The 618 Now

Honor others by understanding them

In this episode, we discuss:

• the history of Veterans Day and how it's evolved over the years to honor all military, including those who serve in war time and peace time
• Friday, Nov 11th @ 11am Veterans Day observance ceremony @ First Baptist Church with Major General Vincent Barker, USA, Chief of Staff, US TRANSCOM speaking.
• Friday, Nov 11 @ 2pm Veterans Day parade in Downtown O'Fallon. Kicks off at the corner of South Hilgard and E Third Street, heads West down Third Street towards Lincoln, turns R (north) onto Lincoln, passing in front of City Hall, then turns L (west) onto First Street, ending at the VFW.
• We Love Our Military signs are still for sale (only a handful are left). 
• The Regency Catering To Go is offering Thanksgiving Day family-style meals. These are a listener favorite! Deadline to order is Nov 21; pick up on Wed (for uncooked turkeys) or on Thurs (Thanksgiving Day for cooked turkeys).
• Sat, Nov 5 and Sunday, Nov 6 is the OTHS Band Boosters Art and Craft Fair at the Smiley Campus. 
• Sat, Nov 5 and Sunday Nov 6 are the Holiday Open Houses for several downtown businesses. Fezziwig's  Steven Mueller Florist
• Lead In applications for the Class of 2023 are open! Candidates must be under age 40 (before January 25, 2023) and live or work in O'Fallon/Shiloh. Deadline to apply is Dec 5th. 
• Sat, Nov 26th @ 6pm is the Illuminated Holiday Parade in the Downtown District- Save the date! 

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

You can’t build that here!

In this episode, we discuss:

• the reason it took the old Dairy Queen on Highway 50 a while to develop into something else....
• the opening of Hawaiian Brothers Island Grill!
• upcoming events for people with a variety of interests:
  • Sat & Sun Nov 5-6 O'Fallon Band Boosters Art and Craft Fair, or O-town Etsy as we like to call it! 
  • Nov 20 11am-4pm Kids Craft Market 20th 11am-4pm @ The VFW... where kids are the markers and vendors! 
  • Nov 17 - 20th Radium Girls, the OTHS Theatre Production @ Milburn Campus
  • Dec 2-4th OTHS Madrigal Dinner, tickets are on sale now
  • Nov 5 @ 7pm, Trivia Night hosted by The Friends of the Library  
  • Nov 10 @ 6pm, Pub Table Historian @ Gears (inside The Bike Surgeon)
  • Nov 16th @ 5:30pm, the Chamber's Book Club moderated by Justin Ward with First National Bank of Waterloo- open to Chamber members
  • Now thru Nov 5th, the O'Fallon Police are teaming up with Warners' Warm Up to collect new or gently used jackets for local kids- drop off donations in the lobby of the Public Safety Building
  • Nov 12, 10am-2pm Blood Drive hosted by the VFW. Sign up here. 
  • Sat, Oct 29 @ 8am Howling for Habitat 5k race Listen to our episode where we highlighted the fantastic work habitat does for our community
  • Sat, Oct 29 @ 12-3 Rotary Halloween Parade and trick-or-treating in the Downtown District
  • Sat, Oct 29 @ 5pm Halloween Hunt Pub Crawl in the Downtown District
  • Mon, Oct 31 6-9pm O'Fallon and Shiloh Trick-or-treating
  • Mon, Oct 31 @ 6-8pm VFW Kids Safe Halloween @ the VFW- candy, games and hayrides to the American Legion and Firehouse. Great alternative to neighborhood trick-or-treating!
  • Nov 16 @ 11:30am- Restaurant Roulette hosted by the Chamber, open to Chamber members 

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

Local experiences that get you out and about!

