part of the third and final phase. The project has been entirely funded by grants and donations. A portion of the final phase is paid for through an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant. This grant was awarded to 87 parks across 31 counties for a total of $30.3 million USD. Festival of Lights Beginning after Thanksgiving and ending in the first week of January, the city holds a Christmas light event known as the Festival of Lights. Started in 1984, it was initially a Parade of Lights, in which floats decorated in Christmas lights were driven through town. In 1986, the pencil-steel E.P. Noel Riverboat debuted. It appeared to be very popular with the city, so each float ever since has been made with pencil steel. As lighting effects improved over the years, animated features have been added to the floats. In 1993, the Winter Wonderland drive-through was constructed. All of the floats and displays stay here for the duration of the festival, and receive about 25,000 visitors annually. From 1984 to 2013, The Festival Wreath was a Ferris wheel with fluorescent light tubes attached to its frame. In 2014, a new Festival Wreath replaced it with a welded frame, 80 tube-shaped lights, 1,000 lightbulbs, and rope lights. It sits on top of Fon du Lac Drive, overlooking the city. The symbol for the Festival of Lights is a little wooden toy soldier named FOLEPI (pronounced FO-LEE-PEE), which stands for Festival of Lights, East Peoria, Illinois. In 2020, the Festival of Lights was named Heavyweights Champion on ABC TV’s The Great Christmas Light Fight. Sports The EastSide Centre is a sports complex located on the eastern side of town. It features facilities for several sports, such as basketball, baseball/softball, soccer, lacrosse, as well as a walking track and gymnasium. The complex is used as a venue for primary, secondary, and college athletic events- it is a regular host to IHSA’s State Softball Championships and IESA’s State Track and Baseball Finals, and the Robert Morris–Peoria Eagles baseball and club football team use the facility. Education East Peoria is serviced by a Head Start, 3 school districts, and a local community college. Primary and Secondary Education Tazewell-Woodford Head Start; a federally funded early childhood education, nutrition, health, and parent involvement program for low-income families East Peoria Elementary School District 86; three K-2 schools, three 3rd-5th grade schools, and one