Roché Stevenson cuts hair part-time but is looking for full time work.
His car was towed so now he rides the bus where ever he needs to go.
Terry Miller is an account executive for the Peoria Rivermen hockey team. This week he was given an additional responsibility,
flying the RC Blimp at the games. He is nervous about his debut at this Friday’s home game, so he is doing some practicing.
Judy Marcus of Peoria is enjoying the afternoon on Grandview Drive in Peoria Heights.
Teddy Roosevelt is said to have proclaimed it as the "World's Most Beautiful Drive"
during a 1910 visit to the area. Judy has been taking in the view since riding her bike up there in 1949.
Steve Spain is the owner of The Costume Trunk. He is also ‘the Janitor, bookkeeper, stock clerk’.
He says ‘after 31 years, I am starting to figure it out… it’s just a toy store for big people’.
Carlos Pretado of Kewanee, IL works at Tanner Orchard. He likes the weekend hours
because he can work around school. Due to the frost this spring, there are no apples to pick this year,
but there are plenty available inside. Carlos likes the Honey Crisp variety.
Steve Dirst is a volunteer, answering phones during the WCBU fall pledge drive. He is a big fan of National Public
Radio and listens all the time. ‘This is something I can do to support the station’ he said.
Dave Ebner is a Field Manager for The Fun Ones from Carol Stream, IL. He brought their portable zip line to the Bradley Homecoming celebration. He has been in this line of work for 15 years and believes in ‘working hard to party hard’.
Tyanna Ward (6 years) is cooking her dinner at Hotdogs and Hayrides.
This is her first time to attend the fall tradition at Sommer Park.
Cory Hill of Pekin is member #18612 of the Professional Disc Golf Association.
She has traveled all over the Midwest competing in 20-30 tournaments each year.
Her husband and son also love the sport, because, among other things, it is great exercise and very affordable.
John Reyling cleans septic tanks. He says most people don’t understand their septic system.
He wants people to know, if you don’t have your system cleaned every 2-4 years, it will cause expensive damage.
Logan Unser is flying his Power Kite. He says it’s not a starter kite but one you have to work up to. He also flies stunt kites.
He recommends the hobby because it is a lot of fun and a big adrenalin rush, ‘it’s more exciting than it looks’.
Barry Coulter of Farmington, IL got his first model train when he was six and a half, that was 62 years ago. That trains still works and he has accumulated many more since. Now it is his full time occupation, repairing model trains.
Today his is showing one of his traveling sets at the Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive Festival.
Tamra Antenucci is participating in ‘Chalk the Walk’ at Tower Park in Peoria Heights for the fun of it.
Her full time job is a different kind of art, she performs with LED and Fire hoops at events and parties.
Paul Lee plays clarinet in the Dunlap High School marching band.
He likes the band because it is all exciting, the marching, the competition, and the football games.
Shirley Ordaz is helping to set up Spider Hill at Three Sisters Park. She is working the Halloween attraction
to raise money for ‘NoWhere 2 Ride’, an organization that raises funds to support public skate parks.
Michael Toliver has ridden his Vespa every day for the last four months. At 60MPG the fuel savings is a big reason he rides.
He also enjoys the fresh air, though admits when winter arrives he will be in the car more often.
Danny Madigan is a laborer (Local 165) and works for Pipco. He likes the variety, working outdoors and ‘it’s good money’.
Bart Funderburk on a ride from Alta to Princeville and back, something he does 3 times a week. He says he likes the Rock Island Trail Park because it is a safe place to ride.
Steve Pierz just finished leading a group of men in a Cursillo 3 day weekend. He has been active in the Christian movement
for several years, and feels that all of his friendships have become so much richer because of Cursillo.
Felicha Brown began making candles after a series of layoffs and a personal tragedy motivated her to follow her passion.
Her store, True Royalty Scents, is located in the Underground portion of the Cornerstone building.
Tommy Flex works at a downtown parking garage. He has only had the job for a month
but already likes the people he encounters every day.
Roger Vrnwink is retired, which gives him the opportunity to play golf 3 or 4 times a week.
Today he was working on his chipping at the Peoria Golf Learning Center.
Justin Locher camped out in his truck with friends starting at 11 p. m. in order to be 3rd in line for the opening of the new McDonalds in Dunlap. The first 100 people got free French fries for a year. He said they had a lot of fun but did not sleep.
Frank Bevirt and his sons, Landon, Jacob and Cooper were on hand today as the Peoria Chiefs
officially signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Originally from St. Louis, he is very excited about the new affiliation.