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Coffee Trail and the Jingle Hike- two local experiences that get you out and exploring Southern Illinois! The Coffee Trail include Sweet Katie Bee's and June's in Shiloh and the Jingle Hike includes Rock Springs Rotary Park in O'Fallon! 
• O'Fallon Hometown Heroes Banner Project- deadline to order military and first responder banners is 10/31/22.
• The O'Fallon Public Library is seeking community input to help develop their 20-year strategic plan. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete.
• Sat, Oct 22 @ 9am is the Downtown Dog Days in the Downtown District
• Sun, Oct 23 @ 4pm Four Paws Animal Hospital Trunk or Treat 
• Sun, Oct 23 @ 4pm Bach in the Community: Voices of Praise free choral concert @ St. Clare Church, registration is required
• Sat, Oct 29 @ 8am Howling for Habitat 5k race Listen to our episode where we highlighted the fantastic work habitat does for our community
• Sat, Oct 29 @ 12-3 Rotary Halloween Parade and trick-or-treating in the Downtown District
• Sat, Oct 29 @ 5pm Halloween Hunt Pub Crawl in the Downtown District
• Mon, Oct 31 6-9pm O'Fallon and Shiloh Trick-or-treating
• Mon, Oct 21 @ 6-8pm VFW Kids Safe Halloween @ the VFW- candy, games and hayrides to the American Legion and Firehouse. Great alternative to neighborhood trick-or-treating!
• Early voting for the November elections is now open. Click here for locals and times.

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

Reimagining Highway 50 plus tax rebates!

In this episode, we discuss:

• a $500k plan to study Highway 50 from Exit 14 all the way through to Scott-Troy Rd
• Illinois' plan to rebate 6.2M tax payers funds over the next 6-8 weeks
• why OTHS students already received information on registering for classes for NEXT year. Seems so early, but we learned the reasons why and it makes so much sense! 
• our ongoing love for the O'Fallon Public Library and the Friends of the Library's upcoming trivia night in support of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Trivia night is Nov 5 from 7-10pm.
• Sat, Oct 15 @ 8am Vine Street Market at O'Fallon Station- the final market of the year!
• Sat, Oct 15 @ 6:30pm Be a Kid for a Night in support of Caritas Family Solutions at the Gateway Center in Collinsville  
• Sun, Oct 16 is Bosses' Day!
• Sat, Oct 22 @ 9am Four Legged Running 5k hosted by Furchild
• Sat, Oct 22 9am-3pm Shiloh Treasures in the Park - over 40 vendors, Twilight Band from noon-3pm and food from the PTO
• Mon, Oct 31 6-9pm Trick or Treating in O'Fallon and Shiloh

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

Upscale dining in downtown

In this episode, we discuss:

• ground is breaking on the $93M apartment and commercial complex on Central Park drive! 
• Le Ono has been announced as downtown's newest restaurant!
• Free tutoring for Kindergarten - 8th grade is available through the O'Fallon Public Library. 
• Friday, Oct 7 @ dusk is Sing 2 in the Community Park
• Sat, Oct 8 @ 8am Vine Street Market at OFallon Station
• Sat, Oct 8 4-8pm Fall Festival at Rock Springs Rotary Park 
• Sat, Oct 8 4-10pm Witches and Wizards in the downtown district! 
• Tues Oct 11- Thurs Oct 13 6:30-8:30pm each night Open House hosted by O'Fallon Fire and Rescue at Fire Station 4 (1215 Taylor Rd) honoring Fire Prevention Week
• Sunday, Oct 16th is Bosses' Day! 

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

Hey Nick, wanna Be a Kid for a Night?

In this episode, we discuss:

• Oct 1st is National Coffee Day! Our local coffee places are some of the best! The CoffeeHouse Company, Sweet Katie Bee's, Junes Breakfast and Patio, Happy Bakery , and Wood Bakery
• Be a Kid for A Night in support of Caritas Family Solutions- arcade games, carnival games, bounce houses and more!
• Sat, Oct 1st @ 8am Vine Street Market at O'Fallon Station, live music starts at 9am
• Tues, Oct 4 @ 6-8pm Night to Unite in the Community Park, hosted by O'Fallon Police. Free food, fun and demonstrations.
• Wed, Oct 5th 6:30pm Townhall Meeting at City Hall to discuss upcoming renovations to the community park.
• Thurs, Oct 6th @ 6pm Pub Table Historian @ Gears (inside Bike Surgeon)... "Haunting Tales of Old O'Fallon"
• Sat, Oct 8th 4-9pm Witches and Wizards Festival in the Downtown District.
  We will feature our biggest Witches Market to date! There will be vendors such as Everything's Shiny Creations, art by Kat Martin, Koviak Kreations, Grave Markings, The Extraordinary Witch and many more! 
  Activites area that will include Photo Booths, a Tea leaf Reader and a Bone Reader, a Face Painter, a Henna artist and a glass blower.
  There will be special guests and performances including The Headless Horseman, Fire Dancers, Stilt Walkers, and dancers! Award winning author Ellen Dugan and poet Ember Grant will be there doing book signings. The marvelous Beth Saltz will be back with her Tarot Card readings and she will be hosting the Costume Contest! We have added a few more categories to the Costume Contest this year that you must go see.
  This year we will have a Food Alley that will have 6 different food vendors for you to choose from. 
• Sat, Oct 8th 4-8pm Fall Festival at Rock Springs Rotary Park  Hay rides, s'mores, hot cocoa table, live music, games and more!

