Corn Stock tent is up, 60th season nearly here

It's like watching an old-fashioned barn raising, with men pulling on ropes or attaching them to a vehicle to slowly pull a wall up and into place.

In this case, it's the annual raising of the tent at Corn Stock Theatre in Upper Bradley Park. With the theatre company's 60th season just about a month from starting, the tent was erected on Thursday, with the company's scads of volunteers set to converge this weekend to put everything else into place, such as light grids and speakers.

But theatre patrons may notice something different this year when they walk to the tent to catch one of the five shows that will be staged: The tent is no longer a solid green, as has been the case the last nine years.

Since 2004 the tent has come in panels that are slid onto a steel frame that stays up year-round. And since then it has been the one color, rather than the official green-and-yellow colors of Corn Stock and the colors of previous tents.

This year, however, two of those panels will be yellow. Theatre manager Cindy Hoey explained that it was a case where two of the panels had to be replaced because of normal wear and tear. However, because of the age of the remaining panels, the manufacturer was unable to match the green.

"So we went with yellow," said Hoey. "It's what we used to have so we thought it would be fun to do it again."

During a news conference to announce the 60th season while the tent was being erected in the background, Bob Parkhurst, a longtime member and former president of the organization, talked of the magic the tent brings to the park every year.

Noting Corn Stock was the first outdoor theatre in the round in Illinois when it started in with 70 charter members 1954, Parkhurst said the organization has grown not only in the number of people involved but in what it offers community theatre patrons. "Our family-friendly organization now has three branches" that can serve many types of community theatre fans, he added.

Besides the tent, Corn Stock has the Winter Playhouse, in a permanent structure a little further into the park. It is there where more non-musical plays are produced, more contemporary shows with a little more edge to them.

Also, the organization has Corn Stock For Kids, which caters to children and produces two or three shows each year as well as conducts an annual workshop every summer. It is now in its 16th season.

"To date, we have sold more than one million tickets to our productions here and we expect to sell many more as we go forward," Parkhurst said.

Mike Baietto, superintendent of the parks division for the Peoria Park District, said the district's partnership with Corn Stock has been one of its most successful partnerships through its history.

"We look forward to maintaining that partnership," he said.

The season begins May 31 with "The Music Man," directed by Peggy Breaux Hupp. It runs through June 8.

That is followed by the only non-musical of the season, "The Foreigner," which runs June 21 through June 29. Directed by Jeff Sloter, it will feature guest artist Steve Vinovich, a Peoria native who has been on Broadway, television and in films.

"Anything Goes" will be staged July 12 through July 20, directed by Travis Olson.

"The Wiz" will be Aug. 2 through Aug. 10, directed by Bryan Blanks.

"Company" will round out the season Aug. 23 through Aug. 31, directed by Nate Downs.

Individual shows are $18 for adults and $12 for students for musicals and $12 and $10 for "The Foreigner."

Season tickets are on sale now for $66. To purchase or order tickets call 676-2196 or visit www.cornstocktheatre.com.

Tentative agreement: Restructure Chiefs stadium debt; city forgive $1.2 million in bonds

An agreement has been reached between the Peoria Chiefs and other parties to restructure the debt on the downtown baseball stadium, for which Caterpillar Inc. will have the naming rights for the next 10 years.

But the agreement, which is worth $7.35 million to the ballcub and will also include new money from the group of owners and a reduction in outstanding bank loans, will hinge on whether the Peoria City Council agrees to forgive $1.2 million in bond repayments over the next eight years.

The council will vote on the proposal at a special meeting next Tuesday, a vote that is unlikely to be a unanimous approval because taxpayer money will be used to cover that bond debt.

"I am hopeful it will be more than a simple majority who will see the importance of approving this agreement and keeping professional baseball in Peoria," Mayor Jim Ardis said during a news conference at Chiefs Stadium that was called to announce the tentative agreement.

Ardis would not go so far as to express confidence in the council vote beyond that because, he said, he had not had the chance to discuss with individual council members as of yet. The council went into executive session on Tuesday to briefly discuss but no vote was taken. Instead it schedule the special meeting to allow the opportunity for public input.

Chiefs President Rocky Vonachen said without the council's approval the entire deal falls through. That would include a $1.2 million reduction in bank loans that would occur when Morton Community Bank would take over the loan from a consortium of seven banks that made the original loan a dozen years ago.

(Photo by Paul Gordon) Mayor Jim Ardis, front, discussed a tentative agreement reached between the Peoria Chiefs, the city and others involved in the ownership of Chiefs Stadium that would restructure the debt on the stadium. To his left is a placard spelling out the agreement during a news conference at the stadium on Thursday. The agreement hinges on the City Council approving it next Tuesday.Also out would be $2.7 million in new investment from the group of 50 owners, most of them local.

Jim Baumgartner, head of public affairs for Caterpillar, said that would include that company's agreement to acquire the naming rights for $2 million over the next 10 years.

Baumgartner and Vonachen said a name for the stadium hasn't been chosen yet and won't be until after the agreement is finalized.

If the council doesn't approve the deal, Vonachen said it would be back to the drawing board to find another way to restructure the debt, which is needed quickly because the original loan is coming due but the ballclub has been losing money the last few years.