Mark Varichak has been the Maintenance and Repairs Forman for the Peoria Park District for the last 40 years. He enjoys his job because there is plenty of variety in the type of work to be done, but also in the type of equipment he uses.
Bert Barnett has played at the Old Time Country Jam at Forest Park Nature Center for longer than he can remember.
He does it because he loves the music, ‘we grew up on a farm in central Illinois, it was all we knew’.
Jerry Cremer of Macomb, IL has been a season ticket holder for the Western Illinois Leathernecks football for at least 15 years.
Bonnie Engstrom of Peoria is the mother of 5 children, one of them, James Fulton, was stillborn and had no pulse
for 61 minutes, then came to life just as the doctors were about to call time of death.
Her son is now a happy, healthy 2 year old. The Engstrom’s credit their prayers for the intersession of Archbishop
Fulton Sheen. The Church is investigating the event to see if an official miracle will be declared.
Bryce Brand volunteers at Wheels of Time Museum in Peoria. The 90 year-old says it gives him something to do. Behind him is a model of a B17 bomber, he told me about how he flew a few of them in 1944 ‘right after getting my wings’.
Steve Hatfield of Peoria is a Gideon, he hands out bibles every chance he gets. His favorite scripture verse is 1 John 1:9.
Liddy Wilson got her driver’s license today. Something she has been looking forward to for quite some time.
She is my daughter and her mom and I are very proud!
Lindsey Whitfield from Mt. Zion, IL is a junior studying to be a Physical Therapist at Bradley.
She is also the President of Gamma Phi Beta sorority and on the Bravettes Dance Team.
Angela Dugan, age 11, had her face painted at her church picnic.
She is a 6th grader at Dunlap Middle School, she is learning to play the guitar and she likes flowers.
Laurie Bushell has been part of the Foster Pet Outreach in Peoria for 4 years, since her kids left home.
She is with Izzy, her 6 month old Australian Shepherd, at the "Paws for A Cause" Dog Show.
Lynn Rowe from Henry, IL is participating at her company Blood Drive. She works at Advanced Technology
Services as a financial analyst. They have a blood drive every couple of months.
Lynn gives every time, ‘it is not a difficult thing to do and it helps people’.
RaeJeanne Newel from Lasale-Peru, IL makes soap and lotion with her daughter-in-law.
She says their business, Kristine’s Shower, uses all natural ingredients and gives her a chance to be creative.
Pat Pelger is a retired school teacher, she now volunteers for the St. Vincent De Paul society. She likes working with the society because it lets people know that someone cares and during hard times that God loves them.
Phil Foley from Rockford, IL is a student at Premier CDL Training Services. He said learning to drive a truck and seeing the country is on his bucket list. ‘Anybody who takes this course will have a new appreciation for truck drivers’ he added.
Mark Schofield is a trainer at Glenmore Farm in Edwards, IL. He is with Brickell-Barnicus a 5 year old Hackney
who is being trained to be a carriage horse. Both are originally from England.
Kim McDaniel with her Siberian Cat, Kehryli, which is Finnish for ‘purrs all the time’.
They are at the American Gothic Cat Club Show. Kim is from Indianapolis and travels to cat shows
all over the country. Kehryli is a Grand Champion and Regional Champion Cat.
Cody Miller from Lemont, IL is a Lab Pack Chemist with Heritage Environmental Services.
Today he is at the Household Hazardous Waste Event at Expo Gardens where they collected paints, oil,
florescent bulbs and a host of other hazardous material.
Lorrie Palladini Wu has been hosting a tailgate party for her 3 daughters and their friends at Dunlap’s homecoming game
for the last 3 years. She is also a Realtor, but says being a mom and wife are her first jobs.
Corey Lang is a visitor Services Associate at Lakeview Museum, they are busy packing at the old museum
to open next month at the new site. Corey said he looks forward to the new facility but says it is bittersweet.
‘I went to preschool here and have been here basically my whole life.’
Jim Cohenour of Pekin is a Restorative Nurse at Heritage Health in Chillicothe.
He has been getting people out of wheelchairs and getting them moving for more than 20 years.
Mitch Wedell of Germantown Hills is a Civil Engineer with Farnsworth Group.
This site will soon be a roundabout at Hickory Grove and Allen Road.
George and Vera Piazza have run their vineyard in Saint James, MO for more than 60 years.
It has been in George’s family since 1927, ‘when they built route 66’.
Bill Goree has always been fascinated with what he discovers in his pieces of found wood.
He started with carving but began wood turning after inheriting his fathers lathe.
Robert McIntire is a retired constable from Dallas County, TX. He is visiting the Oklahoma National Memorial with his family.
