IN OUR COMMUNITY

Come to the Washington Square to celebrate Shopping Local and Shopping Small this holiday season in our local stores. Small Business Saturday will be held on November 30th starting at 10:00 a.m.

Stores will have different hours, please check with each store.

Purchase your Wizards of Winter Tickets from November 29th - December 2nd to be entered into a drawing to win one of three free Wizards of Winter CDs! The concert is held at Five Points Washington on December 5th at 6:30 p.m. Purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-wizards-of-winter-tickets-848403566907?

Step into the enchanting world of The Wizards of Winter and experience the magic firsthand as they take you on a musical journey in search of the meaning of Christmas.

Performing their Holiday Rock Opera “The Christmas Dream”, this outstanding ensemble include world-class talent who have performed with renowned acts like The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Trixter, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, Rainbow, NBC’s The Voice, Broadway and more. Join The Wizards and experience the magic firsthand as they take you on a musical journey in search of the meaning of Christmas. This 11-member ensemble boasts soaring vocal harmonies, precision string instrumentation, powerful percussion, and stunning keyboard work, layered around a rich storyboard that evokes memories and emotions of December’s past! From rock and pop, to ballads, and even a visit from Mrs. Claus, The Wizards’ have it all. Don’t miss their electrifying performance, brimming with raw energy and infectious passion, captivating audiences of all ages.

Shop for Christmas gifts or buy yourself something from our talented local crafters at Faith Lutheran Child Care Center on December 14th. Event begins at 8:00 a.m. and runs until 2:00 p.m.

Start your day with biscuits and gravy or a cinnamon roll. Enjoy either potato soup or stuffed pepper soup. Try an Italian beef or pulled pork sandwich with chips.

We will have lots of baked goods to purchase.

Our kid activity table will be entertaining with holiday fun!

Proceeds will go to our Widow’s Jar Pantry and Buddy Bag program.

The North Pole Mailbox has arrived on the Washington Square! 

Drop your letters to Santa in the special North Pole Mailbox, located on the Washington Square in front of Faire Coffee/W Down Under (101 N. Main St.)! 

Be sure to include a return address and get your letters in by December 18th for a guaranteed response from Santa! 

Spread the holiday cheer and let Santa know what’s on your wishlist! 

Join Crossroads Global Methodist Church for an evening indoors filled with Christmas songs, the Christmas story, crafts, games, dinner, and more! All families are welcome, whether they attend Crossroads or not.

Head to their website or use the following link to register: https://subsplash.com/crossroadsglobalmethodis/lb/ev/+pjr66s9

Note: For guaranteed dinner, please register ahead of time! Any extras will available, but not guaranteed.

Are you ready for the most magical night in town? We are talking Hallmark Movie in the making…Join the Washington Specialty Shops for our Annual Candlelight Stroll on December 5th.

Free Carriage Rides 5:30-7:30 p.m. in front of Sentimental Journey.

Visit with Santa at the new store, Jack of All Collectives, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Lighting of the Christmas Tree & Community Sing at 6:00 p.m. in the center of the Square (Led by Nitsch Theatre).

Leave your letter for Santa (with a self addressed envelope)

in the North Pole mailbox outside of Faire Coffee.

Food Trucks Swanee’s Pretzels and The Station will be present. Specialty Shops will be open late for your shopping pleasure. Come join in the fun!

Eat, drink, and be merry with us again while doing fantastic shopping with dozens of local vendors! Washington Bicentennial will be hosting a Holiday Sip and Shop on December 4th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Country Banquet. As always, FREE admission!

Join us in the Senior Room for Washington Park District’s monthly BINGO game on December 3rd at 10:00 a.m.  You do not have to be a Five Points member to attend.

Washington Park District’s monthly BINGO game is the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Celebrate the season with the Peoria Pops Orchestra at their holiday concert, Christmas Rocks at the Pops! Enjoy an exciting mix of sacred and secular music, from beloved carols to festive holiday hits—perfect for the whole family.

Event is held at Five Points Washington on December 7th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Tickets available online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/christmas-rocks-at-the-pops-tickets-1065294096319?

Join the Peoria Area Civic Chorale for An American Family Christmas Dec. 13th and 14th at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 15th at 1:30 p.m. at Five Points Washington. This will be Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Joseph D. Henry’s final Christmas performance before retirement.

The concert will feature modern arrangements of Christmas favorites like “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Go, Tell it on the Mountain,” “Mary, Did You Know,” “Up on the Housetop,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and more.

Special musical guests include the Peoria Civic Chorale Youth Chorus, a teen Young Artist Competition winner, a Jr. High Festival Chorus (Friday), and a brass ensemble. There will also be special appearances from Rudolph, Santa and Mrs. Claus, with photo opportunities available during intermission.

A cake reception will follow the Friday and Saturday evening performances.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for groups of 10+, $10 for students and children under 12 are free if tickets are purchased through the business office at 309-693-6725 or at the door. Tickets are available in advance at www.peoriacivicchorale.org.

Holiday Special - December 20th at 8:30 p.m.

