IN OUR COMMUNITY

Thanks to the diligent work of the Metamora Association for Historic Preservation and Levi Obery of Ten-Thirty-One Productions, the Underground Railroad in Metamora is being brought to life!  The full story unfolds in June, when the complete movie will premiere at the MTHS Auditorium for the public to see.  

Prior to assuming the presidency, Abraham Lincoln defended local “conductors” from Metamora.  This issue ultimately pitted neighbors versus neighbors, and the potential for financial gain from capturing freedom seekers made Metamora a dangerous place.  This documentary aims to preserve the stories of Metamora’s crucial role during this contentious period in American history for future generations.

View the theatrical trailer at https://tenthirtyone.org/ugrrtrailer

The MARS/WARS team is excited to invite you to their Open House on Saturday, March 8th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. where they will showcase the team’s achievements. The team has been working hard towards this year’s First Robotics Competition and is proud to be able to show off both their junior varsity and varsity robots at this year’s open house!

Please enter through the east lot.  Signs will be posted leading to the Vocational doors.

Metamora Township High School proudly presents their Spring Musical, Shrek the Musical, to be performed in the Kenneth H. Maurer Auditorium from March 13th -16th with performances starting at 7:00 p.m. on the 13th through 15th, and 2:00 p.m. on the 16th. Tickets are on sale now and available through the online MTHS Box Office. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens 60 & older, $5 for students 8th grade & younger, and all MTHS Students with a school ID are free.

Shrek tells the story of an unlikely hero on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero.

The production is directed by Tyler Smith. The ensemble, made up of fairytale creatures, knights, tap dancing mice, and more, includes more than 50 students from Metamora Township High School.

For questions about tickets or the box office, please contact (309) 367-4151, ext. 574 or kherrick@mths.us.

It’s not too late to grab tickets to the St. Mary’s Dinner Auction on Saturday, March 15th as they celebrate 150 years of faith-based education! Doors open at St. Mary of Lourdes Parish Hall at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:00 p.m.  The live auction and entertainment will follow.

Barrack’s Catering has planned an extra special meal of prime rib and roast breast of chicken to celebrate the great school history, and indulge in a delightful dessert experience the renowned St. Mary’s Pies and Uncle Bob’s ice cream!

Grab your tickets to the event here: https://stmarysmetamora.schoolauction.net/2025auction

Children’s programming returns on March 3rd at the Ilinois Prairie District Public Library!  There are two Baby Bookwork and six Story Time Sessions each week the libraries. 

Head over to their new website for further details on these and other events at https://www.ipdpl.org 

Join the Metamora Grade School Foundation for their annual Glo Bingo fundraising event on Friday, March 14th at the Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino.  Check-in starts at 5:30 p.m. with dinner from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., followed by bingo at 7:00 p.m.

Grab your Glo-Bingo ticket before they are gone: https://givebutter.com/c/MGS2025

Germantown Hills residents are invited to attend two Meet and Greet events on Tuesday, March 4th and Wednesday, March 5th from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at Michael’s Italian Feast in Germantown Hills.

Meet with Village Board candidates on Tuesday, March 4th, and with candidates for Village Mayor and Village Trustees on March 5th.  Scroll down to see more details on both of these Open House Events.

The 9th Hole Vendor Show is going to be so fun! The Metamora Fields has great vendors signed up to be a part of their first vendor event! 

Come support small businesses and shop, eat, and drink with us on Saturday, March 8th from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join the Woodford County Farm Bureau their next Woodford County Women’s Outreach class as they welcome back Molly from Sun Oak Farm for a session on gardening!  Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gardener, this class will be full of tips and tricks to help your garden thrive.  

The class is from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25th at the Woodford County Farm Bureau Auditorium at 117 W Center Street in Eureka.  The cost is $20.00 per person.  Sign up by calling 309-467-2347 or email woodfordcfb@gmail.com

Come ready to dig into the basics of planting, growing, and maintaining a beautiful garden! 

