Regional Media Podcast Network

Time for part two of our three part profile of this year's Kewanee Prairie Chicken Arts Festival. In this profile of the 2023 festival, we spoke with Heather Olalde and Sue Blake about a big feature event this year, student re-enactments of the Kewanee Murals. As part of the original Prairie Chicken Arts Festival, students performed in skits enacting the actions depicted in the Kewanee Murals. This year, the organizers of the Prairie Chicken Festival have asked Heather Olalde and a whole new group of students to do it all over again in tribute to the incredible Kewanee Mural Project. Mural Re-Enactments will take place on Saturday Afternoon, July 22nd in the tent in downtown Kewanee. Meanwhile, Sue Blake talked about the more than 1000 art pieces submitted by kids from across our local school districts which will be going on display beginning July 17th and continuing through the end of the Kewanee Prairie Chicken Festival on Saturday, July 22nd, in downtown Kewanee.

Is there progress towards a clean up and new life at the former Boiler Shop Property? Yes, Mayor Gary Moore tells WKEI that following last night's unanimous approval of a Special Use Permit for Enpower Solutions, it appears that a new solar project on the former Boiler Shop location will include a project to clean up the area, remove old buildings, and cap an open well on the property. Kewanee Mayor Gary Moore spoke to Wake Up Tri-Counties about the Special Use Permit, and other items that were on the agenda for Monday evening's Kewanee City Council Meeting.

Sam was with us this morning to talk about the Monthly Member Meet Up and Rock Falls Farmers Market coming up tomorrow, (Wednesday) and a few others events in the planning stages.

Samantha Rux from OSF Healthcare joined Wake Up Tri-Counties to talk about some changes on the Princeton campus of OSF Saint Clare Medical Center. A few offices are changing places but it won't be much of a major change for most patients. Meanwhile, OSF Healthcare is ramping up care in the Peru area where St. Margaret's Hospital closed earlier this year. OSF Healthcare is expanding to fill the need for care in the area while also promoting OSF Saint Clare in Princeton as a place where people can go if in need of specialized care in the area.

Brad joined by phone this morning from a multi state agriculture conference he's attending in Detroit. We talked about the get together, plus a few other items he has been involved with.

Joe Bright and Dallas Knack joined us to talk about events coming up through the college as well as, yes, fall registration.

Bailey Clubb is the Manager of Volunteer Services & Committees at Clarinda Regional Health Center.  She joined the Breakfast Club to chat about her job and the good things going on at CRHC.

Sparks chats with Terri Hare, the Treasurer for the McDonough County Humane Society about the efforts currently taking place to raise funds for the construction of a new McDonough County Animal Shelter, including a $10,000 donation-match pledge by HSMC members Allen and Patti Nemec as well as the upcoming Kris Moore Memorial Golf Outing taking place on July 16th.

For more information about these events or the Humane Society of McDonough County, visit their website at https://hsmcil.org or their Facebook page.

In the first of a three part series profiling the events of this year's Kewanee Prairie Chicken Arts Festival, WKEI spoke with Becky Giese and Diane DeMay about two aspects of this year's festival. First, Becky Giese talked about the art of the Arts Festival, the art competition being hosted at New View Furniture in Kewanee. Competitions featuring Photography, Painting, Graphic Design and more. Entries are being accepted through Thursday, July 20th. Contact the Prairie Chicken Festival on Facebook. Diane DeMay then took us through a number of other attractions that will be part of the Prairie Chicken Arts Festival's 10 year celebration, July 21st and 22nd, in Downtown Kewanee.