This week in the NIC-10 Whip Around podcast:
Week One kicked off with a bang between two of the conference favorites, Hononegah and Harlem.
Along with a classic matchup out in Belvidere between the Blue Thunder and the East E-Rabs.
We’ll also take a look at Week Two as the Boylan Titans put their nineteen-game conference winning streak on the line as they host Belvidere North.
John Groh, president and CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, joins Steve Summers on This Week in the Stateline to talk about the ways the city is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the debut of "A League of Their Own" and the new Amazon Prime series.
You can get free tickets to an early showing of the new series, which will play at 8 p.m Saturday, July 2 at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. The screening is preceded by a street fair starting at 6 p.m.
Groh said about 300 tickets were reserved in a two-hour span Wednesday after the tickets became available at 3 p.m.
"I think Rockford is going to be put in a really good light," Groh told Summers. "I just think it's so cool that we get to have this premier before anybody else in the country."
Listen to the whole episode below.
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Riverside Community Church will have its drive-thru live Nativity scene Saturday and Sunday. (Photo provided by Riverside Community Church)[/caption]
MACHESNEY PARK — Riverside Community Church wants to take people back in time this weekend to experience the first Christmas.
The church's drive-thru live Nativity scene is back this year after being canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The display, held outside the church at 6816 N. Second St., features about 45 characters — both human actors and animals. Among the live animals are donkeys, sheep, camels, goats and lambs.
"Just seeing the story of Christmas helps people understand what God did that first Christmas, when he sent his son to be born in a smelly manger," Pastor Bob Sheets said on This Week in the Stateline. "I think people get a good idea of what it might have been like that night in Bethlehem."
This is the ninth year for the A Night in Bethlehem live Nativity scene, which is presented for free.
"It's a crazy time of the year, people get busy," Sheets said. "We just want to give them the chance to slow down for a few moments and experience the true picture of Christmas as a gift from us."
Cars typically line up in advance of the 6 p.m. opening. Once on the church grounds, it takes roughly 10-15 minutes to move through the drive-thru display. The route is lined with about 400 luminaries.
"Our live nativity lets people travel back in time to Bethlehem to experience the story of Jesus' birth," Sheets said.
When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 12
Where: Riverside Community Church, 6816 N. Second St., Machesney Park
Listen to Pastor Bob Sheets interview with Steve Summers below.
John Groh of the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau discusses their Diversity Initiatives announced in honor of Black History Month, and how the agency will better serve all of its residents. John also outlines the steps the RACVB will be taking once the Hard Rock Casino is built, and how the agency is planning ahead in 2021. He recaps the Stroll on State Experience with a tease of new community events and other plans in the months ahead.
Runtime: 9 Minutes.