High school seniors can explore two scholarships offered by the Germantown Hills Chamber of Commerce. Each is worth $500 for a 2025 graduating senior from Metamora Twp. High School. 

Eligibility: Must be attending any college in the State of Illinois with a major in accounting, business management, business administration, etc. This list is not exhaustive, and each application will be evaluated individually. 

To be considered for this scholarship, you need to write an essay outlining your career plans and objectives and explain why you chose this career path.  Also describe how this scholarship would help you achieve your college goals.

If you’re interested, please reach out to the Guidance Office at MTHS or email the GH Chamber Secretary at secretary@ghillscc.org. for an application.   All information must be submitted by April 11th.

Calling all vendors/crafters who are interested in setting up for the Annual Spring Bay Watermelon Festival June 5th - 7th.  You can choose one day, two days, or all three. The cost is $40.00 for Thursday  from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., and $50.00 each for Friday and Saturday from noon - 7:00 .pm. If you choose to do all 3 days the price is $125.00.  This is an outdoors event and the space allotted is 12’x12’.  If you need a larger space, the price is doubled accordingly.

Deadlines are coming up to register your kids for summer youth sports! 

Germantown Hills Athletic Association

Registration is open for baseball, softball, and T-Ball for the summer of 2025.  Register online at

https://www.germantownhillsathleticassociation.com/

Metamora Youth Sports Association

Registration is open until April 5th for baseball, softball, and T-ball for the summer of 2025. Register online at  https://mysasports.org/registration/

Getting a security code sent via text to gain access to your Gmail account will soon be a thing of the past as Google will reportedly stop using SMS codes with plans to replace them with QR codes instead. The reason is twofold: not only are SMS codes less secure but they also make it easier for cybercriminals to abuse Google’s services.

Full details at:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/02/23/google-confirms-gmail-to-ditch-sms-code-authentication/

Nintendo Switch 2 is launching soon and has a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons, a sleeker design, and will be backwards compatible with Switch games. 

Nintendo has not released much information, but you can expect a full lowdown during a Nintendo Direct at 8:00 a.m. on April 2nd.  For a first-look trailer, visit:  https://youtu.be/itpcsQQvgAQ?feature=shared

Take advantage of this FREE perk, MTCO TV customers!  Watch all your digiMAX channels on your smartphone or table...anytime, anywhere, manage or watch your Cloud DVR recordings, and more with the MyTVs App.  

Stream TV customers simply need to download the MyTVs app from your App Store to get started.  If you have traditional TV service, give the MTCO customer care team a call to set up a free stream and then download the app.

CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTv will split the duties of broadcasting the 2025 NCAA March Madness Tournament.  The tournament begins on Tuesday, March 18th with the First Four, and concludes with the national championship game on Monday, April 7th.  CBS will carry the Final Four games.

Don’t miss any of the big games when away from home with the MTCO digiMAX Manage MyTVs app!  Call MTCO today to get set up with this free app so you can watch LIVE TV on your smartphone!

Scammers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to make scams harder to spot and more deceptive.  AI-generated deepfake voices are being used to impersonate bank officials and government representatives.  Also, AI is making email scams more sophisticated by generating more realistic-looking documents and official letterheads. Here’s a few ways to protect yourself:

Ignore unsolicited messages:  Scammers often send pop-ups, text messages or emails claiming your computer is infected or your bank account is at risk. NEVER click on links or attachments from unknown senders.

Verify phone numbers before calling:  If you receive an unexpected message, do not use the number provided. Instead, visit the official website of the company in question and find their customer support contact information.

Be skeptical of urgent financial warnings:  Scammers create a false sense of urgency to trick victims into acting before they can think critically about the situation.

Spring TV sun outages will begin on Saturday, March 1st, and are expected to last through March 6th. You can expect to see video issues these days between 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Video outages will range from a few blips of interrupted video to channels that may go dark for several minutes. 

Sun outages are a natural phenomenon that occur when a satellite and a receiving earth station come directly in line with the sun. The sun’s energy interferes with the satellite’s signal and affects the signals received by the earth station.