Rick Henry of Pekin, IL is delivering trees for Prairies Edge Landscape.
He has been a landscaper since he graduated high school, says it keeps him in shape and in the outdoors.
Karen Godsil-Patrick is at the Galesburg Railroad Museum, where she has worked for the last 9 years. She is a fourth generation railroader. Galesburg has a rich railroad history and Karen will tell you, ‘it built the west’.
Mallory Horton is a senior at Dunlap High School. She on the varsity tennis team and she hopes to go to state.
Today she is having her senior pictures made.
This is Sandy Rahn’s first year as a retired school teacher from District 150.
She said she is keeping herself busy as a way of coping with not being able to see her students.
Loreece Haddad owns Haddad’s restaurant in Downtown Peoria with her husband Tony.
They have also had a food cart near the Courthouse Plaza for more than 27 years.
Matt Monroe of Morton helps to scoop up the nearly 25,000 rubber ducks from the Illinois River after the 24th annual Duck Race to stop abuse to benefit the Center for Prevention of Abuse. This is his second year to volunteer for the event.
1 year old Elle Olson rides the carousel at Dunlap Days with her grandmother Theresa Strode.
Julie K. Purdum has been painting for more than 40 years. She paints 6 days a week. Her mother always said she was born with a crayon in her hand. Today she was showing on the boardwalk at Junction City Shopping center in Peoria.
Josh Hummer is at The Game Room in Washington, IL. He said it is a great place to hang out, which is a good thing
because he lives upstairs. Some of his favorite games are Dungeons & Dragons and Naval Combat games.
Sid Stahl is about to harvest his corn crop. He has farmed this land near Princeville his whole life.
His parents bought the land in 1946. This year’s drought is among the worst in his life-time.
Today he hopes to bring in about 1/3 the normal yield. He is not smiling.
Robert Johnson of Straight Line Masonry is a Master Mason with 25 years of experience. He says the work is hard on the body but the pay is good and there is plenty of work these days. ‘Plus’, he said, ‘I could never work inside’.
Jeff Taylor of Peoria likes hanging signs for Adams Outdoor Advertising and says it’s a good place to work.
He said it takes about an hour to hang 3 signs.
Sonia Keyvan is at India Fest sponsored by Indo-American Society of Peoria and the Park District.
Sonia is a recent graduate from ICC and is moving soon to attend school in Chicago.
Andrew Runkle of Peoria is cleaning his dirt bike after riding at Espy Park in Pekin.
It was muddy today because of the rain this week. The 8th grader said he rides for fun but will race at the park sometimes.
Charlie Ford from Collinsville, IL is a Certified Flight Instructor for Air Associates.
His dad and granddad were also pilots and started teaching him as early as 2-yrs-old.
Deerra Williams is dressing windows at the bebe store in the Galleria Mall in St. Louis. She also has her own clothes designs.
Greg Frazier from Chillicothe is the owner of 1st Choice Custom Painting.
He changed careers and started painting after moving here from Pike County, IL about 8 years ago.
Fred Fry started playing Pickleball about 4 years ago. Recently, he and a few friends helped
the Peoria Park District get a program started; now they are 85 players strong.
He got me to give it a try (he is very persuasive) and he is right it is lots of fun.
Katie Williams is a Barista at Leaves ‘N Beans in Peoria Heights. She has made coffee all over the Midwest. Quoting Confucius she said ‘Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life’, with a smile she added ‘I love coffee’.
Dewayne Short a Navy veteran and musician was part of the crowd watching The Grand National Championship TT races
in world famous Peoria Race Park, a.k.a. ‘Thunder Valley’.
He’s been coming for more than 25 years, ‘makes my blood pump’ he said.
Jami Pagel from Galesburg, IL just moved here from Wisconsin.
She is playing as a Mystic Wood Elf in the NERO Peoria, Live Action Role Playing event at Camp Wokanda.
Participants play as a make-believe character in a problem solving game that is also part theater.
Chad Nelson unpacks pottery in the Mississippi Mud Pottery booth. He and his wife Felicia Breen are showing their Stoneware art at the Washington Art Festival in Washington IL. They like the show because it has great organization and other artists.
Jennifer Kohlhagen plays on the Thursday night RiverPlex Coed Sand Volleyball league, usually with her husband, though he is sidelined with an injury tonight. She said good fun and good people keep them playing year after year.
Harry Plate retired from CAT 17 years ago. Today he is at the Taste of Peoria event held on the riverfront. He comes every year because ‘there’s good food, good beer, and a good chance to see friends'.
