The Prairie Arts Council will host the Route “Flute” 66 concert at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the Prairie Arts Center in Princeton.
The concert is free to the public, but a free-will donation will be taken. Described as “a musical cross-country trip following Route 66 from Chicago to California,” it will feature performances by the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble and the Bloomington-Normal Flute Club.
The Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble, established in 1991 and directed by Sue Gillio, is a premier performance group in central Illinois. With a membership of 20 to 25 players, the group maintains an active performance schedule and has appeared at notable events such as the Chicago Flute Club Festivals in 2001 and 2009, as well as at the Epiphany Center of the Arts in Chicago in 2023. The ensemble was honored to perform as one of three invited groups at the 37th annual Principals Association Conference at the Peoria Civic Center in 2008. The Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble also sponsors the annual Flute Day each February and hosts the Summer Flute Retreat every June.
The Bloomington-Normal Flute Club, founded in 2023 and directed by Rachel Bailey, is a dynamic and growing group that performs extensively in the Bloomington-Normal area. The ensemble is comprised primarily of adult flutists and aims to create an inclusive, welcoming environment for flutists of all experience levels. Rachel Bailey, a former student of Sue Gillio and an alumna of the Illinois Valley Flute Ensemble, is a flute performer and instructor at the Music Shoppe in Normal.
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The two ensembles previously collaborated on the program “Inspired by Starved Rock” in 2024. This special concert is an opportunity to enjoy the talents of these two esteemed flute ensembles as they embark on a musical journey across the country.
The Prairie Arts Center is located at 24 Park Ave. E. Founded in 1995, the Prairie Arts Council is dedicated to strengthening and supporting participation in the arts across North Central Illinois. Since its formation, it has sponsored hundreds of concerts, programs, exhibitions, productions and classes for individuals of all ages and abilities. Programming is funded in part through grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and The Closet.
Illinois has seen more tornadoes in 2026 than in any year on record.
Following several more tornadoes confirmed this week across the state, Illinois has recorded 143 tornadoes so far in 2026, beating the previous record of 142 tornadoes set in 2024. With reliable records dating back to 1950, Illinois averages just 54 tornadoes per year. But in recent years, the state has experienced many more:
2023: 121
2024: 142
2025: 126
2026: 143 and counting
Unlike 2024, when a record two-day tornado outbreak accounted for a large share of the year’s tornadoes, the activity in 2026 has been spread out across several months.
On Thursday, June 11, a tornado outbreak brought at least 21 confirmed tornadoes to northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, 13 of them in Illinois. Two tornadoes that day — in Streator, Illinois, and Hebron, Indiana — reached rare EF-3 intensity, with winds over 135 miles per hour. Numerous injuries were reported from the storms, but there were no fatalities.
Confirmed tornadoes from June 11:
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Long Point to Streator, IL: EF-3
Wenona/Osage Township, IL: EF-1
Graymont to Dwight, IL: EF-1
Lee, IL: EF-U
Harpster to Elliott, IL: EF-0
Pembroke Township (Leesville), IL: EF-U
St. John to Schererville, IN: EF-0
Paxton/Loda, IL: EF-1
Merrillville to Hobart, IN: EF-2
Ludlow, IL: EF-1
Cedar Lake, IN: EF-0
Schneider to Hebron, IN: EF-0
Watseka, IL: EF-0
Hebron to Kouts, IN: EF-3
Wellington/Prairie Green Township, IL: EF-1
Bartlett, IL: EF-1
Boswell to Atkinson, IN: EF-1
Ade to Mount Ayr, IN: EF-0
Naperville to Lisle, IL: EF-0
Hickory Hills to Garfield Ridge: EF-2
Morocco, IN: EF-0
Though most of the Chicago area dodged severe weather from storms this week, the National Weather Service confirmed a brief tornado touchdown Wednesday night in Lake County near Grayslake. The EF-0 tornado had estimated winds of 80 miles per hour and was on the ground for about a quarter-mile. Damage consisted of several downed or split trees and sporadic minor roof damage along a narrow corridor in the Saddlebrook Farms subdivision.
Four more tornadoes were confirmed Wednesday in western and central Illinois. NWS crews are still surveying damage in central Illinois, and more tornadoes may be added to the count in the coming days.
With 143 tornadoes so far this year, Illinois leads the nation in tornado count for the third time in the last four years — a remarkable statistic for a state not typically thought of as being in Tornado Alley.
The recent increase in tornado activity across Illinois and the Midwest fits research showing a shift in tornado-favorable environments away from parts of the traditional Plains Tornado Alley and farther east into the Midwest and South. Climate change is one likely factor, as warming temperatures are expected to make the Plains hotter and drier overall, shifting tornado ingredients eastward toward the Mississippi River.
BEECHER CITY, Ill. (WAND) – Farms were damaged in Effingham County Wednesday evening when a powerful storm swept through at around 8 p.m.
The McKay Farm in Beecher City was heavily damaged when the rapidly moving storm hit.
“Two buildings were totally destroyed,” Dan McKay told WAND News on Thursday. “We’ve got five grain bins and they’re all damaged.”
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The buildings collapsed onto farm equipment and a semi that were parked in the structures. A utility pole was snapped and ripped out of the ground.
In nearby Shumway, another farm was hit. A barn collapsed, with a grain bin being ripped apart and debris traveling several hundred feet through a nearby corn field. A house on the property was also damaged.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/4JGAMGEUMFAJLIXQRNDQYK5ZKM.JPG?ssl=1 "Route ‘Flute’ 66 concert set at Prairie Arts Center in Princeton")
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/OQVGFBQNMNFVDOWFWQAON7VEIQ.jpg?w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "Illinois Valley Voter Guide for April 2025 local election")
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/OQVGFBQNMNFVDOWFWQAON7VEIQ.jpg?w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "Illinois Valley Voter Guide for April 2025 local election")