The original debt structure is one reason for that, he added. "So we reached out to see what we could do. The goal is to keep the stadium privately owned," he said.

The city's bond was issued for $1.675 million at 4.25 percent interest, to be repaid over 20 years at about $150,000 a year, City Manager Patrick Urich said. The bond was used for infrastructure needs when the stadium was built, with the stadium owners obligated to repay it. If the agreement is approved, the final eight years worth would come out of the city's general fund.

Ardis said he wanted to put down any misconceptions the agreement was reached to put money into the pockets of the team and stadium owners. "That is not accurate," he said, adding they will still meeting other obligations to keep the team playing and the stadium in use. "Having a dark stadium is not an option," he said.

Part of the agreement with the city would include allowing others to use the stadium for other events, such as concerts, when the Chiefs or Bradley University teams are not using it. Bradley, as per the agreement, will pay $250,000 over the next 10 years to rent the stadium for its games.

Ardis said he is pushing for approval of the agreement because the Chiefs are important to the entire region, even beyond the $180,000 in annual property taxes the stadium generates. "This ballpark is an amenity to this city and it fits well with the new construction downtown and the Warehouse District," which surrounds the stadium, he added.

Ardis said he has heard from others, including officials at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, that having professional baseball in a city this size is an important tool in recruiting teaching and research talent to Peoria.

Baumgartner said the same is true for Caterpillar. "It goes to the issue of quality of life. Having activities for young professionals is important in our recruiting efforts," he said.

The special City Council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Peoria City Hall.

Rated PG: Agatucci's expands into frozen pizza

Normally the words "frozen" and "pizza" don't go together in my vocabulary. It's from my youth, when frozen pizza featured crust that could be used as a shipping crate and sauce that probably had been rejected by reputable tomato sauce manufacturers.

I remember wondering if the cheese was real and I didn't want to think about where the "meat" might have originated. I was afraid it was something the cat dragged in ... literally.

Times have changed and just like food manufactures have managed to make fat-free stuff mostly edible, they have made frozen pizza taste more and more like a pie straight from the pizzeria oven.

So when I found myself sitting at a table down at Kelleher's a few days ago with a frozen pizza on the table in front of me, I gave in to prodding from Pat Sullivan and Bill Blasek and tried a piece. Now I was there to interview a couple people about the pizza and the fact it is now part of Keller's late-night menu, not to actually eat any. Again, not a fan of frozen pizza, so I figured one piece would be all I'd get down.

Numerous pieces later, and only one beer to wash them down, I walked out of there believing a local, popular pizza restaurant could actually sell frozen versions of its delectable pies that tastes just as good as fresh.

Agatucci's is getting' it done right.

The Agatucci family, in business since 1926, has launched a line of frozen pizzas that, after only five weeks, can now be found in more than 90 places — grocery stores, convenient stores, restaurants and bars. Being distributed by Brewers Distributing Co. of Peoria, it's likely to be found in a great many more places in the future once word gets out that it tastes as good as that served at Agatucci's on North University St.

That's about all I'm going to say about taste. I don't do food reviews. But I know what I like and I like Agatucci's fresh pizza (with or without Tiger sauce). Now, I like Agatucci's frozen pizza.

But why, after 87 years in business at a restaurant nearly impossible to get into on a weekend night, did the family decide to launch of line of frozen pizza?

Actually, this is the second time Agatucci's went frozen, said Tony Agatucci, who now runs the business with his cousin Dan. Their fathers, Jim and Jerry, tried the frozen pizza business in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

"Wasn't too good back then, huh?" I asked, still gobbling.

"Oh, it was good all right. The frozen end of the business got so big they were forced to decide where they were going to concentrate — on that, or on the restaurant. They decided to focus again on the restaurant and gave up the frozen pizza business," Tony said.

Isn't there a chance that could happen again?

"Not this time. We aren't trying to do it all ourselves," he said.

In fact, the frozen pies are being made in Walnut by a company called Avanti's Foods. Talk about irony, huh? Except this Avanti's is not connected to the Peoria-based Italian restaurant chain by the same name.

"They have our recipes and everything that goes into a frozen pizza made there is the exact same as we put in our pizza at the restaurant. They are doing a phenomenal job, which is why it tastes the same. Can you tell the difference?" he asked as I scarfed down another piece.

"Mmmphh mmmphh," I replied, admitting I could not.

Another factor is that Brewers Distributing is doing that end of the work. In Fact, Tony and Danny Agatucci said Paul Jacob of Brewers is the main reason they got back into doing frozen pizza.

"He brought it up one night when he was in the restaurant, but we didn't give it much more thought then. But he brought it up again a few weeks later and we just kind of went from there," Tony said.

"A year later, here we are," added Danny, explaining it took that long to get everything set up, including the making of the pies, just the way the Agatucci family wanted it. "We wanted to make sure we got the pizza as close to the original as we could and we think we've done it."

So far Agatucci's frozen pizza is in five counties in central Illinois, but it likely will expand, Tony said. "We're considering pitching it further north," he said.

