tractor display, enjoy lunch at one of three restaurants, learn about bees, and decorate a set of pottery.
by Norman V. Kelly
It was 1850 and the little village trading post had become a town in 1835 and a city in 1845. The total make up of the entire Peoria city limits was only one square mile. There were a few cabins, a house or two a couple of breweries and distilleries and a library. It was astounding how this little city...
I thought I would bring you some early history in a form of a diary that was devotedly kept and guarded by our keeper of the records, the folks at the Peoria Public Library. Even before we became a city in 1845, there were newspapers located here, followed quickly by a library and record keepers, court files, and police reports. That record was scrupulously kept. Most importantly for me as a writer was the record of deaths kept in the coroner’s office. The only time our records were distorted was during the time our pet gangster....
Well-known Peoria Historian and True Crime Writer Norm Kelly will join us by adding his historical view of Peoria, Illinois to our Peoria Life Articles. He is also a guest on Breakfast with Roger and Friends on Peoria Life Live.
Norm has written twelve books and lectured for thirty-four years about the incredible history of this great town. “As an octogenarian I am...
“An American Family Christmas,” which will be presented Dec. 18-20 by the Peoria Area Civic Chorale, is one of those gifts. The concert series will be performed at the Five Points Performing Arts Center in Washington.
Dr. Joseph Henry, artistic director and conductor, called “An American Family Christmas” a “musical escape” from a season that can be “hectic, a little chaotic, and full of...
Like so many others in a ‘family’ business Jim has been at it ---- really --- his whole life.
Barrack’s Catering began in 1933, at the corner of Knoxville and Ravine, at a small commercial kitchen. All catering was done offsite at that time. With Jim’s help and guidance they bought the property that is now the corporate office at 1224 Pioneer Parkway in Peoria and added their banquet facility to offer a...
by Teresa Johnson-Noe
I was thinking the other day about my nickname. Not the nickname that you all know me by, but the one that I penned myself back in 1993. It was the pseudonym that I went by in all of my blogging years and the one that suited me for so long that I began to develop a “reputation” of sorts around it.
by Bill More
Avanti’s ---
Imagine a restaurant that will be celebrating 50 years……….
Avanti’s in Peoria was started by Albert Zeller. He came to America from Switzerland as a very young man, in 1959. He is now 76 and his restaurant is 50 years old. Do the math.
by Teresa Johnson-Noe
Being a single mother has had its challenges. Beyond a doubt…challenges.
Most single moms have a support system of parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents…etc.
by Bill More
I had a great time meeting Bekim Rizvani and re-connecting with Jesse Kidd, 29.
Bekim is the owner of the Rizzi’s restaurants along with his wife Sindis.
Even at his young age of 37, Bekim has been in the restaurant business for 25 years.
Yes, you read that right, he started with his family’s restaurant business on the East Coast at the tender age of 12. (Don’t worry, I don’t think they broke any labor laws.)
by Danielle Webster
A popular line that we tell ourselves to boost our confidence often is to "Believe in ourselves". But can that be true? If you honestly believe you can succeed, can you? I'm going to tell you today about how you can really 'fake it until you make it' by a few simple changes in your daily routine. How? It's all about body language.
by Janet Glavin and Caeli Vanderstuyf
Getting to the Heart of A Wish
“They felt so special during their trips and could momentarily forget their illnesses and replace it with the experiences of sheer joy!” – Charity Muhs, Hannah and Elijah’s mother
by Robert L. Killion
When a heavy winter is approaching. All the signs point to it and the squirrels are busy gathering their harvest of acorns for the upcoming winter along the bluffs of the river. Rushing quickly to his hoard a squirrel does not notice when one of his acorns falls free and rolls under some dead fall. Quickly buried by the falling leaves and the winter snows the acorn slumbers for the winter. The next spring a small Burr Oak seedling pushes up towards the light while its roots reach down towards water. This particular tree was possibly a season tall as Columbus landed in the new world in 1492.
by Tim Johnson
In 2011, Stacy Byrd and I had the opportunity to interview a friend of mine. Elizabeth had two children and a husband and cancer. She was in remission when the doctors found something and the news was not good. Terminal. When you spend time with someone with this sentence, you can't help to think how it would effect your life. I think that I would approach life with a little more bitterness. For Elizabeth, her joy is incurable.
by Dennis Glavin
What do the words “ice fishing” conjure up for you? Like most people, I had visions of crotchety Minnesotans in Elmer Fudd Caps complaining about kids these days as they scowl into the frozen abyss.
What I discovered experienced three years ago when I went...
CAUTION: GRAPHIC IMAGES
by Rebecca Richardson
In 1984, the term “Puppy Mill” was legally introduced into the societal vernacular. This term was defined in the case Avenson vs. Segart as “a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits.”
by Teresa Johnson-Noe
As I let the marker glide across the paper...black of course to begin with. I watch my own hand shake and create a fine line, followed of course by a divot. Damn curves.
I notice as I draw the square, I don’t have the same...
I’ve Decided is an organization made up of businesses who are differences makers in our community and people who have decided to make a positive lifestyle choice or fulfill a dream, whatever that may be! Our goal is to help you become who you were meant to be. We do this through our events such as the motivational conferences, the cycling and 5K training programs, our website, personal and business development, Facebook communities, and connections to the right resources, we equip you with everything you need to be successful in your goals. I've Decided is a Christian organization so you will hear some Christian music, praying at times usually before the start of our events and talks that reference our faith in Jesus Christ. We hope that this does not discourage you from attending events or being a part of our organization. We strive to love everyone as Jesus taught us to love and that is to love your neighbor as yourself.
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