East Peoria Festival of Lights

07/15/2026

Check it out! 2200 E. Washington St.

06/29/2026

The America 250 ornament has been found! Thank you to all that participated in the hunt. Details about where it was hidden will be posted soon. Thank you!

06/29/2026

The ornament is still waiting to be found...so Folepi decided to write you a 5th clue!

The treasure still waits in the quiet,
It will take all the clues to help you look.
The history is an important part of your quest,
So read carefully but you might need a history book.
We have had many presidents lead our country,
But Washington was our very first one.
There is significance in the legacy of his name,
If you just look around and see his fame.
Places to find the historical importance of memories housed so close,
There were community members and formers students over the years.
They gathered for different reasons, not to mix the two.
There were hymns of joy and shouts of laughter and cheers.
One made of brick and mortar,
the other of a unique bowed structure of steel.
The road in front of higher education
Is not the road you seek.
What you look for is one of multiple lanes
With trees of branches that are ever green, so go take a peek.

Happy Birthday America!
250 Years Strong!

06/24/2026

The ornament is still out there! Folepi put LOTS of effort into all of these clues. Reread them to find things you might've missed before....

Here is the final clue for Folepi's America 250 Ornament Hunt!

When two-and-a-half centuries turn like a wheel,
Seek the place where history chooses to kneel.
Not in the pews where voices prayed,
But where the church’s shadow is laid.

Seek not the fireworks, flags or cheer,
Look instead where time stands clear.
Where whispers rise from stone and beam,
And faith once shaped the nation’s dream.
A silent meeting takes place.

A soldier of a different kind passes down the namesake line.
Passing the place where prayers are said.
As the place is listening to the restless road,
As if it remembers every footstep that has ever passed.

As the straight boulevard passes unaware,
Look to the far side where a lone tree hides.
In the hush beneath its branches,
The treasure awaits in the quiet there.
Let respect be the lantern in your hand as you end your journey here.

06/22/2026

Here is the final clue for Folepi's America 250 Ornament Hunt!

When two-and-a-half centuries turn like a wheel,
Seek the place where history chooses to kneel.
Not in the pews where voices prayed,
But where the church’s shadow is laid.

Seek not the fireworks, flags or cheer,
Look instead where time stands clear.
Where whispers rise from stone and beam,
And faith once shaped the nation’s dream.
A silent meeting takes place.

A soldier of a different kind passes down the namesake line.
Passing the place where prayers are said.
As the place is listening to the restless road,
As if it remembers every footstep that has ever passed.

As the straight boulevard passes unaware,
Look to the far side where a lone tree hides.
In the hush beneath its branches,
The treasure awaits in the quiet there.
Let respect be the lantern in your hand as you end your journey here.

06/15/2026

Can East Peoria history lead us to the ornament? Here is clue #3:

Years drifted like sand and the wilderness thinned.
In time, a riverside gathering took a name—Bluetown.
Born of rough hands and river mud,
And the stubborn will of man to stay.
As Bluetown developed, their homes were built on stilts,
As they were built in the swamplands that is now East Peoria.

In that planning, shadows of future shelters developed,
And iron found its way here as the valley work to industry.
From that age of fire and forging, a bowed idea took root,
That would rise like a memory of storms not yet felt.

Engines roared and steel bent obediently beneath human hands.
Railroads ran through East Peoria like iron rivers,
Carrying the heartbeat of progress across the valley.
As the river watched, the land learned the rhythm of wheels
And the hum of machines.

When the world was at war,
Curved steel became a symbol of endurance,
Quick to build, strong to withstand.
Though this ground saw no battle,
Its future keeper was born in that era of urgency.



The final clue will be posted at 8 AM next Monday. For full details, visit: https://www.cityofeastpeoria.com/678/America250-Ornament-Hunt

06/08/2026

Can you find the hidden ornament? Here is clue #2:

When the nation begins to celebrate,
You will step lightly into a story older than the town itself.
This place was still a hush of forest.
The Illini walked soft trails the trees remembered,
A place where the present still listens to the footsteps of the past.
When the Declaration was inked.

No steels, no roads, only the bending of the river and the bending of the sky.
Find the ground where old paths once leaned toward the river’s bend.
As years turned, traders followed the river’s pull,
Their goods and stories drifting between wooded banks.

Cabins rose where the land opened up, and paths hardened beneath the footsteps.
Straight lines began to tame the wandering wild, through the river still curved as it pleased.
But the land kept one secret shape in mind—
A form that would arrive much later.

Let curiosity be the lantern that knows what eyes do not.



Clues will be released at 8 AM every Monday until the ornament is found. For full details, visit: https://www.cityofeastpeoria.com/678/America250-Ornament-Hunt

06/01/2026

Folepi's America 250 Ornament Hunt begins! Below is Clue #1:

As our nation marks 250 years and the celebration grows bright,
Your path leads where history rests in quiet light.
In a place that, in 1776, knew only river mist and native trails,
Where Illinois people walked and French canoes once traced their sails.
It is a treasure you will seek,
If only you can follow the right trails.

Walk only where the public path invites your feet—
Every step should honor the homes and hearts you meet.
Let curiosity rise, but let respect lead the way;
The treasure does not hide in any place you can stay.
Honor each doorway, each step, each place.

Seek first the land shaped by river flow and time,
Where East Peoria’s story began long before the bells of ’76 would chime.
Far ahead, a quiet curve awaits in the distance,
Like a promise you have not earned.
Let respect be the lantern in your hand as you begin.



Clues will be released at 8 AM every Monday until the ornament is found. For more information about the hunt and the winner's prize, please head to: https://www.cityofeastpeoria.com/678/America250-Ornament-Hunt

05/18/2026

Folepi loves a good challenge!✨There are just 16 days left until the America 250 Ornament Hunt, and it's finally time for the ornament reveal!

This ornament is a one-of-a-kind keepsake, individually hand-hammered from aluminum by skilled artisans in Pennsylvania. Thoughtfully crafted to honor America's enduring spirit, the ornament is finished with a bold red, white, and blue ribbon symbolizing the strength, unity, and freedom of our nation. 🇺🇸

Soon, this special ornament will be hidden somewhere in the East Peoria community, waiting to be discovered. Clues will be posted every Monday, starting June 1st! Whoever finds the ornament will get to keep it, and a $250 gift card.

Get ready to join the hunt and celebrate 250 years of American history!✨

04/28/2026

This summer, the annual East Peoria Festival of Lights tradition returns with a special celebration for America's 250th birthday! ✨

The America 250 ornament hunt, inspired by Folepi's ornament hunt, invites residents and visitors to search for a hidden ornament for a chance to win a prize. Each clue is thoughtfully crafted and released to challenge your wits and help you uncover where the ornament is hiding!

The limited-edition ornament hunt begins Monday, June 1, with the release of the first clue, so mark your calendars! New clues will be released weekly in June until the ornament is found.

For more details about this upcoming event, head to https://www.cityofeastpeoria.com/678/America250-Ornament-Hunt

A reveal of what the ornament looks like will be posted late May. Stay tuned!