🍼Medallion Winners, Fun Fair, and Momco

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It's an energetic and refreshing day in the charming town of Princeton. My boys are absolutely stoked for the Fun Fair this morning behind Heartland bank. They love the games, and they always come away with lots of cool candy and toys. We’ve got a beautiful day ahead of us. Gonna’ get me some Tootsie Rolls. See you at the parade!

Let’s go.

—Justin Bullington

📬IN THIS ISSUE

💡What You Should Know
🎉This Weekend at Homestead
🍼Momco of Bureau County
☀️Princeton Weather
⛽️Princeton Gas Prices
🏆Princeton Person of the Week
🏠Princeton Home for Sale
💼Princeton Businesses
🔗Top Links This Week
📍Outside City Limits
👷Princeton Job Opportunities
🪴Artisan Market
🤠Seniors to San Antonio
💋Letter from Lori

💡WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Happy Birthday Justin Provost!🎂

• Starved Rock Media: Princeton will soon welcome new grocery and coffee options. The City Council has approved plans for a Starbucks and Aldi Foods at the southeast corner of Main Street and Backbone Road. Starbucks is expected to break ground in the coming weeks, with Aldi likely beginning construction in the spring. No economic incentives were offered to attract the businesses, according to Mayor Ray Mabry, who noted Princeton was chosen as a growth location.

• Logan Junior High's cross-country team brought home the championship at the Geneseo Invitational. Congratulations to the 8th-grade champions for their outstanding performance!

• Princeton Tigers Football (2-0) defeated Rockridge 27-18 last night.

• Tremendous: Sarah Geiger of Princeton received first place in the mammal category in a Brookfield Zoo photo contest.

• The Homestead Festival Medallion Hunt has been won! Congratulations to Rachel Bickett and Suzanne Denton for finding the medallion. The medallion was located on the west side of City Hall underneath a concrete step.

• The Second Story Teen Center will host a Progress Preview Open House on Sunday, September 8th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Enjoy prizes, giveaways, and snacks while seeing the new location made possible by your donations.

• The Nightmare Haunted Attraction returns to the Bureau County Fairgrounds on Fridays and Saturdays in October from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Admission is $15, so gather your courage and enjoy the thrills.

• Mark your calendar for the Monster Mash Balloon Bash at the Bureau County Fair on October 12th. Enjoy tricks, treats, and scares for a spooktacular time.

• Ameren Illinois customers who received LIHEAP benefits can expect a discount on their natural gas bill starting in October 2024. The discount will be applied automatically based on household income level.

• Election: The Democrat Headquarters is located at 934 North Main Street, open Fridays 4-6pm and Saturday 11am-3pm. The Republican Headquarters has opened at 777 South Main, operating from 10 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday, and 10 AM to 2 PM on Saturday.

🏠PRINCETON HOME FOR SALE

Ranch style home at 830 Bruce Lane, Princeton, IL 61356, Bureau County. Located in Greencroft, a desirable subdivision on the west side of Princeton.

A spacious single story home built in 1981. This home offers 1878 +/- sq. ft. which includes an eat-in kitchen, dining room w/gas fireplace, living room, family room and 3 bedrooms (1 currently a laundry room). There is a partial basement, 19' x 22' garage and a new driveway in 2020. All appliances will be included.

The home has vinyl siding, asphalt shingle roof, gas forced air heat and central air conditioning. Lot size is 76.75 x 159.37 x 142.65 x 153.73 (.4 acres). The backyard opens up to 7 acres of open meadow owned by the city.

Tax ID # is #16-17-452-020, 2023 taxes paid in 2024 were $3,685.38.

Asking price - $220,000. This property is being sold as is.

OPEN HOUSE will be held Sunday, September 8th from 1 pm to 3 pm

Offers may be presented at that time.

For further information please contact Rick Rediger 815-866-4486.

🎉THIS WEEKEND AT HOMESTEAD

🍿Today:

Owen Lovejoy Homestead Tours: 10 AM-12 PM and 3-5 PM

Princeton High School Tours: 9-11 AM

Underground Railroad 5K: 8:30 AM at Bureau County Metro Center

3 on 3 Basketball Tournament: 8 AM-12 PM at Alexander Park

Fun Fair: 9-11 AM at Heartland Bank (South) Parking Lot

Garage Sale: 9 AM-12 PM at Museum Campus

Car Show: 9 AM-12 PM on the Courthouse Lawn

Homestead Festival Parade: 1:30 PM featuring Grand Marshal Shellee Monier

🐴Tomorrow:

13th Annual Homestead BBQ Rib Cook-off: 6 AM-3:30 PM at Central Bank Parking Lot.

Moose Lodge Pancake & Sausage Breakfast: 8 AM-12 PM at Bureau County Fairgrounds.

