Stay Awhile
A west side auto shop in Spring Valley will receive city assistance for building improvements, following a unanimous vote on Tuesday by Spring Valley City Council.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Festival 56 professional theater’s summer 2025 season announces a series of Cabarets beginning Saturday, June 21st and continuing through Sunday, August 3rd. They are held at The Grace Theater, 316 S. Main St. in Princeton. (Photo Provided By Festival 56)
Festival 56 will begin its summer 2025 cabaret series Saturday, June 21, with a 7:30 p.m. performance at the Grace Theater, 316 S. Main St. in Princeton.
The series includes six cabaret performances through early August.
Each show will feature Festival 56 company members performing songs from a variety of genres. Early evening shows are family-friendly, while the 10 p.m. performances will feature a family-appropriate first act.
The full schedule:
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at Festival 56’s website, by calling 815-879-5656, or at the Grace Theater box office from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Bill Freskos is a multimedia journalist based in the Illinois Valley. He covers hard news, local government, sports, business enterprise, and politics while contributing to Shaw Local Radio stations for Shaw Media across La Salle, Bureau, and Putnam counties.
The Princeton Community Band, under the direction of Ann Lusher, will kick off its 21st season on Sunday, June 1 with a concert in Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton at 6 p.m. (Kevin Hieronymus)
The Princeton Community Band, under the direction of Ann Lusher, will kick off its 21st season on Sunday, June 1 with a concert in Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton at 6 p.m.
Featured on the concert will be soprano soloist Kori Suarez of Peru. She will be singing “If I Loved You” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.
Kori Suarez (Photo provided)
Other music on the concert includes “Music from Wicked,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” “Themes from Offenbach,” Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” “Variations on a Theme by Prokofieff,” and “Pennsylvania Polka.”
In case of rain, the concert will be held in the Sally Skinner Council Auditorium at Princeton High School.
All concerts are free. Donations are gratefully accepted. PCB is a 501(c)(3) organization. Lawn chairs are suggested. Refreshments are available from the Lions Club.
Kevin has been sports editor of the BCR since 1986 and is Sports Editor of Putnam County Record. Was previously sports editor of the St. Louis Daily News and a contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals magazine. He is a 2021 inductee into the IBCA Hall of Fame (Media) and a 2023 inductee into the Illinois Valley Hall of Fame as "Distinguished Media"
Eli Washkowiak fires his disc from the tee box Sunday, March 3, 2024, at the new disc golf course at Rotary Park in La Salle. (Derek Barichello)
The Illinois Valley has a new disc golf course.
The 18-basket course, named The Quarry, opened Friday to the public at Rotary Park in La Salle. A grand opening is expected to be scheduled in the next few weeks.
A map of the course and details of course play are on a display at Rotary Park, as well as information at each hole for players to follow. The course is free. Players must bring their own discs.
Go to facebook.com/cityoflasalle for information on the course.
Jeremy Washkowiak fires his disc from the tee box Sunday, March 3, 2024, at the new disc golf course at Rotary Park in La Salle. (Derek Barichello)
The Washkowiak family plays a round Sunday, March 3, 2024, of disc golf on the new course at Rotary Park in La Salle. (Derek Barichello)
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois
A west side auto shop in Spring Valley will receive city assistance for building improvements, following a unanimous vote on Tuesday by Spring Valley City Council.
Got a news tip? Email ntnewsroom@shawmedia.com
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
emergency lights (Stock image)
Bureau County authorities have a “presumptive identification” of the body discovered Friday in Princeton, Coroner Kurt Workman said Tuesday.
Workman said he hoped to establish the male’s identity within the next two days.
Princeton Police Department received notification July 11 of a possible deceased person located at 812 W. Peru St. Upon further investigation, officers located the remains of a deceased male inside the location.
The Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigations Unit and the Bureau County Coroner’s Office were notified.
An autopsy was performed Monday at the McLean County Coroner’s Office in Bloomington.
“The autopsy resulted in no evidence of foul play,” authorities said Monday. “The identity of the deceased is being withheld, pending notification of relatives.”
Tom Collins covers criminal justice in La Salle County.
The Princeton Theater Group announced Festival 56′s summer 2025 season. (Derek Barichello)
The Princeton Theater Group announced Festival 56’s summer 2025 season.
The season opens with Broadway’s “Hairspray the Musical,” running from June 27 to July 5 at the Grace Theater, 316 S. Main St. Set in 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, quirky, plus-sized teenager Tracy Turnblad has one dream: to dance on “The Corny Collins Show.” Overnight, Tracy transforms from a nobody into a star and uses her newfound influence to advocate for racial integration on the TV show. Tracy faces scrutiny and bullying from the network producer Velma and her popular but vicious daughter Amber. With the help of her diverse community, Tracy overcomes the odds and succeeds in her mission to integrate the show. In the Tony Award-winning “Hairspray,” the bright, energetic story of Tracy Turnblad teaches us all to look past the color of one’s skin and fight for every human being’s equal rights.
The free production of Shakespeare in the Park sees the return of the family-friendly and timeless romantic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from July 6 to July 30 at Soldiers and Sailors Park. In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” four young Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master, Oberon, play a trick on the fairy queen, Titania, as another group attempts to rehearse a play for the king’s wedding. Comedy, mistaken identity, hijinks and multiple weddings ensue. Shakespeare’s plays portray recognizable people in situations that we can all relate to – including love, marriage, death, mourning, guilt, the need to make difficult choices, separation, reunion and reconciliation.
