January 20th, 2024: 🥦💧🧇🐣

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Princeton. $217,000, a water main break, and an incubator. Thanks for opening this newsletter — I think you’ll find it useful.

Let’s go.

—Justin Bullington

📬IN THIS ISSUE

🚨What You Should Know
🏅Princeton Person of the Week
❄️ Princeton Weather Alert
💰Princeton Business News
🥁Local Music
⛽️Gas Prices
🐣Letter from Lori

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Happy birthday, Max Wallace! 🎈🎂

• WQAD: “Middle schoolers all over Illinois auditioned for the 2024 All-Illinois Junior Band. [Princeton 8th grader] Tristan Borovicka beat out the competition to play in the Jan. 20 concert.”

• The Alexander Park Ice Rink is now open Monday-Thursday, 12pm-8pm; Fri-Sun, 12pm-7pm. Skates can be rented for $5 at BCMC.

• The Princeton Fire Department is accepting applications for firefighters. The application can be found here.

• The Princeton Closet distributed $217,000 to 36 different organizations.

• The girls Varsity bball team defeated Hall 57-38. They play again today at home against Orion at 1pm.

• Princeton Youth Soccer League Spring registration is now open. Registration closes February 15th.

• 6 year-old Princeton resident Ryder was diagnosed with pediatric Wilms and lung cancer. Tyler and Torrie’s mellow, sweet, and kind little boy who loves running around with his siblings, Rilee and River, is now fighting the battle of his life. Over the next couple of months Ryder will have to undergo chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumors and the family will be making several trips to OSF Children’s Hospital in Peoria, IL and St. Jude’s in Memphis, TN. Click to find out more here about how you can help.

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• A Weekly Events Digest

PRINCETON PERSON OF THE WEEK

🏅Adam Odell

Reason for nomination: “Adam works hard to keep our community safe during storms, and everyday! Tow-truck drivers do not get the recognition they deserve.”

I agree. Congratulations, Adam. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You’ve won the illustrious Princeton Person of the Week.

You can nominate someone for next week’s Princeton Person of the Week here.

PRINCETON WEATHER

Today: daytime temperatures will hover around 3°F, dropping significantly to around -16°F at night.

Tomorrow: we’ll see a slight improvement in temperature, with highs around 18°F, though it will still be quite cold. The wind chill factor on both days could make it feel even colder, reaching as low as -29°F.

click here for road conditions.
click here for an I-80 traffic camera. 

PRINCETON BUSINESS NEWS

• Shop health and wellness locally with Britt Lowdermilk. She offers a variety of products, including greens — that taste great!

• Rachel Rene is offering 15% off all regular priced bath and body products today and tomorrow.

• Meadows on Main is closed right now due to a water main break. Click here to see pictures of what happened.

• Cafe Grace is now hiring a chef or line cook (pay depends on experience) and a server.

• Once Upon a Craft is offering buy one, get one half-off popcorn today, 12 flavors.

• There is a Valentine’s Day Prime Quarter Steak House special Tuesday, February 13th-15th.

  • Sirloin dinner for two - $54.95

    • Dinner includes: Baked potato, Texas Toast, and Unlimited Salad Bar; 2 of our 20oz Top Sirloins (no substitutions). And a dessert to share. They will give away a free dinner for two that can be used on any of those 3 days. All you need to enter is to "LIKE" and "SHARE" this post.

• The Apollo Theater ownership is celebrating their 15th anniversary this weekend. They are showing The Boys in the Boat (PG13) and Mean Girls (PG13) Friday and Saturday (4:15pm and 7pm). Kung-Fu Panda (PG) will be shown for free Saturday for noon.

• Sisler’s Ice Cream will be offering icecream for breakfast on February 3rd, starting at 9am: coffee and donut sundaes, waffle icecream sandwiches, fruit cereal milk shakes, and a dairy free orange juice floats.

• Smoked prime rib is the special at Tony’s Butt Shack today.

• Barrel Society is closed January 21st-January 30th.

