Magazine. Local Calendar of Events See Inside. Serving Metamora & Germantown Hills. WIN 2 FREE CONCERT TICKETS! See page 7.

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1 October 2018 Serving Metamora & Germantown Hills Magazine WIN 2 FREE CONCERT TICKETS! See page 7 Local Calendar of Events See Inside A Community Publication Provided By MTCO Communications MTCO Communications 220 N. Menard Street Metamora, IL 61548

2 October is the perfect month to shine the light on Partridge Point Apple Orchard in Metamora. Bennie and Shirley Blackburn came from a history of farming in Missouri where they grew up and went to high school together. After the Korean War, Bennie came to the Peoria area in search of work. Their farming background led them to develop an orchard with original plans to plant half peach and half apple trees. However, after checking weather statistics, they decided they could not survive economically with the potential for inconsistent peach crops, so they went exclusively with apples. They started Partridge Point Orchard by planting the first apple trees in 1974 and opened to the public in They chose dwarf trees (mature at 8-10 ) for convenience of picking and pruning. Over the years, they have changed varieties as the market changed and currently have nine popular varieties consisting of over 800 apple trees in a gorgeous, rural setting. They grow their fruit using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM means they trap for damaging insects, electronically monitor for crop ruining diseases, and do not spray unless absolutely necessary. This combination of techniques is safer for the environment and consumers. These good growing practices take time and effort but bring a balance to controlling pests. Shirley mentions the biggest inspiration in her life was her grandma, who she lived with on the farm until she was in her teens. They canned 400 quarts of fruits and vegetables every year, took care of the fruit trees, baked, fished, milked cows, and made almost everything on a self-sufficient farm. Grandma s philosophy was that if you could read and do numbers you could find information in books and do anything you want. Grandma would have been proud of Shirley and how she learned to do numbers well as she taught math for 20 years in addition to helping care for the orchard. The Blackburn s proudest moment has been building a reputation for a high-quality produce and the loyalty of their customers who return year after year. Many customers that visited the orchard as small children now return with their children and grandchildren! The Blackburn s have shared many fun and humorous moments with their customers at the orchard. One fun event that stood out was when Metamora High School held a contest for most creative invitation to the Homecoming. They had a young man ask if he could write his invitation on a white sheet and hang it in the apple trees. He would then bring his friend to pick apples so that she would discover the invitation. When she saw something white fluttering in the breeze she rushed to see what it was. You can imagine her surprise when she unfolded the sheet and read the message! On The Cover You can see the excitement of picking a delicious apple at the Partridge Point Orchard off Partridge Point Road in Metamora. Partridge Point Orchard is located at 807 Partridge Point Road in Metamora and is open from mid-septmeber to the end of October (as long as supplies last). MTCO Communications 220 N. Menard Street Metamora, Illinois connected@mtco.com President & CEO Glenn Rauh Vice President & CFO Ann Dickerson Media Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Bob Becraft bbecraft@corp.mtco.com Marketing Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Kip DuBois kdubois@corp.mtco.com Connected Magazine is published monthly by MTCO Communications with corporate office located at 220 North Menard Street, Metamora, Illinois, The publication is intended for use of the residents of Metamora and Germantown Hills. No article in this issue or any part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the Publisher. For more information about this magazine, or for additional copies, contact Bob Becraft or Kip DuBois at or connected@mtco.com. If you have questions or concerns regarding your services, please contact our Customer Service Representatives at (309) or Copyright 2018 MTCO Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

