Tower Park Music Fest 2011

I can't seem to get the Journal Star to acknowledge the upcoming Tower Park Music Fest, even when I supply the information to them, prior to the deadline, for the Red Letter Date section. But, regardless, we WILL be having the Music Fest again this year; our 6th Annual. A few of the acts and their times still have to be finalized, but so far the line-up is as follows:


Friday August 5

5:00 Caribbean Sol

7:00 Roundstone Buskers

9:00 Five Guys Named Moe



Saturday August 6

12 noon OR 1:30 Heath and Greg

3:00 Ready Steady Go!

5:00 Barry Cloyd's Celtricity

7:00 The Special Consensus (Bluegrass)

9:00 Nick Boettcher and DriveTrain


The open times should be filled shortly; I'm just waiting for finalizations from the bands. We will be having the blow-up things for the kids again; food, drink, & beer "wagon," and hopefully a couple of surprises. I'll be providing more information as we get closer to the dates.

Benefit for Tracy Boettcher - May 22 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Those of you who have come to Tower Park Fest the past 5 years will know that Nick Boettcher and his band, DriveTrain, have closed the festival each of those years. They bring a great crowd and always put on a fantastic show. Through Nick, I've been able to know his parents, Tracy and Amy Boettcher. I can't say enough good words about them and Nick. Positive people who work for the betterment of the arts and their community; there aren't nearly enough folks around like them.

That is why it is shocking and disheartening when I learned that Tracy Boettcher, Nick's dad, has been diagnosed in the early stages of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). This disease shouldn't be happening to anyone, obviously, but particularly not to Tracy. But, in typical Boettcher family tradition, they are going to face this obstacle head-on; and to get the word out; to educate people about ALS and its consequences.

There is going to be a benefit for Tracy at Luthy Botanical Gardens, 2218 N. Prospect Rd., (Glen Oak Park) - on May 22 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Nick will be performing; there will be food, soft drinks, games & raffles. All proceeds will go towards research, travel & treatment to help Tracy Kick ALS. Cost is $20.00 person; tickets are available from Luthy Botanical Gardens; Moon Dancer; or via Paypal to susbyme@gmail.com. Any of these methods will count as an entry into one of the raffles.

If you are unable to attend the Kick ALS event, you can still donate via Fundrazr at the following Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HelpTracyKickALS.

Attend if you can, donate as well.

"The X Factor" Visits the Heights

On Saturday April 16th, there will be try-outs at Tower Park for the new Simon Cowell Fox TV Series, "The X Factor." It's sort of a pumped up "American Idol," in that there is no age limit for the participants, and those trying out can do so in duets, groups of singers, etc.

This will be the only try-out in Central Illinois. The two winners will get "front of the line" passes to the next step in the try-out process, in Chicago. This is a huge advantage over the rest of the people who will be in line.

The "show" will start around 10 a.m., and conclude around 3 p.m. Sign up is through the Fox 43 website. Even if you're not actually participating, it should be a great time, watching all of the local talent perform. And, of course, we hope you'll continue your visit to Peoria Heights throughout our restaurants, gift shops, and beyond.

We hope to see you there!

Thank You for A Solid Victory

The voter turn-out in the Heights was much lower than most would have expected. Under 12% is amazingly low, BUT thank you to all of you (no matter who you voted for), who took the time out of your day to vote on April 5.

The Independent candidates scored a solid victory, particularly with the lower voter turn-out. Congratulations to Bryan Harn, Jeff Goett, & Debbie Reichert. We will continue working even harder towards making Peoria Heights an even better to place to live and do business in.

The financially difficult times will continue for the foreseeable future, no doubt. But, we cannot allow ourselves to stagnate, or worse, regress. We've improved our services a great deal over the last several years; helped make the Heights a destination point; and we're on the cusp of going even further with our progressive plans.

Thank you again to the voters of Peoria Heights.

Please Vote for the Independent Trustee Candidates on April 5

I am backing, and asking you to vote for, the Independent candidates for Trustee in Peoria Heights on April 5. They are:

Bryan Harn

Jeff Goett

Debra Reichert

All three of these candidates are lifelong Peoria Heights residents. They have the well being and progress of our Village as their number one goals.

