Save Money and
Avoid Parking
Hassles with

May Events

Saturday,
5/2 - Peoria
Symphony
Buses will leave
Evergreen Square
& Junction City
at 7:30 pm
and the Mark Twain
Hotel at 7:45 pm

Cost: $1 each way
or FREE for ages
65 & over

On Friday, the Contemporary Arts Center presents Live at the Five Spot featuring Preston Jackson & Friends (jazz, R&B) at 5:30 pm. Admission is $7 for CAC members and $10 for non-members.  Then, on Saturday, the Contemporary Art Center presents an opening reception featuring the Krainak, Reed, Rognstad and Keck Exhibits 6:30-8:30 pm.

The 38th Annual Pekin AMBUCS Charity Auction will be held beginning at 5 pm on Friday at Pekin's Memorial Arena. Proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Club of Pekin, Pekin YWCA, AmTykes, AMBUCS Good Bears, Scholarships for Therapists and more. Admission is free to the public. There will be a raffle for a 42" plasma tv for $2 per ticket plus there will be food available as well. Items are new & used and also include celebrity items. To see all the items available for bidding, click HERE.

On Saturday, the Join the Tribe Tour 2009 of the Newsboys will take place at Northwoods Community Church beginning at 7:30 pm with special guests Decemberadio and Vota. Tickets are $20 in advance, $35 for gold circle and are available by calling 800-965-9324 or online at iTickets.com (a non-refundable service fee applies). This is a fundraiser for Teen Challenge Peoria. For more information, click HERE.

Also on Saturday, the Contemporary Art Center presents Salsa at CAC, a Latin Dance Latin dance lesson and open dancing from 8:30-12:30 pm. The dance lesson runs from 8:30-9:30 pm and open dancing is from 9:30 pm -12:30 am. Open dancing to DJ Ed Caballero. Admission is $3 CAC members and $6 non-members.

Peoria Players Theatre presents Man of LaMancha, inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote. It tells the story of the "mad" knight, Don Quixote, as a play within a play, performed by Cervantes and his fellow prisoners as he awaits a hearing with the Spanish Inquisition. Performances begin at 7:30 pm, except on Sunday, which is at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for youth 18 and under and are available at the Peoria Players Box Office, by calling 688-4473 or online HERE.

Wildlife Prairie State Park presents its Junior Explorers Class from 1- 3 pm on Saturday.  This month's class, May the Flowers be with You, combines nature, learning, friends, and fun into a monthly class for ages 5-7. Pre-registration is required: call 676-0998 ext. 6758.  Cost is $6/member and $7/nonmember + park admission. 

The Peoria Pirates take on the Lexington Horsemen at 7 pm at the Peoria Civic Center (Carver) Arena on Saturday. Tickets range from $8 to $60 and season tickets including the Pirates "Ticket Stimulus Plan" packages are also available by calling Ryan Closen at 673-1000. Individual tickets are available at the Civic Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling 676-8700 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

On Saturday, Neighborhood House will host their Annual Breakfast Buffet from 8:30 - 11 am.  Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children, and 2 & under are free.

The Peoria Symphony presents An Evening with Mark O'Connor on Saturday beginning at 8 pm at the Peoria Civic Center Theater. Mark O'Connor, a multi-genre violinist and composer, has collaborated with artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Rosanne Cash, from Wynton Marsalis to John Williams.  Tickets range from $35 to $71 and are available by calling 671-1096 or online HERE.  Citylink's Park & Ride will be running for this performance. 

The Alzheimer's Association presents its annual fundraiser, Run for the Roses, at the Country Club of Peoria on Saturday. The event begins at 4:30 pm, with the race begining at 5:15 pm. There will be food as well as a "Derby Bar" featuring mint juleps, Mojito and Kentucky sunrises (tickets for the Derby bar are $25 each and include 5 drinks). Tickets for the event are $75 and are available by calling 686-1100.

Enjoy a day of live entertainment and surprises at CCT's Annual Drama Festival on Saturday from 10 am - 4 pm under Corn Stock Theatre's Tent. The winners of the One-Act Playwriting Competition will also be announced. Bring your lunch and buy snacks & drinks at the concession stand. Admission is free.

The Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters is having its first-ever Wings and Wii Weekend at Buffalo Wild Wings at Grand Prairie on Saturday. A Wii Bowling Tournament and food and drink specials will be featured, with a portion of proceeds going toward Big Brothers Big Sisters. Qualifying rounds for teams of four are from 11 am to 3 pm, with finals starting at 3:30 pm. The top sixteen scores advance to the finals. The $20 advance registration fee ($80 per 4 person team) includes a t-shirt, one game of Wii Bowling with the chance to advance, and free lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings on your next visit. Call 637-1771 for more information.

Also on Saturday, the Richwoods High School Swimming & Diving Boosters will host a Community Shredding Event with the opportunity for residents to shred documents, CDs and hard drives to protect against identity theft from 9 am to Noon in the Richwoods High School parking lot. Proceeds will benefit the boys' and girls' swimming and diving teams. Confidential On-Site Paper Shredding will do the shredding.  The cost is $5 for a 10-gallon container, $10 for a 22-gallon container and $7 for a hard drive. For more information, call 691-9573.

Drake Bell will perform at the US Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington Sunday beginning at 3 pm. Tickets are $35 and are available online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, in person at U.S. Cellular Coliseum Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets.

On Monday evening, Bonnie Raitt will perform at the Peoria Civic Center Theater 7:30 pm, with special guest Maia Sharp. Tickets are $61.50 and $77 and are available at the Peoria Civic Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 676-8700 and online at Ticketmaster.com.