Manito Musical Advocates

07/20/2026

WOW! Minipalooza 2026 was an absolute blast! 🎉

Thanks to everyone's incredible support yesterday, we raised almost $3,000 for the Midwest Central music and arts programs!

There is a LOT of "Thanks" to go around today. Please forgive us if we missed anyone—it certainly wasn't intentional, and we are grateful for every single person who chipped in!

🍔 The Venue, Food, & Drinks

* A massive thank you to Laurie's for hosting us, and to the hardworking staff for keeping everyone refreshed all day: Tascha Galvin, Penny Grafton, Meghan Galvin, and Jessica Howard! Thank you as well to owner Jeff Neikirk for opening your doors to us for this great event.
* Thank you to Laurie's and Lauren James for your matching $0.25 donation for each beer to our cause!
* A huge shoutout to Lori Canada for doing a fantastic job arranging and managing the gun and 50/50 raffles! She even jumped in to help serve a few drinks while Meghan was busy capturing photos and videos. Honestly, our entire team pitched in wherever needed yesterday, and it was amazing to see everyone working together so well. 🍻🎟️
* Thank you to everyone who showed up in the morning and helped with the preparations! A special shoutout to Jay Galvin who helped out with anything and everything we needed throughout the day, including selling apple pie! 🥧
* Thank you to Brett Caulkins for being our amazing chef for the day!

🏆 The Bags Tournament
Thank you to everyone for braving the heat to participate in the tournament! A huge, special thank you to Meghan Galvin and Darian for generously donating their winnings right back to our cause!

☔️ The Music
We weren't about to let a few brief rain showers dampen our night! While they set us back a bit, the show must go on!

* Thank you to (3/5ths) of The Band Small Town for keeping our guests entertained during the rain, and for jumping right in and opening the event! 🎸
* Thank you to Amanda Kay Pettijohn and Tami Meyer for stepping outside your comfort zone and playing your ukes for us! 🎶
* Thank you to Jordan Keith, Sara Neulinger (and Michelle Martin), Ken Moll, and Matt Dobey for an awesome hour of totally unrehearsed and improvised music! 🎤
* Thank you to Passed Out Penguin for closing the night! We really appreciate your support—you guys rocked it! 🐧

🎟️ The Winners

* Congratulations to the lucky winner of BOTH the 50/50 drawing and the Peoria Chiefs tickets (generously donated by Five Star Water)! ⚾️
* Congratulations to Mindy Sue for winning the cooler (donated by Laurie's and Tascha Galvin)! 🧊
* Congratulations to the winner of the Wi******er SX4!

Thank you to everyone in the community for your support! We couldn't do this without you!!! ❤️

07/19/2026

Minipalooza has officially started! 🎸 We are hanging out at Laurie's in Manito for a great night of live music supporting the Midwest Central music and arts programs.

​We hope to see you soon, but if you aren't able to make it out tonight, you can still support the kids by contributing through our Venmo at the link below! 👇

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=4467596678136974230&created=1784329400

07/15/2026

🏆 Minipalooza Bags Tournament Details! 🏆
We promised you more information on the Bags Tournament for this Saturday, July 18th, and here it is!

The Details:

Time: The tournament starts exactly at 2:00 PM.

Registration: Sign up on the day of the event until 1:45 PM.

Cost: $20 per person.

Format: Double elimination bracket. Partners will be randomly drawn.

The Payout:
Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!

1st Place: Takes home 50% of the pot.

2nd & 3rd Place: Will split 25% of the pot.

The remaining 25% goes directly to the Manito Musical Advocates to support local music programs!

Get there early to get your name on the bracket, enjoy the afternoon, and help us raise money for Midwest Central students!

Meghan Galvin Tascha Galvin

07/14/2026

Join us this Saturday, July 18th for MINIPALOOZA at Laurie's in Manito. We have a full day of live music, food, and community support planned for the Manito Musical Advocates.

Lineup:
2:00 PM – Bags Tournament kicks off (details to follow)
7:00 PM – The Band Small Town kicks off the live music
8:00 PM – Amanda Kay Pettijohn & Tami Meyer take the stage
8:30 PM – Jordan Keith and Friends (Matt Dobey, Ken Moll, Sara Neulinger, Joy M Wilbur, & Sydney Wilbur) keep the music going
9:00 PM – Raffle Drawings
9:30 PM – Members of Passed Out Penguin finish out the night

Food & Drinks:
Enjoy free food during the event. Plus, a percentage of all beer sales will be donated directly to the Manito Musical Advocates.

