Just as growing up comes with growing pains, rebuilding a road comes with some construction pains. As the current phase of the Derby Street project comes close to completion, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the business community in that area who stuck it out. They have had patience and grace while the City worked through this project, and we thank them for that. While we all simply struggled to make our way through the construction traffic, they had the much tougher challenge of continuing their business when it was difficult for customers to reach them. But, they were resilient, and they worked with the City through issues. Big construction projects are never perfect, but this one went pretty smoothly, and that is in huge part because of the business community.

Special thanks to Pekin Bass and Bow, Save A Lot, Like New Parts, and A to Z Rental for participating in conversations with the City and being a big part of solutions and improvements to the process.

Now that Derby is reopening with the new beautiful road and sidewalks, please join me in visiting these businesses and spending some of our money at our local stores to show them the community support they deserve!

August 1 Pekin Farmers Market

August 3 Larry’s Casting Kids

August 4 Pekin Park Concert Band

August 8 Pekin Farmers Market

August 8 Daddy-Daughter Dance

August 10 Miss Marigold Pageant

August 15 Pekin Farmers Market

August 15 Mother-Son Dance

August 24 Walter Bratcher Memorial Car Show

August 24 Downtown Concert Series – Revel in Red

August 29 Pekin Farmers Market

September 4 Taste of Pekin

September 4-8 Pekin Marigold Festival

September 28 Downtown Concert Series – Stone Cold Cowboys & Mixtape Mayhem

December 6 Christmas on Court

Visit DiscoverPekin.com for a full, updated list of community events