The next production is “Carrie: The Musical” from July 11 to July 20 at the Grace Theater. Carrie White is a teenage outcast who longs to fit in. At school, she is bullied by the popular crowd and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she is dominated by her loving but cruelly controlling mother. What none of them know is that Carrie discovered she has special powers, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use them. Carrie captures the audience with its timely relevancy. The show speaks on the challenges of adolescence, the pressures of high school, and the need to break free of negative social norms to become the best version of ourselves. Carrie challenges the audience to learn from their mistakes and move forward.
To close out the season, the theater will present the family-friendly “The Little Mermaid” from July 25 through Aug. 3 at the Grace Theater. The central story of “The Little Mermaid” is about yearning. Young protagonist Ariel feels constrained by her patriarchal society and senses she does not belong. She yearns for another world, apart from her own, where she can be free from the limits of her confining culture and unadventurous family. Ariel’s journey highlights the importance of self-expression and the struggle to be heard. This desire for transformation comes with a cost. To become human, she must give up her voice, the very thing that allows her to express herself and connect with others. Learning Stages Camp 56 young actors will participate in this production.
Throughout the summer season, enjoy the Cabaret Series from June 20 to Aug. 3. See company members in a new light on the cabaret stage. This is a great opportunity to be entertained with songs from a variety of genres as the audience gets to know the entire company better, Festival 56 said in a news release.
Tickets can be bought online at Festival56.com, at the Festival 56 box office at 316 S. Main St. in Princeton, and by calling 815-879-5656.
The Princeton Theater Group is a volunteer-driven nonprofit arts organization dedicated to developing Princeton and the surrounding region as a home for professional theater and theater arts education. Festival 56 offers professional theater in central Illinois and is produced by the Princeton Theater Group.
Derek Barichello is the news editor for The Times in Ottawa and NewsTribune in La Salle, part of Shaw Local News Network, covering La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties. He covers local and breaking news in the areas of government, education, business and crime and courts, among others.
The Heritage Harbor marina will set the scene July 26 for CASA of La Salle County’s “Hope on the Harbor” luau fundraiser, featuring tropical fare, live music and stories from child advocates.
La Salle County Court Appointed Special Advocates will host a summer fundraising luau, Hope on the Harbor, on Saturday, July 26, at Heritage Harbor in Ottawa.
The waterfront fundraiser will serve island-inspired food and drinks, live music, prize raffles and stories from local CASA volunteers who stand up for children navigating the court system.
All proceeds will support CASA’s mission to provide trained volunteers for children in La Salle County who have experienced abuse or neglect.
“Every child deserves a safe, loving home,” Executive Director of La Salle County CASA Lexi Wamhoff said in a statement. “This event allows the community to come together, celebrate and ensure that more kids have someone speaking up for them.”
Tickets are $100 and are available online. Sponsorship opportunities also are available.
For information, contact CASA at 815-434-2620 or awamhoff@lasallecountycasa.org.
Bill Freskos is a multimedia journalist based in the Illinois Valley. He covers hard news, local government, sports, business enterprise, and politics while contributing to Shaw Local Radio stations for Shaw Media across La Salle, Bureau, and Putnam counties.
Festival 56 returns with free outdoor productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo provided by Festival 56
Small town meets big drama at Princeton’s Festival 56, a renowned celebration of the performing arts that brings together rising acting talent from across the country. This weekend, you can catch the skilled ensemble of performers staging productions “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (through July 30).
Festival 56 professional theater is opened “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Sunday, July 6 at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. A total of eight performances of the play are offered free to the public through Wednesday, July 30. (Photo provided by Tracy Makransky)
Shakespeare in the Park: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
July 23, 27 and 30
Soldiers & Sailors Park, Princeton
Festival 56’s Shakespeare in the Park series has long been known for pushing the boundaries of community theater. In 2013, it staged a large war reenactment in the streets of Princeton to kick off the production of “Romeo and Juliet.” This year, they return to another of the Bard’s classic texts for a run of free performances under the stars.
Festival 56’s Shakespeare in the Park, held in Soldiers & Sailors Park at the end of Princeton’s bustling downtown, starts at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday and Sunday, through July 30. Featuring the original text and colorful costumes, this family-friendly performance is open to guests of all ages. Guests are encouraged to bring their own folding chairs and blankets.
The production is sponsored by Heartland Bank and Trust Co., Shaw Media and partially funded by grants from the Sun Foundation and The Princeton Closet.
Festival 56 professional theater’s summer 2025 season announces a series of Cabarets beginning Saturday, June 21st and continuing through Sunday, August 3rd. They are held at The Grace Theater, 316 S. Main St. in Princeton. (Photo Provided By Festival 56)
Festival 56 Presents: “Cabarets”
Aug. 2-3
Grace Theater, 316 S. Main St., Princeton
This year’s roster of Festival 56 performances also includes a variety of Cabaret shows. Each special performance will feature Festival 56 company members performing songs from a variety of genres. Early evening shows are family-friendly, while the 10 p.m. performances will feature a family-appropriate first act.
Schedule of performances:
Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased online at Festival 56’s website, by calling 815-879-5656, or at the Grace Theater box office from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
To learn about other upcoming shows in the 2025 summer season, visit Festival56.com and follow Festival 56 on Facebook.