IN OUR COMMUNITY
37th Annual Marching Invitational
The 37th Annual WCHS Marching Panther Invitational will be held on September 6th from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m at Washington Community High School, Babcook Field. A great day of music, competition, and fun! See twenty-seven high school marching bands perform their 2025 field show. The 2025 Marching Panthers will present “For the Dreamers” in exhibition. Visit our invitational website to learn about the schedule of bands, food options, parking, and more!
$10 Adults, $5 Seniors and K-12 students
Retro Car Show
Charter Senior Living of Washington is excited to host a Retro Car Show on Saturday, September 13th from 11 AM to 2 PM — and you’re invited!
Come enjoy a fantastic afternoon featuring:
✨ Classic Cars
🎵 Live Music
🍔 Delicious Food
💜 A Great Cause
They are raising funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s — so while you admire the cars and enjoy the entertainment, you’ll also be making a difference.
📍 Location: 100 Grand Victorian PL, Washington, IL
🗓️ Date: Friday, September 13th
🕚 Time: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Festival of Food Trucks
The largest variety of food trucks in the area will be set up for business. There will be tables and chairs set up or you can bring your own. Vendors will be open for business, anlong with a farmers market, including fresh beef and local honey. Balloon man, face painter, and ride a train will be available. Live music by Roy Fifer. Come out and enjoy a evening of delicious food and fun for all ages!
Bingo
Join in at Five Points Washington every 1st Tuesday (September 2nd) of the month in the Senior Room for Washington Park District’s monthly BINGO game. You do not have to be a Five Points member to attend. Bingo begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs to about 11:30 a.m.
The Bunker Cruise-In
The Rusty Rockers are once again doing their yearly summer cruise-in dates at the Vietnam Veterans of Illinois Bunker in Sunnyland! The Bunker will provide some free food, and one can donate to them as a thank you if you please. They will also be raffling off a few things at each event to raise some money for Peoria Honor Flight.
“The Bunker Cruise-In”
September 7th, 2025
12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday Night Lights
Saturday Night Lights Cruise-In will be on September 13th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Anything with wheels is welcome. Come out and hang out with friends or meet new friends. Bring your vehicles to show, or just come to look at the vehicles. First Response Food will be back this year serving some delicious foods. Connect Center again will open up for use of the bathrooms. This month St Jude’s Runners will be our donations.
Cars & Coffee Cruise
Get together and make new friends, check out each other’s cars, trucks, and bikes and of course enjoy donuts. They will be meeting at Dunkin Donuts on September 6th at 6:45 a.m. and plan to depart for C & C around 7:15 a.m. Like usual, there will be donuts to share. If it’s got wheels, it’s welcome.
Kids Quest
Parents, bring your kids, ages Pre-K to 5th grade, to Grace Bible church for an unforgettable evening as they discover what happened in the beginning! The event is held on September 10th at Grace Bible Church, 1109 S. Main St at 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Learn more about Kids Quest at our website
Yoga On The Square
Come and take a yoga class with us outside on the Washington Square! Our Five Points BodyBalance instructors will take everyone through a yoga class, while enjoying the weather outside.
Join us on the Square on September 13 from 10-11 a.m. You do not have to be a Five Points member to join, everyone is welcome to come and take a yoga class with us. Plus this class is FREE! Make sure to bring your own mat with you.
Shop at selected stores on the square with a special discount after the event. More details coming soon…
If the weather doesn’t work out, we will hold Yoga on the Square back at Five Points Washington.
Questions? Contact Group Fitness Coordinator, Leslie Anderson: LeslieA@fivepointswashington.org
Church of Cash
The Church of Cash show, performed by singer Jay Ernest and his band, is an unforgettable experience that brings the music of the Man in Black to life. Jay Ernest’s deep, resonant voice sounds remarkably like Johnny Cash’s, and he captures the essence of the legendary performer with his dynamic stage presence.
The show is held on September 20th at Five Points Washington, and features an electrifying setlist that includes all of Cash’s greatest hits, from “I Walk the Line” to “Ring of Fire” and beyond. The band’s musicianship is impeccable, and they create an authentic sound that’s true to Cash’s original recordings.