Raffle Details:
Gun Raffle: Tickets are available for $20 each.
50/50 Raffle: We are selling 100 squares for $10 each.

Please come out, bring your friends, some lawn chairs, and share this post to help us spread the word. Every bit helps us keep the Midwest Central music and arts programs thriving for our students. We look forward to seeing you there!



Tascha Galvin, Meghan Galvin

07/09/2026

Band Camp Date Correction

Please note that the Band Camp dates previously shared on Facebook in February were incorrect.

The correct Band Camp dates are:

July 20–24
July 27–31

We apologize for any confusion and appreciate your understanding. Please update your calendars, and we look forward to seeing our band students later this month!

07/03/2026

We had a lot of fun at the parade today! Thanks to American Legion Auxiliary Unit #561 for organizing the parade and to Forman Valley Library for the events afterward! We especially enjoyed learning about (and hearing!) Civil War era musical instruments! Have a great weekend everyone!

06/28/2026

Come set sail with us! We are excited to announce "Anything Goes" for our fall musical at Midwest Central High School! Music, dance, laughs, and the age-old tale of boy meets girl! We can't wait to get started! Show dates are October 22, 23, and 24, 2026. Auditions will be at the start of the new school year.

06/22/2026

There are still some tables left for our mouse races on July 11th. Stop by Wanda's or contact us to reserve yours today! Tables are $80 in advance for up to eight people. Come join us and help support our local music programs!

Get some friends and get a table. Let’s raise some money for a great cause.

05/20/2026

Congratulations to Aleta! We are incredibly grateful for her dedication and passion, especially for her outstanding work with the Midwest Central and Forman Community Chorus musical productions. Her commitment and talent continue to make a lasting impact on our students, performers, and community!

To begin our Women’s Recognition Day winner announcement we will begin with our art award.

This year’s Art Award Winner:
Aleta Hoff

The Arts Award is given to a woman who makes a significant contribution in the
field of arts in our community. This could be through their artistic talent or
through teaching and influencing others in their artistic abilities.
This year’s Arts Award goes to Aleta Hoff.
Aleta is very involved in the school music scene. Aleta provides musical
accompaniment for solo and ensemble students in both Dunlap and Pekin
Community High Schools. She also provides accompaniment for several
schools’ musicals each year, including most recently Delavan’s Newsies,
Peoria’s Young Frankenstein, and Midwest Central’s Shrek the Musical. In
addition to providing accompaniment for school band’s solo and ensemble
contests and school musicals, Aleta also plays for the Lincoln K-8 children’s
chorus, and she plays organ, piano, and accordion for Bethel Lutheran Church
in Bartonville and St. Anne’s in Peoria. She is also a member of several social
bands in the area, such as the Mardi Gras Band, Caper Club, Pops Orchestra,
River Valley Big Band, and the Aristocrats.
Her nominator says, “Aleta is a class act. I met her while we were both
volunteering in our children’s primary school; she was in the Learning Center
laminating for teachers and I was reshelving books. She has never stopped
volunteering: from PTA, to classroom volunteering, to chaperoning band events,
and eventually using her musical talent to accompany the many musicians she
encountered.”
If you ask Aleta about her musical talent and how she uses it in her community,
she most enjoys the joy it brings to those who get to hear it. From nursing
home, to park concerts, to school musicals and competitions, she most enjoys
being able to encourage young musicians to play their best by being their
accompanist.
Aleta, because of your musical talent, your teaching and encouraging young
people in music, and the joy you bring in any kind of music you do, the YWCA is
proud to award you the Arts Award for 2026. Congratulations.

05/03/2026

Our board of directors may be a humble bunch who’d rather stay out of the spotlight—but a couple of shout outs are in order! Jordan spent many hours at rehearsals and three performances running sound for Forman Community Chorus’ production of “9 to 5,” while Matt did the same for Midwest Central Middle School’s “High School Musical Jr.,” handling both sound and lights. We’re incredibly lucky to have such passionate, dedicated people on our team!