Homestead Festival Flea Market: 8 AM-3 PM at Bureau County Fairgrounds.

44th Annual Car Show: 8 AM-3 PM on South Main Street.

Pony Rides & Kids' Activities: 11 AM-2:30 PM at Soldiers and Sailors Park. Magic shows at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM.

Bags Tournament: 11 AM at 222 S Main St (next to Monical's). Registration at 10:30 AM.

Beta Sigma Phi Arts & Crafts Show: 10 AM-4 PM on the Courthouse Lawn.

Children's Tractor Pull: 12-2:30 PM at Soldiers and Sailors Park. Registration on-site at 11:45 AM.

Owen Lovejoy Homestead Tours: 1-4 PM.

50/50 Raffle Drawing: 3:30 PM at Apollo Theater Marquee.

For more details, visit homesteadfestival.com.

🍼MOMCO OF BUREAU COUNTY

The MomCo of Bureau County, also known as the "Mom Community," is a group designed for moms with kids of all ages to connect, receive encouragement, and share the adventure of motherhood together. The group offers dinner, childcare, inspiring messages, and tips for parenthood, and is made up of moms who understand the challenges of motherhood. Meetings take place at 24 N. Main St. in Princeton from 6-8 pm on the following dates for the 2024-2025 season: September 17th, October 8th, November 5th, December 3rd, January 7th, February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, and May 6th. The group encourages interested moms to follow them on Facebook for updates.

• Dinner

• Childcare

• Inspiring messages & tips for parenthood

• Moms who get it!

☀️PRINCETON WEATHER

☀️Today: Expect sunny skies throughout the day with a high of 66°F. Winds will be coming from the north at 10 to 15 mph, providing a cool breeze. The evening will bring clear skies with temperatures dropping to around 40°F. Winds will calm down to light and variable, with humidity rising to 83% overnight.

☀️Sunday: A beautiful sunny day is in store, with temperatures reaching a pleasant high of 74°F. Winds will shift to the west-southwest at 5 to 10 mph, keeping the day mild and comfortable. As the night approaches, skies will remain clear with a low of 49°F. Winds will be light, and humidity will increase to 72%, making for a crisp, cool evening.

☀️Monday: Monday will continue the sunny trend, with temperatures rising slightly to a high of 82°F. Winds will come from the west-southwest at 5 to 10 mph, creating a warm and bright start to the week. The night will remain clear, with temperatures dropping to 51°F. Expect light winds and 66% humidity, making for another cool and calm night.

⛽️PRINCETON GAS PRICES

Regular

Amoco, 720 N Main St: $3.58
Sullivan’s Foods: $3.59
Casey’s West/North: $3.62
Beck’s West/North: $3.62
Road Ranger, N Main St: $3.62
Shell, 2225 N Main St: $3.62

🏆PRINCETON PERSON OF THE WEEK

Did someone go the extra mile? Did a Princeton Person bless you or someone else you know? Nominate them, give me the details, and they may be chosen as the Princeton NOW Person of the Week.

Nominate your Princeton Person of the Week by emailing your nomination to [email protected].

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💼PRINCETON BUSINESSES #SHOPLOCAL

• Blue Jay Way Records has Fleetwood Mac and Virgil Fox selections currently in stock. Stop by and check them out while supplies last.

• Grab your "Home Starts Here" tee from The Milk Moustache, available in adult sizes only, with colors Berry or Flo Blue. Designed locally and printed by Mullet Bros Printing, these tees are perfect for showing your Princeton pride.

• Combined Cleaning & Restoration is offering $50 off pressure washing or house washing services until April 31st. Don’t miss out on this great deal!

• Head over to Optimal Health to enjoy a fresh piece of pumpkin cake along with a hot cup of coffee.

• Save the date for a Halloween Costume Party on Saturday, October 26th at Chapel Hill Golf Course and Event Center. Prizes for the best dressed.

• Wreckin' Dixie will be performing at Hollywood & Vine today from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Come out for some Sunday Funday with live music!

• The Apollo Theater is showing Beetlejuice (PG-13) and Reagan (PG-13) through Thursday, September 12th.

• Hungry World Farm is offering a breakfast menu during the Homestead Festival on Saturdays from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. Choices include pancakes and sausage, biscuit and gravy, and vegan baked oatmeal, with farm-fresh eggs cooked to order. Coffee, iced tea, milk, and orange juice are also available, with free drinks for Air BnB and camping guests. Visit them at 19183 Plow Creek Rd., Tiskilwa.

• Xan Dandy Cotton Candy Co. will be set up at Soldiers & Sailors Park from 8:30 to 1 on Saturday during the Homestead Festival. They’ll offer a variety of cotton candy flavors and the last chance to grab a Rainbow Stack, as well as drink bombs served with Sprite.