3 Entertainment & Technology TV Premieres October 2018 Sunday, October 7 Shark Tank, 9 p.m., ABC A new group of budding entrepreneurs take a chance at making their dreams come true by convincing five self-made, multi-millionaire tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they need to jump start their business ideas. Tuesday, October 16 The Conners, 7 p.m., ABC The Conners, a spinoff of the ground-breaking family comedy Roseanne, has been greenlit to series with an order of 10 episodes for fall After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before. This iconic family Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. grapples with parenthood, dating, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging and in-laws in workingclass America. Friday, October 12 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Season 4, 8 p.m., CW Successful and driven, Rebecca Bunch seemingly has it all -- an upscale apartment in Manhattan and a partnership at a prestigious law firm -- but she feels like something is missing. After a chance meeting with a former romantic interest, Rebecca impulsively decides to give up her life in New York and relocate to West Covina, California, a Los Angeles suburb she hopes will be the perfect home base as she embarks on a quest for love, adventure and true happiness. MTCO Mail Upgrade MTCO is in the process of upgrading to a new webmail system that will roll out to customers in the coming months. The new webmail interface for MTCO s will be more user-friendly and provide one place to check and spam filtering. Customers will also have the ability to add and remove addresses and maintain/change passwords, all within the new interface. Additionally, you will see compatibility improvements with smartphones and tablets. MTCO will reach out to customers with more information as the roll out date draws near. Control the Remote Press one of the four colored buttons on your remote control to quickly perform various functions: Quickly check current local weather conditions. When viewing this forecast window, press the green button for 5-day forecast. View recent home phone calls and listen to voice mail messages...all while sitting in front of your TV! (If subscribed to MTCO CallerID & Voice Mail.) Access MyApps. You can also press the Guide button, then the yellow button, to perform a program title search to list all shows of the highlighted title. While in the Guide, press the blue button to toggle between the channels you are currently subscribed to and other categories like movie or HD channels. Keep up with Entertainment and Technology news. Add MTCO to your Facebook and Twitter groups, and visit the MTCO Blogspot at

4 The Germantown HIlls Fire Department holds its 11th Annual Halloween Costume Contest on Saturday, October 27th. More details on page six.

5 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Pancake & Sausage Breakfast St. Mary of Lourdes Parish Center 7am - 12pm American Legion Post Meeting 7:30pm American Legion Auxiliary Mtg. 7pm Germantown Hills S.D. #69 School Board Meeting 7pm Germantown Hills GHCC Meeting pm Planning Commission Mtg. Village Hall 6pm GHMS Choral & Band Concert MTHS Auditorium 7pm Metamora Kiwanis Mtg. Metamora Fields 12pm IL Prairie District Library Board Mtg. 4pm Metamora Village Board Meeting 7pm MABA Meeting 11:30am Metamora Kiwanis Mtg. Michaels 12pm Metamora Village Board Meeting 7pm Metamora Park Board Mtg. Village Hall 7pm Germantown Hills EDC Mtg at Village Hall 5:00pm Metamora Grade KofC Easter Seals Playground Fundraiser at Michael s Italian Feast 5pm - 8pm MTHS Late Start 9am MTHS Late Start 9am MTHS Fall Band Concert MTHS Auditorium 7pm MTHS Late Start 9am MTHS Fall Choir Concert MTHS Auditorium 7pm Financial Aid Workshop MTHS 6pm Germantown Hills Village Board Mtg. at Village Hall 6pm MTHS BOE Meeting at 7pm MGS BOE Meeting at 7pm Jeepers Creepers Black Partridge Park 2pm School PTO Craft & Vendor Show 9am - 2pm Germantown Hills Fire Rescue Challenge & Halloween Costume Contest

6 In Our Community Halloween Fun Fire Rescue Challenge Germantown Hills Fire Department Fire-Rescue Challenge takes place on Saturday, October 27th. The event begins with a 5k Run/Walk at 8 a.m., followed by a Kid s Fun Run (0.66 mile). There will be a fire fighting demonstration after the race, and entry fee includes a pancake breakfast for all participants. Enter online at html. Cost for 5K entry is $25 prior to October 10th and $30 after. Kid s Fun Run is only $15. Halloween Costume Contest Later in the day, the Fire Department will host its 11th Annual Halloween Costume Contest! Contest registration is from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with judging at 5:45 p.m. There will also be a pumpkin-carving contest with a 50/50 prize for the pumpkin receiving the most donations. Pumpkins need to be dropped off by 2 p.m. There will be food, fun and games for kids, and Flint The Fire Truck Slide until 8 p.m. Quarter Auction The GFWC Illinois Metamora-Germantown Hills Junior Woman s Club Annual Fall Quarter Auction is Wednesday October 10th at the Christian Union Church in Metamora. Doors open at 6 p.m. with auction beginning at 6:30 p.m. Grab your friends and loose change for an evening of fun and to support their community projects. For more information contact Rachel Ford at Support the Playground The Metamora Knights of Columbus announces an exciting evening to raise funds for the Germantown Hills Easter Seals Playground Project (located on the corner of Route 116 and Fandel Road.). Set your dinner plans to visit Michael s Italian Feast in Germantown Hills on Tuesday, October 23rd from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Ten percent of food and ice cream purchases will go towards the project (MUST mention you saw this article in Connected Magazine to activate donation). You can also enjoy live Music by Ken Hahn & Co. and James Herr! Madrigal Dinner Tickets Metamora High School s 43rd Annual Madrigal Dinner tickets go on sale to the public on Saturday, October 27th from 10 a.m a.m. To purchase tickets, park in the west parking lot at MTHS and enter through the large doors near Toepke Gym. Tickets may be purchased outside of the Auditorium entrance and are $25 each. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Seiler at jseiler@mths.us or (309) ext Dinner Dates and Times: Friday, November 30th at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, December 1st at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, December 2nd at 3:30 p.m. MTHS Band & Choir Concerts Look for replayed broadcasts of the band concert and the choir concert that take place in October on digimax Local Channel 410 in HD! Do you have community news to share with the residents of Metamora and Germantown Hills? Send it to connected@mtco.com, or mail it to 220 N. Menard St., Metamora, IL Attn: Connected Magazine.

