ANNOUNCEMENTS - Friday 10/11/2013

WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS!

November - Faithful Pilot - date and time tbd

December 10th - Hungry Hobo - lunch - noon

CALENDAR

October 13th - Faithful Pilot Fall Wine Tasting $15.00 3-5 small bites and 15 wines

October 13^{th -} LeClaire Lions Club presents "Apple Fest on the River" 11:00am-4:00pm.

Apples, Childrens Activities, Jump House, Variety of Vendors, Homemade Pies, Cupcakes, Cake Pops, Kettle Korn, Pumpkins, Specialty popcorn, Crepes, Copper Jewelry, Hand made Canoes,

QC Antique Car Club, Garden Art and MUCH  MORE!!!!!!!!

Aunt Hattie's will be hosting a Pie Baking contest during Apple Fest! To enter you must make a home made apple pie. NO STORE BOUGHT PIES!!!  $5.00 entry fee. The Prize for first place is $50 - second $25 & $10 for third. You must enter in advance. Sign up at Aunt Hattie's, 102 S. Cody Road, LeClaire. A portion of the money will be donated to FREEDOM ROCK FUND. You must bring your Apple Pie to Aunt Hattie's by 12:00 NOON on October 13th. Judging at 1PM. Winners will be announced at 3pm.

Pie Eating contest at Aunt Hattie's at 2pm! WINNER will receive $10 in chamber bucks, which is just like MONEY !!!

October 14^th - Tourism Brainstorming Session Mississippi River Distilling Co., 303 N. Cody Road, 5-7 p.m. Residents and business owners are invited to attend this brainstorming session designed to help the Tourism Board and LeClaire Marketing Alliance determine its marketing priorities for the future and a course of action to keep LeClaire's momentum moving forward.

October 15^th - Asbury United Methodist Church is hosting a "Partnering to EmPOWER" fundraising event for Winnie's Place. ALL booth fees will go to Winnie's Place. Vendors will also agree to donate 9% of their sales to Winnies Place, which corresponds to the statistic that every 9 seconds, a woman is abused. Interested vendors are asked to contact Heidi Lubben at hjlubben@aol.com for more details.

October 16^th -Buffalo Bill Museum Fundraiser Dinner at Crane & Pelican Cafe Storytellers will be entertaining guests with ghost stories, period dress is encouraged, and the menu is

incredible!  A three-course dinner ($40 per person) is choice of salmon, roast beef or pasta w/meat balls and sauce.  Send your reservation and payment to: Buffalo Bil Museum, PO Box 284, LeClaire IA 52753. Don't delay!  Don't miss it!!

October 19^th - You are invited to attend the First Presbyterian Church Active Christians Halloween Party We will meet at the at 6:30p.m. for a Halloween Party and to play Euchre! All ages are welcome! Children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring a friend, your own non-alcoholic drinks and a dish to share. Costumes are encouraged (non-violent, non-scary)

October 20th - Faithful Pilot Sunday Brunch seating at 10:00 & 12:30 $25.00 per person (NO QUAD CITY TIMES COUPONS VALID)

October 23^{rd -} Explore the Benefits of Working with Schwab Eric Johannes, Charles Schwab,

5345 Elmore Ave #300, Davenport, IA 52807. Please R.S.V.P 563-275-3659

October 26^th - Witches Walk Costume Contest and Parade Parade begins at 1:00p.m.

October 26^th - 4^th Annual Hallowine 2-5pm; tickets are $10. Join us for LeClaire's Food & Wine Tour. Enjoy local cuisine and wine samples while touring the shops of LeClaire! Event starts at the LeClaire Information Center, 122 N. Cody Rd. First 200 attendees receive a free wine glass. Proceeds to benefit local charities. www.visitleclaire.com

October 26th- The Faithful Pilot is open for LUNCH! from 12-4 of course small wine samples to pass out for Hall-O-Wine.

