IN OUR COMMUNITY

Tickets for the 17th Annual Community Prayer Breakfast are available for sale at Goodfield State Bank in Metamora and CEFCU in Germantown Hills! The breakfast is on Wednesday, November 5th, at 7:15 am at Metamora Fields Golf Club.  Each ticket is $35 and includes a full buffet breakfast.  The last day to purchase tickets is Friday, October 31st.

The Keynote speaker is Kim Martin, founder and CEO of I've Decided.  Kim is also the President of Women in Leadership - Central Illinois, and owner of a Curves franchise

Listen to beautiful music by the MTHS Madrigal singers and Anna Joy Buegel, a Chicago-based Soprano and Voice Instructor. Anna Joy has soloed for and joined many congregational choirs in the Chicago area.

Tickets can also be purchased online at  COMMUNITY PRAYER BREAKFAST | GHChamberOfCommerce 

If you missed one of the premieres earlier this year or want to see it again, here is your chance!

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 again to broadcast on MTCO's Local Channel 400!  The full story unfolds with the airing of the movie at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 25th, and on Sunday, October 26th.  

Metamora, Illinois, played a pivotal role in the Underground Railroad. This network of secret routes and safe houses established from 1837-1865 allowed tens of thousands of enslaved African-Americans to escape into largely free states and Canada.

The Metamora Fire Department is hosting a Pancake Breakfast from 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 4th, at the Metamora Firehouse at 120 S Davenport St.  

This free-will donation breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice, milk, and coffee.  Come out and support your volunteer fire department!

The 11th Annual Craft & Vendor Fair at Metamora Grade School, Saturday, October 18th from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  This event is free and open to the public! A vendor list will be available soon at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063491892523

If you are interested in reserving space, please email ptocraftvendorshow@mgsredbirds.org for information.

Marching Band Invitational

The 44th Annual Metamora Band Invitational is Saturday, October 11th, at Malone Field in Metamora!  Enjoy 20 marching bands from across the state at this full-day event that starts at 2:00 p.m.!

Fall Choir Concert

The MTHS Fall Choir Concert will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15th, at the MTHS Auditorium.   The concert is free and open to the public.

Plus, the Homecoming Parade is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 3rd!

The Community Holiday Gift Card Committee is again providing Metamora Kirby Foods gift cards to area residents before the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Thanks to our community’s generosity, 100 gift cards are distributed each year! You can help by donating! Make your check payable to the Community Christmas Basket Fund. Mail or drop off your donation to Metamora Commerce Bank, 1 South Englewood Dr, Metamora, IL 61548.  There will also be collection jugs at Metamora Kirby Foods in November. 

Anyone with food insecurities living in the Metamora Township High School district, or attending a school in the district, is eligible for a gift card. Please contact Becky Weber, 602 Malone Ct., Metamora, IL 61548, phone 309-369-1133, or email beckygfwc@gmail.com  to sign up or submit a name.

The deadline for submitting names (kept confidential) is Friday, October 24th. If you are submitting a family’s name, be sure to contact the family first and ask if they would be willing to accept a gift card. All gift cards need to be picked up on Saturday, November 22nd, from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at the Christian Union Church in Metamora. 

The Metamora Area Business Association (MABA) and Great Oaks Church are hosting Trunk or Treat at Metamora Square on Saturday, October 25th, from 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

This annual event includes inflatables, food trucks, trunks, and contests for the Best Trunk and Best Costume!  The kids can show off their costumes while businesses and organizations decorate their trunks and provide treats for all the trick-or-treaters!

Local businesses that want to join the fun can register their trunk at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRqizVf8wDrn0nV_xqE-3ixw_OPsnAOGuSdT2CMhbYGONrcg/viewform 

FREE books for kids under 5 in Woodford County!  Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is now available to ALL children under age 5 in Woodford County — no library card or residency in our service area required!

Sign up and get a brand-new book in the mail each month until your child turns 5 — absolutely free.  

Full details here:  https://www.ipdpl.org/dolly-partons-imagination-library

Register here: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/ILWOODFORD/

Bring your family, favorite chair, and BYOD, and enjoy live music by Ken Hahn & Co.  The grill will be fired up with plates for $10 (adults) and $6 (kids). Meet the Mended Hearts therapists and therapy animals while you relax! Donations are welcome to support their therapy animals and children’s therapy. Mended Hearts is a non-profit 501(c)3.  This event will be cancelled if it rains.