• The Studio Boutique is offering a Summer Sale with discounts ranging from 20% to 50% on top-quality clothing styles. Note that the sale excludes hair care products, tanning lotion, body lotion, jewelry, and fall new arrivals.

• Sign up for The Princeton Closet’s text list to receive alerts about new arrivals, basket day reminders, and more. Simply text “CLOSET” to 815-362-4010 or scan the QR code to join.

• Meet Daisy, a sweet and quiet 38-pound dog available for adoption at Friends of Strays. She is good with other dogs, appears to be housebroken, and although shy in her kennel, she loves playing outside and interacting with people. Friends of Strays invites everyone to their Fall Open House on Saturday, September 23. The event will include facility tours, raffles, and more, with donations for raffles accepted during shelter hours.

• This month, the featured drinks at Sisler’s Icecream are the Hot Chocolate Milkshake, made with vanilla ice cream and Swiss Miss hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, and the Chocolate Soda, which includes chocolate and vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup, topped with soda water, whipped cream, and a cherry.

• Neighborhood Ace Hardware is offering a $2 discount on Traeger® products, including pellets, rubs, and sauces, available exclusively at participating Ace locations. This promotion is valid until September 15, 2024.

• Legacy Leaders Men's Group is meeting on Wednesday, September 11th, at 10:30 AM at the Greenfield Retirement Home. This event is exclusively for men. For more information or to sign up, contact Sam at 815-879-3981.

• Connections Studio is hosting a Fall Open House on Saturday, September 21, from 10 AM to 12 PM. The event celebrates National Dance Day and supports a great cause, with a $5 minimum donation per class benefiting the Second Story Teen Center. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Dairy Queen is offering $3 off boxed novelties through September 8th. Additionally, they are featuring a special on large lemonades for only $0.99.

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🔗TOP LINKS THIS WEEK

• KWQC: A hit-and-run incident occurred in Bureau County, just before 7 p.m.

• Starved Rock Media: If a grant comes through, folks in Princeton have plans of offering an all-inclusive, ADA accessible, playground at Zearing Park.

• Pentatonix holiday tour coming to Peoria Civic Center

👷PRINCETON JOB OPENINGS

• Janitor | Combined Cleaning and Restoration Inc | $15.00 - $16.25 an hour | Part-time & Full-time | 15 to 40 hours per week | Monday to Friday

• Inventory Research Warehouse Specialist | Ace Hardware Corporation | $19.00 - $20.50 an hour | Full-time | Overtime

• Tree Climber/Trimmer | Taylor's Way | Up to $25 an hour | Full-time | Monday to Friday

• General Laborer | Ag View FS | Full-time

• Groundskeeper | Princeton High School | $15 - $17 an hour | Full-time | 8 hour shift

• Lawn Care Specialist | Taylor's Way | $18 - $21 an hour | Full-time | 35 to 45 hours per week | Monday to Friday

• In Home Caregiver | In-Home Care Connection | Competitive wage and mileage reimbursement

• Maintenance Worker | Greenfield Retirement Home | From $18.50 an hour | Full-time | 40 hours per week | Monday to Friday

• Administrative Assistant - Zoning Department | Bureau County | $14 an hour | Full-time | Monday to Friday

⛪️Part-time positions open at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church:

• Director of Music Ministry

• Director of Youth & Family Ministry

• Media Outreach Technician

For more details, visit www.StMatthewsPrinceton.org or send resumes to [email protected].

📍OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS

• A central Illinois farmer expects a long harvest season.

• Bureau County Murder Defendant Still Not Mentally Fit For Trial

• A handful of libraries in the area are getting grant money to improve services.

• On September 9th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the OSF OnCall Cardio Check will be available at Mason Memorial Public Library in Buda, offering health screenings including blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and more. Additional services include healthcare navigation, technology assistance with MyChart, and help with community resources and Medicaid enrollment. Two days later, on September 11th from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a Smartphone Training Class hosted by Cricket Wireless will take place at the same location. This session will cover smartphone essentials such as app installation, maximizing phone security, and customizing privacy settings.

• BVHS 2025 is hosting an After-Prom Mum Fundraiser, selling mums for $12 each to support the Junior Class. Sales end on Friday, September 13, with pickup on Wednesday, September 25th, from 4:30-6 PM at BVHS. For questions or pre-orders, contact Jaclyn Trujillo at 815-973-6851.

• Peru PADS: “This summer we lost the food in our main freezers. We've been on a mission to restock, but with clientele numbers rising, it's been a struggle. We utilize items daily to make lunch and fill in diners as needed. Please keep us in mind when cleaning out your pantries and freezers. We will gladly take all items as long as they are not expired. God Bless.” Peru PADS is a 66-bed homeless shelter that provides shelter, meals, and other services to those in need.

