PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

COVER STORIES 40 Bushwacker in Business

SPOTLIGHTS 26 Strip Mines are Gold Mines for Recreation By Jeff Lampe 30 Mud, Blood, Sweat – and a Fine Party Afterwards By Phil Luciano 34 A League of Her Own By Lisa Coon 38 Just a Putt Away From The Pros By Kirk Wessler

56 Trail Blazers

By Steve Stein

Nearly Half a Century By Linda Smith Brown

58 Peoria’s Paddle Pushers By Steve Tarter 62 ‘Just Get Up and Go Outside’ By Amy Talcott 66 Peoria’s ‘Hidden Gem’ By Katie Faley 86 Distributing Diapers, and Dignity Too By Monica Vest Wheeler

42 A Game for the Ages (All of Them) By Steve Stein 44 Small in Size, Big in Flavor By Phil Luciano 46 Building Peoria … By Denise Jackson 48 Walking In Her Footsteps By Laurie Pillman

COVER ILLUSTRATION : Go Forth and Play, Prosper by Missy Shepler

ABOVE PHOTO: Photo by Mark Monge

2 MAY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE