Free & Open to the Public!
Peoria Inventions that Changed the World: A Journal Star Panel Discussion
Wed, Oct 30, 6 pm
Giant Screen Theater
Moderated by Dennis Anderson, Executive Editor, Peoria Journal Star
PANELISTS
Chris Kaergard, Associate Editor | Caterpillar R&D
Phil Luciano, News Columnist | Penicillin mass production
Steve Tarter, News Reporter, ret. | Distilleries
Mike Rucker, Duryea Historian | Duryea car
Free & open to the public! Secure your seat by registering ahead - click here!
Join us for a special evening with our greatest keepers of history and storytellers, our journalists, as they discuss the remarkable, life-changing inventions from Peoria that changed the world.
Peoria, founded in 1680, is Illinois' oldest settlement. It's also home to some of the world's greatest minds and inventions: the first gasoline-powered automobile, invented by the Charles and Frank Duryea; the first diesel-powered engine, invented at Caterpillar; the mass-production of penicillin, invented at the Ag Lab (USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR)); the myriad inventions spawned by Peoria distilleries; the game-changing medical education work by Jump Simulation & Education Center, the White Cane for the Blind, invented by Lions Clubs International member George A. Bonham, and many others.
Moderated by Journal Star Executive Editor Dennis Anderson, our panel of Journal Star journalists, including Chris Kaergard, Phil Luciano, and Steve Tarter, along with historian Mike Rucker, will focus on four of Peoria's most important innovators and inventions.
Free & open to the public! Secure your seat by registering ahead - click here!
You may also register in person at the front desk or call 309.686.7000.
Sponsored by the Journal Star & the Visionary Society
Presented by Commerce Bank
May 15, 2025 - September 25, 2024 | Thursday Nights | Doors Open at 6 p.m., Performance at 7 p.m.
Join us on the Peoria Riverfront Museum's Sun Plaza for a summer music series featuring local and regional jazz artists, inspired by Preston Jackson's Bronzeville to Harlem: An American Story . This series event will take place select Thursdays from May 15, 2025 to September 25, 2025, featuring artists from the Chicago area as well as regional and local musicians. Get down and boogie with us!
Cash bar available. Food available for purchase from WRap City, founded by Branden "Chef B-Doe" Jackson. Menu items will include wraps, mac n' cheese and more!
Ticket prices
Members- $10
Non-Members- $15
Student- $7
Visionary Society-$7
Ticket price includes admission to Preston Jackson's Bronzeville to Harlem: An American Story.
Schedule of events
June 26, 2025 | Todd Kelly and the Central Illinois Jazz Orchestra ft. Maggie Sloter
Get tickets HERE
Central Illinois Jazz Orchestra, founded in 1998, is a seventeen-piece big band committed to keeping the ‘big jazz’ sound alive in central Illinois. CIJO is made up of professional and semi-professional musicians from the heart of Illinois that include music educators, business professionals, and full time performers. The group plays classic jazz charts from Count Basie, to Stan Keaton, and from Duke Ellington to Maynard Ferguson. The CIJO is fronted by trumpeter and Bradley University’s Todd Kelly. and at this performance, the vocal stylings of the one and only Maggie Sloter.
July 24, 2025 | Pippi and Daniel Music & the Experience
Get tickets HERE
Pippi Ardennia and Daniel Leahy are composers and recording artists that create intentional, soul-stirring music that ignites self-empowerment and inspires positive change. The will showcase a 9-piece jazz band to perform at this special Rhumboogie on the Plaza in July. Pippi and Daniel are songwriters and performers that have individually been in the Music and Entertainment Business for the majority of their lives. When these two dynamos connected they realized they shared the same vision and purpose for themselves and the planet. Their purpose is to create a legacy of transformational music which can change lives by allowing new perspectives and ideas to entertain the listeners. This powerful and loving couple have set the intention to restore humanity one heart at a time.
August 28, 2025 | Lenard Simpson Quartet
Get tickets HERE
Lenard Simpson is a saxophonist, composer and educator from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lenard was mostly self-taught through high school, but his natural ability and musicianship earned him accolades such as membership in the esteemed Grammy Camp Jazz Session, and an outstanding soloist award at the Mingus Jazz Competition in New York City. Lenard has had the opportunity to play and travel with artists such as pianist and composer-Billy Childs, Kurt Elling, Marquis Hill, and Clayton Cameron. Lenard received a B.M in Jazz performance at Northern Illinois University. While studying at NIU, Lenard was awarded first place in Chicago’s esteemed Luminarts Jazz Competition. Upon graduation, Lenard moved to Chicago and soon became one of the city’s top call saxophonists playing sideman to legendary local drummers, George Fludas and Charles Heath. Lenard’s trio has appeared at premier clubs and jazz festivals throughout the Chicago and Milwaukee area. Lenard recently graduated from the Thelonious Monk Institute Fellowship, which has since been renamed to the Herbie Hancock Institute where he was selected by a panel of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, James Newton and Ambrose Akinmusire.
September 25, 2025 | Preston Jackson and Friends | Season Finale!
Get tickets HERE
American painter, sculptor, educator, and musician, Preston Jackson is bringing some of the best of Peoria's jazz scene to the grand finale of Rhumboogie on the Plaza. We’re ending our Rhumboogie 2025 series by highlighting the inspiration of the entire series: Preston Jackson’s Bronzeville to Harlem: An American Story. Joined by some of the most experienced musicians in the area, Preston Jackson and Friends performing at the Peoria Riverfront Museum is always a delight. See Preston himself, Judy Page, Mike Nellas, Manny Lopez II, Manny Lopez III and John Miller in the final sendoff of summer, right here at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Rhumboogie on the Plaza is presented by Commerce Bank
Sponsored by Linda Beth and Ed Sutkowski, Visionary Society, Friends of Bronzeville to Harlem and Friends of Performance
Laser Light Nights are back at the DOME featuring an all-new 3D experience & fresh playlist!
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
May 23
6:00 – Laser AC/DC
7:15 – Laser Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
8:30 – Laser Floyd: The Wall
June 13
6:00 – Laser ABBA (new show!)
7:15 – Laser Prince
8:30 – Laser Zeppelin: Lazed and Confused
$7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
With Carver Mark McNair and Decoy Specialist at Copley Fine Art Auctions Colin McNair
Saturday | June 7, 2025 | 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Decoys are in their DNA.
Colin McNair has been in the decoy carving business since birth. His father, Mark McNair is a carver, and Mark himself went on to be a decoy specialist for one of the most important fine art auctions in America, Copley Fine Art Auctions. Enjoy a carving demonstration, a special introduction to decoys by Colin McNair and a gallery tour of Folk: Selections from the American Folk Art Museum with curator of art Zac Zetterberg, in conversation with the McNairs.
Schedule of events:
Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation, Copley Fine Art Auctions, Visionary Society, and Illinois Arts Council.
Laser Light Nights are back at the DOME featuring an all-new 3D experience & fresh playlist!
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
June 13
6:00 – Laser ABBA (new show!)
7:15 – Laser Prince
8:30 – Laser Zeppelin: Lazed and Confused
$7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
Saturday, June 21, 2025 | Performance 6:30 p.m. | Reception 7:30 p.m.
The Peoria Riverfront Museum is pleased to announce a new series of performances taking place in current exhibition Solitude: The Necessity of Art. Kicking off this exciting new series, the Peoria Riverfront Museum is thrilled to welcome back pianist Leon Lewis-Nicol.
Join us for Solos in Solitude , a special music series where art and music come together in a beautiful and moving way. In each event, a musician picks artworks from the exhibition Solitude: The Necessity of Art and performs a solo piece inspired by what they see.
Through music, they share their personal response to the art, creating a powerful connection between sound and image. The musician may also perform other pieces that add to the story they want to tell.
A museum curator will join the performance to walk the audience through the selected artworks, giving insight into the art and the creative exchange between the musician and the visuals.
Experience this one-of-a-kind journey where music brings new life to art — and art inspires unforgettable music.
A Native of Sierra Leone, Leon Lewis-Nicol is a jazz pianist whose musical inspiration, compositions, and improvisational voice are deeply rooted in his West African Heritage and Christian beliefs. Leon is an active performing/touring artist who leads his own group and has made numerous appearances with other groups including the New York based band ‘Michael Mwenso and the Shakes’ whom he made his debut performance with at The Lincoln Center in New York City.
Lewis-Nicol will play a one-hour set in Solitude: The Necessity of Art , pairing his unique, modern sound with an outstanding piece of contemporary art for a visual and auditory experience like no other.
Tickets
Light hors d'oeuvres will be served after the performance. A cash bar will be available.
Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation
Sponsored by Visionary Society, Friends of Performance and Illinois Arts Council.
