A Publication of WTVP

Peoria Magazine is no longer in production. Publication ended with the November 2023 issue.

Entertainment

Playing in Peoria

emily the band’s Cami Proctor on guitar performs with members Abbey Haste on drums, left, and Emily Antonacci on ukulele at Three Sisters Park on Sept. 24, 2023

Making a big statement, in lowercase

Kirk Wessler October 28, 2023

The basic equation could not be more simple: Ukelele + electric guitar + drums = Fun Music. That simplicity also...

‘Doing sports God’s Way’

Kirk Wessler September 28, 2023

Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Knight was typically blunt about the notion of friendly competition.“You have competition, you take...

‘More of the different’

Linda Smith Brown September 27, 2023

Where has the time gone? It has been 15 years since Heartland Festival Orchestra (HFO) was formed, bringing innovation, collaboration...

Religion Radio

Denise Jackson September 27, 2023

Religious radio has long had a loyal following in central Illinois. For three local Christian radio stations, technological advancements including...

Brien Manckton, a Peoria native, also repairs and tunes guitars while on tour

Discovering his jam

Katie Faley August 26, 2023

Music flows through Brien Monckton’s veins. Always has.“Looking back at home videos, the common theme was always music. He was...

Keeping it simple with Joe George

Phil Luciano August 1, 2023

Like guitar strings, Joe Shadid’s musical roots stretch sturdily from his Peoria family tree.The orchestra has included a piano-tinkling grandma,...

The actor jokes with fundraiser hosts Sid Ruckriegel and Andrew Rand

Making the hard work of acting look easy

Phil Luciano August 1, 2023

To make things look easy, you’ve got to work hard.Just ask Cole Hauser, the longtime actor known best these days...

‘Geek culture’ has arrived in central Illinois

Laurie Pillman June 27, 2023

Fan conventions aren’t a new thing. Starting in the 1930s and gathering momentum since the 1980s, large-scale fan conventions like...

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow at the HOI Fair

Roxy Baker June 27, 2023

The Heart of Illinois Fair isn’t the same as it was when I was a kid.” That phrase has persisted...

‘Outlaw country’ comes to River City

Kirk Wessler June 1, 2023

Get ready, Peoria, as country rocker Kurt Van Meter and Yellowstone star Cole Hauser will be in town for a...

It’s summertime, have some festival fun

Steve Tarter May 22, 2023

Summer is festival time in Illinois. That’s the time for towns across the central swath of the state to pull...

Sean Sullivan, co-owner of Kelleher’s Pub and Eatery at 619 SW Water St. with his father Pat Sullivan, and Paul Maloney, general manager of Kelleher’s, stand near the expanded venue on Water Street for summer concerts

The block party to beat all block parties

Nick Vlahos May 22, 2023

No one puts on an “epic block party” quite like Kelleher’s Irish Pub & Eatery, which is back at it...

Fiddler Below the Footlights

Linda Smith Brown April 27, 2023

When the Broadway touring company of the musical Anastasia came to Peoria for two performances in April, there was one...

Introducing Mark Plunkett & The Heartmenders

Nick Vlahos March 31, 2023

Dr. Mark Plunkett knows a few things about beats — from the heart and from the soul. Plunkett is chief...

The band Butta plays at Kenny’s Westside Pub in Peoria

‘Pay the cover,’ let your ‘mind be blown’

Roxy Baker February 28, 2023

What’s that noise coming from Peoria’s Downtown? It’s a live music scene that is balanced, diverse and global with several...

‘I don’t sing anything I don’t feel’

Kirk Wessler February 1, 2023

Like everything else in her life, the way LiV Warfield chooses to spell her first name — the lowercase “i”...

GlobalFest Central Illinois makes its debut

Lisa Coon January 30, 2023

Central Illinois is home to many ethnically diverse neighborhoods, and organizers of an upcoming, immersive event want others to experience...

From gridiron to Grand Ole Opry doorstep

Kirk Wessler January 1, 2023

Jake Maurer was 26 years old when he delivered the one-two news punch to his parents. One caused rejoicing: Jake...

The Community of Theater

Laurie Pillman November 30, 2022

Fifteen years ago, Jeff Driscoll and Rachel Roderick started Arc Light Productions with $20 and a pitch to the Illini...

Christian music takes local singer-songwriter to a higher level

Kirk Wessler November 30, 2022

Kadee Allen was in Clarksville, Tennessee this year, playing the first set of a planned three-hour gig. The crowd seemed...

Peoria’s legal eagles ‘Inherit the Wind’

Steve Tarter October 27, 2022

Watching a rehearsal of “Inherit the Wind,” the play performed recently at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, was another reminder of...

‘Art that Moves’

Laurie Pillman October 1, 2022

Wendy Thomasson, executive director of Peoria Ballet, has a clear vision when it comes to her studio’s purpose. The ballet...

Cast members of a show standing in front of the Barn Theatre

Reel-ing in the years at The Barn III

Steve Tarter September 1, 2022

The old Barn in Goodfield ain’t what she used to be. Indeed, it’s now the showcase for a musical light...

A Decade of Dance

Laurie Pillman September 1, 2022

Visitors entering the studios at 830 W. Main Street in Peoria are greeted by a display of used ballet slippers...

Man holding a guitar on stage with drums in background.

The Reinvention Tour

By Kirk Wessler August 1, 2022

We were in a tiny dive called The Sand Bar, two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean on Tybee Island, Georgia....

Neighborhood Café Has Just the Right Touch

Kirk Wessler June 24, 2022

Every neighborhood can benefit from a splash of color.Even if it’s simply a Touch of Grey.That’s the music-inspired name of...