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Washington. Get your tickets now to discover music inspired by the winter and the holiday spirit at Five Points Event Center under the gentle glow of candlelight.

More information is available at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/459876167078738/

Tribute to Coldplay on Strings - December 20th at 6:00 p.m.

Get your tickets now to discover the music of Coldplay on Strings at Five Points Event Center under the gentle glow of candlelight.

More information is available at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/825888973042763/

Please join the Washington Historical Society at their popular annual Christmas House Tour! This year’s tour will be held on Tuesday, December 10th from 1:00 p.m. yo 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The following locations will be adorned in Christmas finery and open for tours this year. 

301 S. Pine Street

115 W. Holland Street

1511 Oak Ridge

114 Shadow Creek

1610 Fayette Avenue

This is a “can’t miss” event! Tickets are $20 and are now available at Nena Ace, Step Back in Time, and Homespun, and via PayPal on the Historical Society website www.washingtonilhs.com. On the day of the event, tickets can be purchased at the Historical Society from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00  p.m.

Returning to Our Savior Lutheran Church and joining us for our first advent service is Denver Bierman of Denver and the Mile High Orchestra. The concert will be held on December 4th at 6:30 p.m. at 1209 Kingsbury Road. It is going to be a great night with a full big band and great Christmas music to start off the season for you and the family.

The concert will start with a message from Pastor Miller, and then move into celebrating the coming of Christ with some Christmas music.

Come get in the Holiday Spirits!

Teams of 3-4 will travel to several Washington bars to compete in minute to win it style games for points. A bus will be provided for safe transportation to each bar.

The event begins at the Washington VFW #9016 on December 14th at 11:00 a.m.

Help raise money for Heart for Change, a Washington, IL. charity that promotes awareness and change for underserved communities.

Come on down to the farm with Shawn Degenhart and the GospelFest Singers as they ring in the Christmas season with their 20th Christmastime GospelFest concert! A wonderful evening with uplifting and fun music for the whole family!

The fun begins Saturday, November 30th at 7 p.m.  at Five Points Washington. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and the performance takes place at 7:00 p.m.

Admission is FREE - they will be collecting love offerings at the performance.

Questions? Contact Theater Manager, Josh Schnetzler: joshs2@fivepointswashington.org.

Travel with us on a heartwarming journey through the sights, sounds, and the true meaning of Christmas at Washington Christian Church on December 8th at 6:30 p.m. Filled with beautiful music, inspiring stories, and festive cheer, “Christmas in the Heart” promises to leave you with the warmth of the season in your soul.

Bring your family and friends for a night of holiday spirit and celebration that you’ll cherish forever!

Admission is free. An offering will be received to benefit local outreach programs.

For a little nostalgia, check out MTCO’s new About Us timeline at https://www.mtco.com/?about

One picture you’ll see is the first Metamora Telephone Company work truck from 1945! The picture above is a picture of CEO Glenn Rauh in 1958 working on phone dialing equipment in the Metamora office. 

Not to be confused with Spam from Hormel Foods, but spam as in junk mail. It seems that half of all junk mail is truly junk, while the other half is legitimate email. Be cautious of malicious emails trying to trick you into clicking unsubscribe links. If you’re not 100% sure an email is legitimate, use Browserling at https://browserling.com  

To check the legitimacy of an unsubscribe link, right-click the link, copy it, and paste it into Browserling. This will open a sandbox browser within your browser, keeping you safe from any malicious code. If it is a legitimate unsubscribe, you can just follow the prompts right inside Browserling’s sandbox and close it out when you’re done.

Don’t Click on Advertisements

Only shop from trusted retailer websites.  If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Beware of Fake Delivery Notifications

If you receive a notification for an unexpected delivery, do not click unless you have confirmed the purchase is real.

Be Careful Downloading Apps

Only download apps from your device’s certified app store.   Confirm the publisher is trusted, and if in doubt, do not install it.

Monitor Bank Account and Credit Card Activity

Turn on alerts to notify you of larger or international purchases.  Call your bank or card issuer by using the phone number on the card if you notice anything suspicious.

Here is another one!  Malvertising is a form of fake online advertising that uses ads that look real but spread malware on your devices.  They can look like “sponsored” ads that you see when performing an online search (like the picture above).

Find out more about how scammers are tricking people with Malvertising at https://cyberguy.com/tech-tips-tricks/older-americans-are-being-targeted-in-a-malvertising-campaign/

The Butterball Turkey Talk Line, a hotline dedicated to answering turkey-cooking questions, started in 1981 with just six operators and a single phone line. Today, they manage over 100,000 calls every holiday season! Since 2016, they have also offered help via text, so you can get turkey-saving tips without stepping away from the stove. It’s like tech support...but for your feast!  Source: Kurt the CyberGuy.

Connecting a USB cable seems like it should be simple, but why do we often get it wrong on the first try?  If you have not already noticed, there is a symbol on one side. It’s not just a design—if you’re plugging the cable in horizontally, the symbol should be facing up. If you are plugging it in vertically, the symbol will face you.  Now you are set to plug it in right every time!