Check out their website at https://mended-hearts.org/

Watch Metamora Redbird varsity football and volleyball live on digiMAX Local Channel 401 and the digiMAX Sports Network YouTube channel!  Click here for the fall schedule:  https://www.mtco.com/sports

Games and the fall MTHS Band Concerts will all be repalyed numerous times on digiMAX Local Channel 400.

If your family or organization is interested in sponsoring a tree at this year’s fourth annual event on Saturday, December 6th at 5:00 p.m., please fill out the registration form and $75 fee no later than Monday, November 3rd.  If you have any questions or need a registration form, please contact Katie Garber KGarber@villageofmetamora.com  or call 309-367-2932.

Decorate your carts scary, spooky, funny, or creative and parade around town in the 2nd Annual Metamora Golf Cart Parade!

Meet at the square at 4:00 p.m. to line up and take off at 4:30 p.m.  The parade will end back at the square.

The plan is to throw candy this year, so feel free to share, invite friends (with or without a golf cart), and spread the word!

Your golf cart/UTV is required to be registered with the Village of Metamora, as well as the slow-moving vehicle emblem on the back to be street legal.  The route is six miles, so come fully charged/gassed up!

Sign up sheet: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050948A8A92FA3F58-58119767-golf?fbclid=IwY2xjawNKeL9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFud1Awd3p1M044c0lSTFZNAR7F0aOVGxPf7htu5tcek3eeVKXH_AAQc5MBOEDScOuA_Swj1IcprzXbZ1BKqg_aem_D_ob49-GWnpopS5lkK1JGA

Every October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month teaches people simple ways to protect themselves online. Small actions can make a big difference.  Here are four core steps you can take to boost your online safety:

Use Strong Passwords and a Password Manager 

Passwords are your first line of defense. Make them at least 16 characters long, make each of your passwords unique (don’t reuse), and add complexity with upper and lowercase letter, numbers, and special characters.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA requires you to verify your identity in two ways before accessing your account. Your first step is to provide your username and password.  The second step could be a code sent to your phone, or a notification from an app. You can also set up MultiFactor Authentification for additional layers of security.

Recognize and Report Scams

Click here for good tips and advice: https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/how-to-avoid-scams

Update your software

Here’s how to stay on top of software updates without the hassle:  https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/software-updates

MTCO digiMAX is adding the new TV channel, WEST, to its lineup on TV channel 223.

The channel offers a deep catalog of over 30 iconic Western series, featuring some of the most celebrated programs in television history. The lineup includes timeless shows like Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Maverick, Rawhide, The Wild Wild West, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Virginian, Wagon Train, The Big Valley, Cheyenne, Bronco, Sugarfoot, Lancer, Daniel Boone, and Colt .45, among others.

The prevalence of phishing scams is at an all-time high. Below is a list of questions to ask yourself about any links in an email that may help you realize that you are being phished.

• Hover over any links and check the link address. Do they match the sender’s website exactly?

• Did you receive a blank email with long hyperlinks and no further information or context?

• Does the email contain a hyperlink that has a misspelling of a well-known website, such as Microsoft?

• Is the sender’s email from a suspicious external domain, like micorsoft-support[dot]com rather than microsoft[dot]com?

If you notice anything about the email that alarms you, do not click links, open attachments, or reply.

What was the content of the first email ever sent?  “This is a test.”  “Test 123.” “Please reply if you received this.”   No, the first email was gibberish.  In 1971, Ray Tomlinson sent the world’s first email to himself. He tested the system by typing a random string of letters, later admitting he couldn’t remember exactly what it said. What he did was invent the use of the @ symbol to designate email addresses. Courtesy of Curt the Cyber Guy.  

Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14th.  Here’s a good read on how to prepare to move needed information to a new computer running Windows 11, or Microsoft’s extended security updates if you are not ready to upgrade:  https://cyberguy.com/windows/windows-10-support-ends-upgrade-windows-11-safely/

Fall TV sun outages will begin on Wednesday, October 1st, and are expected to last through October 8th. You can expect to see video issues these days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 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 occurs 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.