7 Jeeper Creepers Metamora St. Jude Runs Team has teamed up with the community for this year s fall fest, Jeepers Creepers! There is something for all ages: children s games, a scary trail, hay rack rides, a trick-or-treat trail, s mores, 50/50 raffle, silent auction, vendors, and more. Activities start at Black Partridge Park at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 13th. Come out for an entertaining evening and support St. Jude Metamora Runs. Shipwrecked The 3rd annual Small Fry Soiree is Saturday, November 3rd from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. at Countryside Banquet Facility in Washington. This event benefits Metamora Community Preschools building fund. This family friendly evening includes: Buffet dinner with cash bar D.J. Jak d Entertainment Balloon art by The Unique Twist Fun photos by Deets Photography Kids games & activities, Silent Auction and more! Ticket prices (ages 2 & up) must be purchased in advance and are $200 a table or $30 for individual tickets. Print and mail the registration form at smallfrysoiree@gmail.com, you can also follow on their Facebook page, Small Fry Soiree. Library Activities Genealogy To help celebrate the launch of Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest for patrons of the Illinois Prairie District Library, they are offering exciting genealogy programs. The first program, Everything You Want to Know About Genealogy, takes place at 10:30 a.m. at the Germantown Hills location on October 6th. Learn the fundamentals of researching your family tree by discovering how to collect, organize, record and document data. Look for two more genealogy workshops in November and December. Registration is not required, but space is limited. Call with any questions. Classic Movies Classic Movie Mondays are the first Monday of every month, beginning October 1st at 10 a.m. at the Germantown Hills branch. Patrons can suggest titles by stopping by that branch or calling. STEAM A special STEAM program to involve soldering, which is only slightly creepy, in time for Halloween. At 4 p.m. at the Metamora branch and October 22nd and at the Germantown Hills branch on October 29th. Make your own Solar Cockroach. Registration is required. Call to sign up for any location! Magic Show Magic by Ryan performs in Metamora at 11 a.m. on October 6th. Pancake & Sausage Breakfast St. Mary of Lourdes Men s Club will host their delicious pancake and fresh sausage breakfast on Sunday, October 7th from 7 a.m p.m. Breakfast will be served at St. Mary of Lourdes Parish Center at 424 Lourdes Church Road. If you wish to pre-order sausage, contact Bill Kessling at The price is $2.50 per pound (bulk or link). Last day to pre-order sausage is September 30th. Sausage orders can be picked up the during breakfast hours on October 7th. WIN Concert Tickets MTCO is giving away TWO FREE TICKETS to the Easton Corbin concert at Washington Five Points on Friday, October 26th! Musical guest and local favorite Joe Stamm Band kick off the concert at 6:30 p.m. To enter for your chance for two free tickets, go to Drawing will be held at noon on Friday, October 19th. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

8 Watch Metamora Redbird Football Replay on channel 400 or in HD on 410! Games replayed Wednesday evenings at 7pm, 10pm, and multiple times the following days. Look for replays this fall for MTHS volleyball, band invitational, and band and choral concerts! THANK YOU to the Premium Sponsors on this page, along with these additional sponsors who help bring Redbird Replay to you: City Blue Technologies, Commerce Bank, Mason Funeral Homes, Metamora Fields Golf Club, Metamora McDonalds, Sunbelt Rentals. GO REDBIRDS! Kitchen Open LATE 104 N Niles St - Metamora Every Weekend Daisy May s Gaming Cafe Cocktail & Gaming Lounge Sign Up For Our $10 Punch Card Earn FREE Gaming Rewards! Must be 21 GO OPEN DAILY 9am - 10pm REDBIRDS 361 Old Germantown Road (next to ATC Insulators) (309)