In addition to the music, the show includes captivating stories and anecdotes about Cash’s life and career; adding an extra dimension of entertainment and education for audiences of all ages. The performance is designed to appeal to both long-time Cash fans and newcomers to his music. This is the perfect night out for families, couples and friends!
Doors Open at 6:00 p.m.
Show Begins at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets:
Balcony Seating: $35
Floor Seating: $40
Groups of 7 or more will receive a 10% discount off each ticket in their order! Contact the Theater Manager for group rate information.
Tailgate Party
Five Points Washington is partnering with the Panther Football Alumni Association’s 12th Man to host a few Tailgate Parties this fall. We look forward to getting the community together to have a little fun before the game. Our Tailgate Parties will take place in the Five Points Washington South Parking Lot.
September 19th | 5:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
vs Pekin
Honor Our Heroes
Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Music will be provided by TJ the DJ: Straight Outta Sunnyland.
Tailgate Parties in 2025:
September 19 (vs Pekin)
October 3 (vs East Peoria)
October 17 (vs Canton)
Post Season TBD
Bags for Charity
Trapp Electric’s 2nd Annual Bags for Charity is back—and it’s bigger than ever! Join us on September 6th at 12:00 p.m. for a fun-filled day of cornhole, food trucks, raffle prizes, cold drinks, and cash prizes for the top teams, all while supporting The Resilience Project, a nonprofit helping Veterans transition back to civilian life and combat suicide through resources, community, and support. The event is located at 25238 Spring Creek Road.
Entertainment & Technology
Transform Your TV
Here are two ways to utilize the USB port on your TV:
1. Transform your TV into a Workstation.
Ever find yourself with spreadsheets, documents, and web pages crowding your computer monitor? Use your TV to create a larger display, allowing you to multitask and open multiple windows simultaneously. You can use a Bluetooth adapter to connect wireless peripherals, such as a mouse or keyboard.
2. Media Player
Most external hard drives, thumb drives, or data sticks plugged into the USB port on your TV will function as if you plugged them into your laptop. Show a gallery of images or play videos for parties and family gatherings!
Voice Dictation
Speed up your typing with voice commands!
On Windows, position your cursor in the field you want to dictate into, and press Windows + H in any text field to start dictating instead of typing.
On a Mac, position your cursor in the field you want to dictate into, and hit Fn (Globe) + D (or Fn + F5) to activate Dictation.
It’s a huge time-saver for emails, documents, or even jotting down notes!
Phishing Emails
MTCO has seen a new wave of phishing emails targeting MTCO customers. Here’s a few reminders to stay vigilant:
• MTCO will never ask you to provide
personal or account information
via email.
• Never click on unexpected links or
attachments from suspicious emails.
• Beware of urgent language being used
with phrases like “Your account will be
suspended” or “Urgent action required.”
Report Spam Emails
Before deleting spam emails, the best course of action is to report them so providers can improve their chances of detecting them before they hit your inbox. If you use MTCO email, you can forward it to spam@mtco.com for review.
Here’s a good article on how reporting spam is helpful, and how to report it if you use other email clients such as Gmail, Yahoo, and others:
https://cyberguy.com/security/surprising-reason-delete-spam-emails/
Google Chrome vs Microsoft Edge
Which one wins the battle of browsers? This will likely end in a tie (hint, hint), but this article gives some nice insight when comparing convenience, AI features, gaming features, security, and more: https://www.pcmag.com/comparisons/google-chrome-vs-microsoft-edge-which-one-wins-the-browser-battle
$100 For You & A Friend!
Refer-A-Friend to MTCO digiMAX Internet and/or Stream TV service, and you’ll both receive a $100 credit on your bill! Be sure they tell the MTCO customer service representative about the referral, or submit the online form at https://www.mtco.com/?referral
From one of our amazing, loyal customers: “I love MTCO! Your internet (Wi-Fi) is the best, and I was so happy when MTCO became a television provider years ago; you are local, and any of the small problems I’ve had were handled quickly and kindly.”