October 31^st - All women are invited to attend the First Presbyterian Church Annual Women's Fall Retreat (one day) at Camp Wyoming. We will leave our church at 9a.m. and plan to be at the camp at 10a.m. We will have devotions, craft by Rev. Pat Halverson, lunch (each woman brings her own sack lunch), snacks, hayrack ride (weather permitting), time for a walk, conversation and fellowship. cost $10. RSVP by 10-28 - 563-289-4371 or 563-381-7777.

Save the Date

November 1^st - First Friday, 5:30 - 8:00 Downtown LeClaire

Mississippi River Distilling Company Food and Spirit Tastings www.mrdistilling.com

Wide River Winery Wine Samples. Open until 8PM featuring "Merry Berry" and serving dips paired with our award winning locally made wines.

Aunt Hatties - Come in for a red velvet cupcake!

Razzleberries - Booze cake while it lasts!

Faithful Pilot - The Matriarchs, live music - 7:30-9:00pm

Restaurants and several shops will be open late!

December 6th-8th - Christmas in LeClaire!

FYI

Grace Marine has received approval for their new showroom in LeClaire! It will be located just east of the former welcome center on Eagle Ridge Road.  The tentative plan is to break ground sometime in November with the building completion sometime in March/April.  Carl Hoyt Jr., General Manager, and his team look forward to having the full operation in one town!  New boats will be showcased in LeClaire! www.gracemarine.com Grace Marine, Inc. 563-359-1635. Captain's Quarters DryStak Marina 563-289-5050

Do you have Residential or Commercial property available? If you own residential rental property or commercial property that is available for lease or sale in the greater LeClaire region, please contact the LeClaire Chamber of Commerce, leclairechamber@gmail.com, with a property description, complete contact information including phone numbers and rental or purchase pricing. As a service to the community, we would like to have the information available so we can share the most up-to-date information on our website!

The LeClaire Chamber Website and our Facebook page are currently being updated and revised. Watch for the new website to be up and running soon, visit us again soon on Facebook, and in the meantime, thank you for your patience! 

Buffalo Bill Museum is open until 5pm daily. Hours are 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday, and on Sundays 12noon to 5pm. A reminder: group discounts are available for tour groups, clubs/reunions, and school groups. Call the museum at 563-289-5580 for details!

SERVING THE COMMUNITY AND BEYOND

Primitive Cottage is collecting food for the Princeton Presbyterian Church's Food Pantry which is in great need of food donations. They have helped alot of people, and now they need our help.  Donations can be dropped off at Primitive Cottage in LeClaire. Please check the expiration date on items because anything that has expired can't be given away.

First Presbyterian Church of LeClaire Meals for Seniors at the church every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12 noon. Good food and a time to visit with others. Please call 563-289-3646 and make a reservation 2 days in advance.

LeClaire 2013 Events Calendar:

First Fridays each month 5:00-8:00 P.M.

October 13th - AppleFest

October 26th - HalloWine

October 26th - Witches Walk Costume Contest and Parade

December 6-8 - Christmas in LeClaire

Family Nights at the LeClaire Rec Center: Details at www.leclairereccenter.com

www.LeClaireChamber.com and visit the Chamber on FaceBook!

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is advising Iowans to call or email his offices for a faster response than via postal mail to Washington during the partial government shutdown.  Senate postal operations are largely closed, so Grassley's office in Washington is not getting postal mail deliveries.

"I want Iowans to know their postal mail isn't being delivered to my Washington office right now," Grassley said.  "The lack of delivery will delay the response they receive.  If they need help with an urgent issue, they should call any of my offices in Iowa or Washington or send a message through grassley.senate.gov."

Grassley's Iowa offices are receiving postal mail during the partial government shutdown, in contrast to the Washington office, though it is not possible for Grassley to respond to Iowans by postal mail during the shutdown.   Staff is answering the phones for all six Iowa offices and the Washington office, with constituent services specialists taking calls from Iowans who need help with a problem involving a federal agency.  Some of Grassley's staff is furloughed on a rotating basis in accordance with legal obligations but enough staff is working to receive comments from Iowans, help constituents, meet with Iowans visiting the nation's capital, and help fulfill Grassley's legislative and oversight duties.