LOCAL MUSIC

Princeton

• The Problem Child | The Moose Lodge | Princeton | Jan. 20th, 6pm

• The Generics | The Moose Lodge | Princeton | Feb. 9th, 6:30pm

• Wild Card | The Cliff | Princeton | Feb. 10th, 7pm

• Pat Owen Leary | Barrel Society | Princeton | Feb. 10th, 7pm

• The Wise Guys | Hawg House Saloon | Princeton | Feb. 12th, 3pm

• Brushville | Hawg House Saloon | Princeton | Feb. 17th, 8pm

• Wayne “The Train” Hancock | Moose Lodge | Princeton | March 16th

Local

• Joey Figgiani | August Hill Winery | Utica | Jan. 20th, 3:30pm

• Cherry Jam | Speakeasy | Lasalle | Jan. 20th, 8pm

• Mike and Jess | Red’s | Sheffield | Jan. 20th, 7pm

• Darrell Data | The Pub | Henry | Jan. 21st, 3 pm.

• Craig Gerdes | Vinnie’s Tap | Peru | Jan. 21st, 4pm

• Henry Torpedo Boys | Ninth Street Pub | Lasalle | Jan. 21st, 5pm

• Not Petty | Platform 31 | Peru | Jan. 26th, 7-10pm

• Open Mic | Speak Easy on 1st | Lasalle | Jan. 31st, 7-10pm

• Open Mic | The Camden | Lasalle | Feb. 6th, 8-22pm

• Trippin Molly | Dudley’s Bar and Grill | Walnut | Feb. 10th, 9pm

• Tailgate Confessions | Troy’s | Arlington | Feb. 11th, 2pm

• Open Mic | Core Cafe | Spring Valley | Feb. 16th, 7pm

• Rockstar 2024 | Starved Rock Lodge | Utica | Feb. 21st, 7pm

• Midnight Rider | Green River Saddle Club | Amboy | Feb. 24th, 5pm

• Black and White Ball | Starved Rock | Utica | Feb. 24th, 5pm

• Dueling Pianos | Sublette 365 | Sublette | Feb. 24, 6:30pm

• Danger Zone | Route 30 Slots | Rock Falls | Feb. 24, 6pm

PRINCETON GAS PRICES

Regular

1️⃣Amoco, 720 N Main St: $2.99
2️⃣Sullivan’s Foods, 125 Backbone Rd: $3.07
2️⃣Casey’s, 520 W Peru St: $3.07
2️⃣Casey’s, 2125 N Main St: $3.07
3️⃣Beck’s North, 1838 N MAIN ST: $3.09
3️⃣Road Ranger, N Main St: $3.09
3️⃣Shell, 2225 N Main St: $3.09

Diesel

1️⃣Casey’s, 520 W Peru St: $3.45
1️⃣Beck’s North, 1838 N MAIN ST: $3.45
1️⃣Casey’s, 2125 N Main St: $3.45
1️⃣Road Ranger, N Main St.: $3.45
2️⃣Sullivan’s Foods, 125 Backbone Rd: $3.49
3️⃣Amoco, N Main St: $3.59

LETTER FROM LORI

As I'm sitting here this morning, I'm hearing peeping. It's coming from the incubator where I've had some quail eggs “cooking.” I put the eggs in there, assuming they were fertile, and hoping for the best. So far, most of them have hatched.

Through trial and error, I have been able to nurture some of the chicks to adulthood. Along the way, I have found some things that work, and some things that don't. Accidents happen. Sometimes the chicks aren't strong enough and don't make it. I've had them drown in their water, get stuck in something in the incubator, get too cold, get out, not eat....but I've done the best I could with the knowledge and equipment I have, and I have adapted my practices to accommodate my experience and the wisdom it has brought.

As you head into the world to spread your message, no matter what it might be (your hobby, your passion, your faith) realize that in the people you encounter, not all are 'fertile', and so may not hatch. There will be those who may not make it very long in their enthusiasm for what you've shared because of outside forces or mishaps that you cant control. But, there will be those who eat well, thrive, flourish, and grow to their full potential and produce fertile eggs of their own.

You can only do what you are able with the knowledge and resources you have, and you mustn't fret over the losses. You just have to keep putting eggs in the incubator.

—Lori Boekeloo

Lori Boekeloo owns the Boek-el-Zoo in Princeton.