Janet Davis is participating in a neighborhood peace walk as part of ‘National Night Out Against Crime’. Her son was injured
in a drive by shooting 7 years ago. ‘Too much killing… If doing something as simple as this will help, I will do it’
Roger Hammer is the manager of Hammer’s Farm Market in East Peoria he is selling his produce at the farmers market at Metro Center. Roger was 5 years old when he started working in the family business.
Lisa Groff is with her son, Kellar, and their dog, Lucy, (a 3 year-old mixed Aussie).
They are spending the afternoon at the Peoria Chiefs ‘Bark in the Park’ promotion.
Janessa Lockwood from Peoria Heights, a Home-Schooled Sophomore, is one of the elevator operators at Peoria Heights Observation Tower. She likes her job but, with a little prodding admitted, it has its ups and downs.
T. J. Pratt of Beardstown, IL holds one of the 166 Asian Carp he and his team caught during the Original Redneck Fishing Tournament in Bath, IL. T. J. is also a college student and Volunteer firefighter.
Regina Rudy a 7th grader from Princeville and her ‘White Giant’ rooster.
She is showing her rooster at the Peoria County 4-H Show, this is her 9th year to do so.
Steve Stanley is an ASE Master School Bus Mechanic and works for District 150 in Peoria.
Why has he worked on School buses for 31 years? ‘If I do my job right, it makes a difference,
most everyone knows someone who rides a school bus, and we try to keep them safe’.
Roland Cantu works in marketing for IBM. He also is the father of three and a half month old twins and an eight year old daughter. That doesn’t leave much time for tennis, but he was glad to get out today.
Mark Vonachen served 21 years in the National Guard and 1 tour in Iraq. He is flying this United State Army flag in honor of some of his buddies from Company A, 1-106th Aviation out of Decatur, IL who are deployed in Kuwait.
Larry Resutko relaxes at The Shoppes at Grand Prairie and enjoys an outdoor musical performance during his shopping trip.
Pedro DeLeon of Peoria works as DJ for Fiesta En El Rio on the Peoria Riverfront.
Oklahoma State Representative, Joe Dorman, is traveling through St. Louis. He is also the Chairman of the Rush Springs Watermelon Festival and is inviting us all to the festivities on August 11, 2012.
Chuck Ames of Peoria is a retired teacher, he works for Renaissance Learning
and travels across the U.S. teaching teachers. Today, he is getting an oil change.
Kathleen Mowder is the Queen of this Chapter of the Red Hat Society from Havana, IL.
The ladies are on an outing to take a riverboat ride on the Spirit of Peoria.
Liisa Eero from Estonia in here in the United States on a working vacation from her studies
at the University of Tartu in Estonia where she is studying Chemistry.
She is currently selling educational books door to door, but will be traveling soon, ‘hopefully to California’.
Melissa Fassino of Dunlap is watering her plants, trying to help them survive the heat.
‘We just moved here this spring and have no trees for shade’ she said
Joe Spies has been a member of the German American Central Society for 58 years.
Today he is helping the organization by cooking pork chops for the Corn Boil fundraiser.
Jeffrey Heft, executive director and founder of His Helping Hands. A former construction worker, his Ministry has turned his talents toward helping people repair their homes. Their motto: ‘Caring for Hearts by Caring for Homes.’
Josh Steel of Mason City, IL has a fun hobby. He is a demolition derby driver. This week he is at the Heart of Illinois Fair. Though it looks good now, he hopes this car will last two nights.
Sara Urbanc has a garage sale every year with items from her extended family. They have had plenty of traffic for a Thursday, nearly 60 shoppers between 8am and noon. ‘We have a good location’ she said.
Calli Smith works part-time at Wildlife Prairie State Park. She recently graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in biology and hopes to become full-time. She is very dedicated and wants to help the park accomplish its goals.
Richard Swigart has been playing softball almost his whole life. Today the CAT retiree is playing in the Peoria Park District 'Drop In Softball for Seniors', a recreational league for men and women over 50.
Reagon Carter, age 9, of Quincy and Tippy, his 301 lb. show hog. This is his first year to show in the Heart of Illinois Fair.
The Peoria Municipal Band is celebrating its 75th anniversary and David Vroman has been the director for 22 years.
He enjoys working with the 115 full and part-time musicians.
Gail Hintze from Chillicothe is the caller at the Barn Dance at the Edelstein Congregational Church,
a fun family event with a great live band.
Mike Doering of Kickapoo has worked for River City Construction for about 9 years.
They are building foundations for new signs at the Peoria Airport.
Keri Barton is a marine mammal trainer at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. She has always liked working with animals and likes how this also allows her to teach about conservation and the environment.