Grassley's office phone numbers are available here.  The contact form on grassley.senate.gov is available here.

This week I released a report by the Government Accountability Office.  I asked for this analysis of what are known as "actively engaged" regulations for eligibility in the federal farm program.

The report clearly shows that some people are exploiting the farm program for personal gain.  This hurts the case for keeping a safety net to ensure a safe and affordable food supply.

The findings of the report are important as the House and Senate look to hammer out a deal on the farm bill which expired on October 1^st.  In fact, after I released the report, members of Congress representing Southern agriculture were quick to say that they planned to pull out the common sense farm payment reforms that are included in both the House and Senate bills.  That's bad news for people who want to maintain a safety net for farmers who need it most.

The legislative language in the pending farm bill that I authored substantially limits farm program payments and makes it easier for the Farm Service Agency to enforce eligibility rules.

It's the kind of reform that should strengthen support for the farm program by keeping the program focused and working as intended.

I'm fighting for reforms and pressing the conference committee to keep their hands off these common sense provisions.

Click here to see video.

21 Public and Private Illinois Schools Awarded Top Educational Honor

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today congratulated all of Illinois' 21 nationally recognized 2013 Blue Ribbon Schools while at Queen of Angels Catholic Elementary School in Chicago. Today's event is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to give every child the opportunity for a high-quality education.

"It is my distinct privilege to congratulate our state's Blue Ribbon Schools and to celebrate with the students at Queen of Angels," Governor Quinn said. "This award is a top honor for our high performing schools and is a direct reflection of our hard-working teachers and principals. We are proud of every Blue Ribbon School across Illinois."

Every year the United States Department of Education selects public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students' academic achievement. This year, 12 public and nine private Illinois schools were chosen for the educational honor.

"The students and staff at these schools work hard to show high performance and improvement and should be proud of this honor," State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch said. "They are among a select few that have been singled out for the award and their communities should be proud of what they are achieving."

Illinois' 21 National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2013 include :

•           Frazier International Magnet School, Chicago

•           Greenbriar Elementary School, Northbrook

•           Lincoln Elementary School, Morton

•           Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School, Chicago

•           Northside Catholic Academy, Chicago

•           Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy, Chicago

•           Prairie Crossing Charter School, Grayslake

•           Queen of Angels School, Chicago

•           Roslyn Road Elementary School, Barrington

•           Saint Joan of Arc School, Chicago

•           Saint Andrew School, Chicago

•           Saint Francis Xavier School, Chicago

•           Saint Michael School, Chicago

•           Saint Norbert School, Chicago

•           Saint Peter Lutheran School, Arlington Heights

•           Sandburg Middle School, Elmhurst

•           Scott Elementary School, Mascoutah

•           The Skokie School, Winnetka

•           Twin Groves Middle School, Kildeer Countryside

•           United North Elementary School, Alexis

•           Wescott Elementary School, Northbrook

Queen of Angels is one of only 50 private schools in the nation to earn a National Blue Ribbon for 2013. To earn the award, Queen of Angels students placed in the top 15% in the nation in both math and reading standardized tests in 2013.

On September 24, United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the 286 award-winning schools will be honored at a recognition ceremony on Nov. 18-19 in Washington, D.C. In its 31-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has recognized nearly 7,500 of America's schools.

Governor Quinn has been leading a strong education agenda to build a brighter future for all Illinois students. In 2011 the Governor signed landmark education reform laws that gained national attention. These reforms have improved school report cards, so that parents are empowered with more information about the schools that educate their kids and also set clear benchmarks for teacher evaluation and put performance above tenure. In August, he enacted a new law that lowers the compulsory school age for students in Illinois in order to ensure all children have the opportunity to build a solid foundation for academic achievement and to help combat truancy.