IN THE SPOTLIGHT—Kevin Yates, Executive Director, Chillicothe Park District

evin was born in Peoria, IL and attended Richwoods High School. He then went on to attend Eastern Illinois University where he received degrees in parks and recreation and business. Read More »

The Farm on the Hill—The Land of Many Dreams

Clinton and Mickie Nauman were married in 1955. They both grew up on farms, so they knew what lifestyle they wanted for their future family. But after renting farms and having them sold out from underneath them, they decided to find one to purchase and call home. In 1960 their dream was realized when they found their 340-acre dream farm just outside of Chillicothe. Read More »

Bowling—That Is How We Rolled!

For over a century, Chillicothe and bowling went together like baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. The sport’s popularity soared in the second half of the 20th century and became an integral part of Chillicothe’s social scene. Read More »

Chillicothe St. Jude Runs

The Chillicothe St. Jude Runs team took to the road bright and early on Saturday August 6th for the 18th year. Sending the team off from IVC High School at 6:30am was ALSAC Area Executive Director, and fellow Chillicothean, Julie Witte. The 2022 team consisted of 62 participants (fundraisers), with 52 of them lacing up and putting in some miles on our 55.6 mile course through Chillicothe and areas within the IVC school district ultimately finishing at the Peoria Civic Center and the St Jude Telethon stage. Read More »

Nellie’s Corner - September

When I was young, our town was different! We didn’t have individual phones let alone an individual phone line for each house. Party lines were connected to five other houses. If you picked up the phone and other people were talking, you used courtesy and hung the phone back up and waited your turn, otherwise you were listening to their conversation. Read More »

Looking 4 a Treasure?

It’s often said everyone loves to buy something at a really good price! That can almost be a “truism” in Chillicothe because there are at least five businesses here that specialize in taking one person’s discards and repurposing them into another person’s “perfect new find.” Second Street is the place to go if you are looking for a treasure. Read More »

REAL ESTATE OVER COFFEE—Why ARe More People Becoming Homeowners?

There are several benefits to owning your home. A significant one, especially when inflation is high like it is today, is that homeownership can help protect you from rising costs. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), explains: “In the 1970s, when inflation was running around 10%, home prices were rising at approximately the same rate. Read More »

Your Library Card Has Super Powers!

A library card is your ticket to countless worlds and ideas tucked away in the pages of books. But what else? Turns out, this unassuming plastic rectangle contains plenty of other super powers! Chillicothe Public Library card holders have access not only to thousands of print materials and other media like DVDs, magazines, and CD-Books, but also to quite a few resources you might not expect. Read More »

Cooking With Vickie Britton - September 2022

These are a quick and easy dessert anyone can make. Read More »

Looking for a Few Good Lions

The Chillicothe Lions Club is proud to be a member of the largest service organization in the world, the Lions Club International. With over 48,000 clubs in over 200 countries in the world, it has 1.4 million members in it. Their motto is “We Serve.” Read More »

Rounding-Up and Making a Difference

Something that I’ve noticed over the past year is the request to “Round-Up” when paying at a register. Many times, this is for a charity or event. For example, if your purchase is $3.80, if you’re in agreement, you’d pay $4.00. The extra 20 cents is then dropped into a container. Read More »

DeVoss Barber Shop

Bill DeVoss was a barber in Chillicothe for 53 years. He attended Peoria Barber College graduating in March of 1932. He became a registered Barber on October 26, 1934. Bill opened his shop in town on December 17, 1934 and retired in December 1986. Read More »

CEC’s Cross Country

On Saturday, August 13th, Chillicothe Elementary Center ran their first cross country meet of the year. Washington Central hosted the Trojan Invitational. Read More »

What’s Happening in Chillicothe...

We can’t let August go by without mentioning the Chamber of Commerce 21st Annual HLC (Henry, Lacon, Chillicothe) Canoe/Kayak Jaunt event. This year had record signups and brought people in from places as far away as St. Louis, Chicago, Iowa, and Indiana. The collaboration with other communities and the challenge of the Illinois River is gaining popularity for canoe and kayak enthusiasts alike. Read More »

In the Garden - September 2022

Flowers and bushes are blooming, herbs are flourishing, butterfly and bees are buzzing around, vegetable gardens are overloaded with this year’s crops… if you followed my trimming directions, your mums and asters should be rounding out and bushing up. The sunflowers are in their glory! If you planted the “seeds edible” variety it is time to check them for ripening. Read More »

Why I Joined the Chillicothe Fire Department - September 2022

My name is Greg Zerfass. My family and I moved to Chillicothe in 2019, following my retirement from a 22-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard. I have an amazing wife, Sally. If you are reading this, odds are you’ve seen her around town brightening everyone’s day. I am the one lucky enough to be seen in public with her! We are blessed with two wonderful daughters, Mary and Megan, who attend IVC and St. Edwards. They both love playing sports and the arts and are a true joy to watch grow up. Read More »

THE CHILLICOTHE OPTIMIST CLUB - September 2022

*Making a Difference in Our Town* The Optimist Club is again out and about in our town working to make it a better place to work and play. In August, the club partnered with the Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce to serve food for the Canoe and Kayak Jaunt from Henry to Chillicothe. The club served 130 participants at Shore Acres Park after the event. Read More »

Chillicothe Rotary Club - September 2022

Rotary President, Amanda Beadles, presenting a check for $1500 to Mike Mahoney, Chillicothe Town Theatre Board member, to assist with the purchase of a new popcorn popper for the theatre. Read More »

AMVET of the Year Award

Chillicothe AMVETS Jeff Anderson recently was awarded the prestigious AMVET of the Year award. A Lifetime Member and the Commander of AMVETS Post 77, Anderson exemplifies our mission of Veterans Serving Veterans. Read More »

Chillicothe’s Hometown Hero—Kellie Hesterberg

In today’s ever changing world, traditions, beliefs, and customs are slowly being eroded and undesirable factions continue to test the resolve of law abiding citizens who only want fair justice to be enforced and applied, guided by the equalizer, our constitution. Read More »