To date four styles are available — the Special, sausage, pepperoni and cheese — and all come in the 12-inch size.

Tony said the family doesn't view anyone as being competition. "That's because my grandpa always said to just do the best you can and don't worry about anybody else or what anybody else is doing. He's right; we've got a huge following of people who love our food and so far, because of that, the frozen pizza business has gone even better than we expected. We're pleased, to say the least," he said.

Bill Blasek, the manager of Kelleher's, said he found the idea of putting Agatucci's pizza on his late-night menu "a no-brainer. Everybody loves their pizza and I had been looking for something to fill the void between the time our kitchen closes at 10 p.m. and the bar closes. I think this is a perfect match."

Jeff Oeth, who is manager of Brewers Distributing's non-alcohol division, said 90 percent of the distribution so far is to grocers and convenience stores. "Everything has exceeded all of our expectations so far," he said.

Peoria an All-America City finalist

If the energy and enthusiasm of the Young Professionals of Greater Peoria group is an indication, there is little wonder Peoria fared well in the early rounds of the All-America City competition.

And now that Peoria is a finalist for the 2013 award, an honor in and of itself, city leaders feel good about the chances it will bring home its fourth All-America City Award in June.

"How can you not listen to this and see the energy and not be excited about this effort? I like our chances," said Mayor Jim Ardis during a news conference Wednesday at City Hall, called to announce that Peoria was one of 20 cities to be named finalists for the 10 awards that will be presented by the National Civic League.

Ardis spoke after Dr. Tim Cundiff, the boisterous and energetic chairman of the Young Professionals group that spearheaded this year's All-America City effort, and other members of the group that included City Councilman Ryan Spears.

(Photo by Paul Gordon) Dr. Tim Cundiff, front, who is chairman of the Young Professionals of Greater Peoria, discusses the group's campaign to get Peoria named an All-America City for 2013. Behind him are other members of the Young Professionals group that participated in the initiative. Peoria is a finalist for the annual award, which will be presented in June."I can't really express how important this effort is for such a prestigious award. And this is the group that is going to be taking our community into the future. I'm confident our future is in good hands," Ardis said.

Peoria has been named an All-America three times before, in 1953, 1966 and in 1989. Whereas the last time it happened was a needed shot in the arm as the city was coming out of perhaps its bleakest economic period, the feeling was different this time, Cundiff said.

"It's just been too long since Peoria had this and we have too much good going on to not do this now," he said. "When people ask me where I am from I always say I am from Peoria, Illinois, the geographic center of the universe. It's true."

It was his pride in his hometown that caused Cundiff, an optometrist, to propose the All-America City campaign to the YPGP, then take the idea to the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce and the city for their support. "This effort truly shows the power of collaboration. The spirit of cooperation truly plays in Peoria," Cundiff said.

However, said Emily Weeks, vice chairman of YPGP, "there is still a lot of work ahead before we take our story to the All-America City jury in Denver." That Denver event, where all 20 finalists will make a presentation to a National Civic League jury that will decide the winners, will be June 14-16.

One item is to garner as much public support as possible, including asking people to go on the Facebook and liking the initiative on the Peoria AAC page, and raising funds to send a delegation to Denver. The group wants to raise up to $50,000 for the effort.

To that end the Community Foundation of Central Illinois has established the Peoria All-America City Fund for those who want to help sponsor the project or contribute toward it. Spain said already OSF Health Care and UnityPoint Methodist have stepped up and the city hopes other businesses will do the same. "We need the help, the resources to make this happen," he said.

Spain said the benefits of being named an All-America City including being able to brag a little. "We are constantly competing to attract the very best businesses and people to Peoria and this is something we can tell them about. The status of All-America City carries a considerable amount of weight," he said.

That's because to earn the status a city has to demonstrate it is doing all it can to make it a good place to live and do business. The three pillars in the Peoria package, Cundiff said, are three community-driven intitiatives: the downtown Museum Block that led to the new Riverfront Museum and Caterpillar Visitors Center, education/youth workfroce development initiative and the strength of health care industry.

"There is just so much going on here it was very tough to narrow it all down to the three pillars. But the jury will look at the programs that were community driven to meet challenges facing it," he said. The group, he added, looked at how Peoria plans for the future, how it faces adversity and embraces diversity.

According to the National Civic League, it uses a tool called the Civic Index to assess a community's strengths and weaknesses. Applicant cities are required to describe their capacities for civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness and innovation.

This is the 64th year for the award. Other finalists are Birmingham, Ala.; Downey, Calif.; Brush, Colo.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Montrose, Colo.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Miami Lakes, Fla.; Sarasota County, Fla.; Dubuque, Iowa, Owensboro, Ky., Natchitches, La.; Canton, N.Y.; Dunn, N.C.; Garner, N.C.; Thomasville, N.C.; Folly Beach, S.C.; The Colony, Texas; Norfolk, Va., and Platteville, Wis.

"All-America cities set an example and a standard of excellence for local problem-solvers throughout the country," said Gloria Rubio-Cortes, president of the National Civic League. "This is an award that gives us hope, ideas and inspiration as we look for ways to address the difficult challenges we face as communities and as a nation."