Two of the People's Party candidates did not even bother to show up for the Meet the Candidates Night a couple of weeks ago. DID NOT even bother to show up! The President of the People's Party is former mayor Earl Carter. I don't think I have to add anything else to that statement.

Your vote on April 5 is very, very important. The status of the Peoria Heights Village Board can change in just ONE election, let alone two.

Please make sure you exercise your right to vote on Tuesday. Thanks!

Special Election Visit from Carnac the Magnificent

"They will add on the amount from the Police Pension tax line, just because it has 'Peoria Hts' next to it on the tax bill."

Rip open the hermetically sealed envelope.

"How will the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen try to make a lie out of the Village tax rate going down over the last few years?"


I'm going to have to contact Carnac the Magnificent more often over the next week and a half. I should have predicted this one, myself. You see, the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen don't want to hear the fact that the Village tax rate has gone down the last few years. Why? Because part of their scheme in the upcoming election is to make it look like the Heights is falling apart, and that we're going to have to raise taxes, blah blah blah.

So, in order to circumvent the facts (something that the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen are quite adept at), they decide they will add an unrelated tax line from the property tax bills, in order to try and make it look like I'm lying about the fact that Village tax rates HAVE gone down.

Which tax line is that? The Police Pension line, of course. It is a completely separate tax line from the Village tax line. The Police Pension amount is set by the Illinois State Insurance Commission. It's out of our hands. The Commission sends the amount assigned to the County, which in turns puts the amounts on the tax bills. I'm surprised that the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen didn't add on the tax lines for District 325, the Airport Authority, and ICC, along with that. I'm sure if they thought they could POSSIBLY get away with it, they would have.

Here is the fact: the Village tax rate, the amount that goes into funding what the Heights DOES, like street repairs, employee payroll, snow plowing, etc., HAS GONE DOWN over the last few years. From .16983 to .13415.

It's a fact that the Peoples Party hierarchy and Poison Pen don't like, but it will remain a fact. If you want to verify it by viewing my tax bills for 2006 and 2009, let me know. Call me at 688-6869, or e-mail me at marcus57@aol.com, and I will get copies to you. BEFORE the election, if you contact me before Tuesday the 5th.

Looks like I'd better put Carnac on my speed dial, because I'm pretty certain his skills will be needed when the likely Peoples Party newspaper comes out this coming Friday.

The Importance of Voting on April 5th

A local election in Peoria Heights can actually hinge on one vote. ONE vote. That fact in of itself should spur the casual voter to take part in the local Trustee election, come April 5. But, it normally doesn't.

Why is voting for three Trustees in the Heights so important? Because, obviously, the Trustees do the voting that decides what is to be done (and not done) in the Village.

Do you like what has been happening in Peoria Heights over the past several years? The only way to guarantee that it will continue is to show up at the polls, and vote for the Trustee candidates who say they want to do so.

If you don't like what has been happening in the Heights over the past several years, the only way to do your part in ending it is to show up at the polls, and vote for those candidates who want to change what's been going on here as of late.

It's all really that simple.

I've not been able to get a full handle on what the Peoples Party candidates are wanting to do, if elected. Mostly I hear that the Peoples Party simply wants to undo everything we've done. Candidates Dave Parkinson and Charlie Gauf did not show up at the Meet the Candidates Night. Peoples Party candidate Bryan Lammers was there, professed his being an independent, and seemed to step back from the mantle of the Peoples Party. All of the trustee candidates (Independent and Peoples Party) seemed to be more aligned than not so. I don't understand why Parkinson and Gauf chose not to be at the forum.

I guess we'll know more when the Peoples Party literature comes out for the April 5 election. I don't expect to see any of it until the Friday before the election. I do know that the Independents running for Trustee, for the most part, want to continue on the path we have taken since 2005 - strengthening and repairing the infrastructure; increasing or maintaining our local services; and trying to attract families and new business to the Village.

In the end, no matter who you back or for what reason, it is imperative that you show up to vote on April 5. It takes just minutes of your day; there's rarely much of a line at the voting booth; and you truly have a real impact on the voting decisions.