• Bradford Labor Day Celebration invites everyone to "Reunite in Bradford" for a fun-filled weekend from Friday, August 30, to Monday, September 2. The festivities include free outdoor double feature movies, family fun day activities, live music, a car show, a parade, and fireworks at the Bradford Ball Park. Food, live entertainment, and activities for all ages will be available throughout the event, promising a memorable weekend for the community.

• There will be a town-wide garage sale in Sheffield on September 20th-21st.

• The Buda Craft + Vendor Market is set for Saturday, September 21, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Old Buda School, 220 Stewart Street. This event offers a variety of craft and vendor booths, with 10’ x 10’ spaces available for $10 each. Enjoy lunch from the Buda Fire Lunch Stand and a special performance by the Hocus Pocus Hags at 1:00 PM.

• Walnut will be hosting town-wide garage sales on Friday and Saturday, September 13th and 14th, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to find great deals throughout the town!

• Kids Klub, a non-denominational Christian children's ministry with over 70 years of experience, is starting a new year in September. An informational meeting will be held on August 20th at 5:00 P.M. at the First Congregational Church of Bureau, with a light dinner served at 6:00 P.M. For more details, contact the Kids Klub House in Malden at 815-643-2307; Jeremy Listenby is the director.

🤠SENIOR CENTER TO TRAVEL TO SAN ANTONIO

The Bureau County Senior Center is excited to announce a charter bus trip to San Antonio, Texas, from March 8 to March 16, 2025. This 9-day, 8-night adventure offers a fantastic opportunity to explore the vibrant city of San Antonio and its many attractions. Participants will enjoy motorcoach transportation and comfortable accommodations for four consecutive nights in the San Antonio area. The itinerary includes guided tours of the Alamo, the River Walk District, and other historical sites, along with a visit to the LBJ Ranch and the Witte Museum. Travelers will also experience a scenic cruise on the River Walk and have time to explore the city at their leisure. The trip is priced at $1,155 per person, based on double occupancy, with a $75 deposit required at the time of sign-up. Additional fees apply for single occupancy. For more information or to reserve a spot, interested individuals are encouraged to contact Sam or Denise at the Senior Center.

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💋LETTER FROM LORI

I recently came across an illustration about determining your worth based on your market. I believe they used a bottle of water as an example. A bottle from Aldi costs about $0.10, but take that same bottle to a rock concert, and you can sell it for $5—and people will pay it! I bet you could even get $10 for it in the Sahara Desert. They always say, "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!" But in this era of internet sales, maybe "EXPOSURE" or "GROUP" would be more appropriate.

While sorting through my family's belongings, I came across some Corelle Ware. I listed them at what I thought was a fair price, but a friend frantically messaged me, urging me to take it down and do some research first. She directed me to a collectors' page, where I discovered that my pieces are worth thousands! Wait—what?

So these boring bowls that my grandmother used to serve canned applesauce in (because it felt classier and made her channel her inner June Cleaver) might actually pull me out of debt and allow me the luxury of buying a 12-pack of toilet paper instead of the 4-pack from Dollar Tree? Could these ancient artifacts be the key to becoming independently wealthy? Could I retire early and finally buy that lizard I've been wanting?

Now comes the tricky part: actually selling them. First, I need to determine their true value. In my research, I’ve found discrepancies of hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. Next, I need to find the right place to attract potential buyers who are willing and able to pay that price. Finally, I need to convince them that what I have is exactly what they want or need.

This whole process is time-consuming, difficult, and exhausting. It’s challenged both my mental skills and my tech skills (especially since we all know my 3-year-old grandson can navigate the web with more finesse than his old Crammy!). I’ve procrastinated because, honestly, I’m lazy and unsure if it’s too good to be true.

How often do we face similar challenges when determining our own self-worth? Are we placing ourselves in the right environment? Are we setting boundaries that elevate our value? Are we putting in the time and effort to ensure we don’t undersell ourselves? Do we believe we can actually get what we’re worth, or do we take the easy way out, settling for less and missing out on our full value?

Sure, it’s simpler to set a low price for a quick turnaround and instant profit. But oh, if we hold out and stay patient, we might just find the right buyer—and suddenly, we’re eating caviar and driving sports cars instead of eating canned tuna and driving a rusted-out Chevy pickup older than our children.

So, get out your Android, Google an accurate description, and list yourself on a specialty page.

I’ll meet you at the Jaguar dealership, and afterward, we can enjoy some seafood at a place that’s not Red Lobster. Champagne kisses! 💋🍾 

Lori owns the Boek-el-ZOO in Princeton. It’s not just a pet shop — it’s an experience!

Want to advertise? Email: [email protected].