The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately 273 miles (439 km) in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of 28,756.6 square miles (74,479 km2). The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers in the Chicago metropolitan area, and it generally flows to the southwest across Illinois, until it empties into the Mississippi near Grafton, Illinois. Its drainage basin extends into southeastern Wisconsin, northwestern Indiana, and a very small area of southwestern Michigan in addition to central Illinois. Along its shores are several river ports, including Peoria, Illinois. Historic and recreation areas on the river include Starved Rock, and the internationally important wetlands of the Emiquon Complex and Dixon Waterfowl Refuge.
Scouting in Illinois has served youth since 1909. The state was the home of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) founder, William D. Boyce.
The Kaskaskia were one of the indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region. Their first contact with Europeans reportedly occurred near present-day Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1667 at a Jesuit mission station.
Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its 2,630 acres (1,064 ha). Located just southeast of the village of Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the Illinois River, the park hosts over two million visitors annually, the most for any Illinois state park.
Beverle Lorence "Bebe" Buell is an American singer and former model. She was Playboy magazine's November 1974 Playmate of the Month. Buell moved to New York in 1972 after signing a modeling contract with Eileen Ford, and garnered notoriety after her publicized relationship with musician Todd Rundgren from 1972 until 1978, as well as her liaisons with several rock musicians during that time and over the following four decades. She is the mother of actress Liv Tyler, whose biological father is Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Todd Rundgren is Liv's legally adoptive father.
"Same Old Lang Syne" is a song written and recorded by Dan Fogelberg and released as a single in 1980. It was included on his 1981 album The Innocent Age. The song is an autobiographical narrative ballad told in the first person and tells the story of two long-ago romantic interests meeting by chance in a grocery store on Christmas Eve. The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is now frequently played during the holiday season and alongside traditional Christmas songs.
"Walking on Air" is a song performed by Estonian singer Kerli. It is the first official single from her debut album, Love Is Dead (2008). It was originally featured on her now out of print self-titled EP (2007). Kerli wrote the song with Lester Mendez, who also produced it. It's about "following your dreams and just going with the flow."
Fort Crevecoeur was the first public building erected by Europeans within the boundaries of the modern state of Illinois and the first fort built in the West by the French. It was founded on the east bank of the Illinois River, in the Illinois Country near the present site of Creve Coeur, a suburb of Peoria, Illinois, in January 1680. It was destroyed on April 16, 1680 by members of La Salle's expedition, who mutinied and abandoned it, fearful of being attacked by the Iroquois League as the Beaver Wars extended into the area.
Joan Gore Krupa is an American politician, educator, and health center executive, who was a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 92nd Representative District for 9 days in early 2009, after her predecessor, Aaron Schock, was sworn in as U.S. Congressman for Illinois's 18th congressional district.
Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, known as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2009. Her debut album, Catching a Tiger, was released in June 2010. Her second studio album, Back to Forever, was released in October 2013. Her first record as an independent artist, and third studio album, My Wild West, was released February 12, 2016 and went on to receive critical acclaim. Her fourth studio album Castles, was released worldwide on March 23, 2018. Her fifth studio album, Carving Canyons, was released September 16, 2022.
The Peoria Zoo is a zoo located in Peoria, Illinois, in the United States. The zoo is owned and operated by the Peoria Park District and is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Years Day.
Bergan High School was a Catholic high school in Peoria, Illinois. It was founded in 1964 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria in what was then the northern part of the city. The school was named after Archbishop of Omaha Gerald Thomas Bergan, a Peoria native. Peoria already had Catholic high schools at the time in Spalding Institute and the Academy of Our Lady High School, located near downtown Peoria.
Katie Waissel is an English singer-songwriter who came into the public eye when she was the tenth contestant eliminated in the seventh series of The X Factor. She is also known for being a housemate in Celebrity Big Brother 18, where she finished in eighth place.
The W. D. Boyce Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves youth in central Illinois, from Lincoln to Ottawa, and Peoria to Bloomington.
Victoria Loren Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of American Idol in 2010. Thereafter, she independently released her self-produced debut EP in 2012, Handmade Songs.
Fred Stobaugh was a retired truck driver from Peoria, Illinois who became a viral sensation as a songwriter. A documentary video about the making of the song Oh Sweet Lorraine, based on a text that Stobaugh wrote for his wife of 72 years, became a viral video in September 2013. The song based on his text subsequently entered the Billboard Hot 100 as well as other international charts.
Haiz is the debut extended play (EP) by American actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Republic Records. The EP was preceded by the lead single, "Love Myself", which reached the top 40 on multiple international singles charts.
Jacob Colgan is an American singer, songwriter, producer and the CEO of Green Shoe Studio and Green Shoe Records. In 2013, he performed and produced "Oh Sweet Lorraine" for Fred Stobaugh. The song, which was the focus of the viral short documentary A Letter From Fred, subsequently entered the Billboard Hot 100 as well as other international charts. On September 19, 2013, Colgan was a guest on The View where he performed the song. He was also impersonated by Blake Shelton during Shelton's guest host appearance on Saturday Night Live in the sketch "My Darlin Joan." Colgan is the brother of country singer Aileeah Colgan and regularly co-writes and produces her music. Jacob is also a host on the podcast The Chasing Mountains Podcast.
Judith McCulloh was an American folklorist, ethnomusicologist, and university press editor.
OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois known simply as Children's Hospital of Illinois is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located within OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. The hospital has 144 pediatric beds. It is affiliated with The University of Illinois College of Medicine, and is a member of OSF HealthCare.