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

New leaders have been unleashed into the community!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Congrats to the Lead In Class of 2022 who recently graduated

 

• Applications for the Class of 2023 are being accepted thru Dec 5th. Must be under the age of 40 and live or work in O'Fallon/ Shiloh.
• Edley's BBQ is open!
• Dogwood Social House's grand opening is 10/1
• Sat, Sept 24 @ 8am is Vine Street Market @ Ofallon Station, it's Military/First Responder Day! First 100 takers receive $5 in Market bucks.
• Sat, Sept 24 9am-noon is a Metals and Electronics Recycling event at Carriel Junior High 
• Sat, Sept 24 4-10pm is St Clare's Oktoberfest!
• Friday, Sept 30 5:45-7pm is Parks and Rec Fishing Derby in the South pond at the Family Sports Park
• Wed, Oct 5th @ 6:30pm is a TownHall Meeting at City Hall. It is a Parks engagement meeting for the public to provide feedback for the changes being suggested in the community park. 

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

The kind of running that isn’t exercise!

This episode is a bit different; we cover the process it takes to run for local elected office. Elections are April 4, 2023 but the process begins now.

The IL State board of Elections released their Candidate's Guide for 2023. 

On the calendar: 

Tonight (Friday, Sept 16th) is Tip-A-Cop at Texas Roadhouse in support of Special Olympics. Officers and athletes will be on hand and 10% of sales go towards the cause.

Sat, Sept 17 8am is the Vine Street Market at O'Fallon Station

Sat, Sept 17 9-10:30am is Character Day at Auffenberg Volkswagen in Shiloh. Visit with your favorite princesses and superhero as well as Louie from the St. Louis Blues. 

Sat, Sept 24 9am-noon is a Metal and Electronics Recycling event @ Carriel Junior High.

Sat, Sept 24 4-10pm is the 22nd annual St Clare Oktoberfest. Huge biergarten, live music, festival foods, games and more. 

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

Downtown welcomes the Schwarz Center!

In this episode, we discuss:

• a downtown staple gets a new owner and new name, the Schwarz Center. Chad Schwarz credits the energy and revitalization of the Downtown District with his desire to invest in the heart of downtown.
• what's up with the "We Love Our Military" signs popping up around town.... get yours here.
• with how busy this fall is around town, we created a calendar to help you keep track of it all! 
• Fri and Sat, Sept 9 & 10 is Shiloh Homecoming, fireworks are Friday night at 9pm
• Sat, Sept 10th 10am-noon is Touch-a-Truck at the community park in O'Fallon
• Sat, Sept 10th 10am-5pm is BaconFest in the Downtown District in support of our local veterans. Maple bacon ice cream, bacon wrapped oreos... and be sure to check out the celebrity dunk tank too!
• Rape Aggression Defense classes offered through the O'Fallon Police Dept are being held October 4, 11, 20 and 25th from 6-9 PM. Learn more here and register here. 
• Friday, Sept 16th from 4-9pm is Tip-A-Cop at Texas Roadhouse in support of Special Olympics. 

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.

The Witches are coming!

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Witches and Wizards Festival coming to the Downtown District on Oct 8th. Fire dancers, tarot card readers, stilt walkers, a Witches' Market and so much more! This is not your average downtown event! This is a ticketed event for adults only!
• Sat, Sept 3 @ 8am is the Vine Street Market @ O'Fallon Station
• Thurs, Sept 8 6-7:30pm is the Friends of the Library Open House
• Thurs, Sept 8th @ 7pm is RETRONERDS Summer Concert at Auffenberg in Shiloh!
• Friday, Sept 9 and Sat Sept 10th is Shiloh's Homecoming 
• Sat, Sept 10th 10am-5pm is BaconFest in the Downtown District

Have an idea for a podcast topic? Submit it here! Follow us on Instagram @The618Now.