Patty Gregory: Bringing a Winning Record to Belleville
Mayor Mark Eckert: I Couldn’t Walk Away Right Now
Mayor Mark Eckert speaks about leading during Covid-19, the challenges the city continues to endure and his reasons for wanting to continue to serve as Mayor.
Brendan Kelly: Fighting For Southern Illinois
Mariah Grey: Communicating Feelings
Mariah Grey of Mariah Grey Coaching (mariahgrey.com) lives and works in Belleville. Her website invites clients to “Fall in love with you – and write your own love story…”
In this episode of U Speak Belleville? we discuss much about relationships, including:
- Strengthening and focusing our communication skills
- Discovering and speaking our feelings clearly
- Saying No to things we genuinely don’t want
- Taking care of ourselves
Mariah runs a coaching website and blog at mariahgrey.com where she writes about relationships and self-discovery and self-improvement.
Mariah is also a massage therapist who works at Massage Envy in Shiloh.
Mariah’s Muses Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/733139020223109/
David Bequette: The Importance of Service
David Bequette wants to be the Democratic Candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 12th District.
He has served as a Marine and worked in as a government contractor. He and his wife, Irina, spent time with their children in Armenia where Irina finished her Doctoral Thesis.
The couple started a coffeeshop chain in Armenia that employed Syrian refugees, put an emphasis on environmental stewardship, clean business practices that refused to take part in the questionable business practices that were commonplace in Armenia at the time. They were successful and even went on to influence the contemporary business climate in Armenia.
Now Bequette is running in the Democratic primary to represent Illinois’ 12th District. His platform is built on: Inclusive Leadership, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Cuts in wasteful spending, Common-Sense Social Protections and Modern Employment Opportunities.
Randy Shinn: Videographer of Life
Randy Shinn is a St Louis/Metro East videographer who came to my attention for his documentary of local figure, Susan Stone who calls herself the Dance of Life Dancer.
His previous documentaries include an examination of the porn industry titled Pornoland, an look at Belleville Illinois’ Programs and Services for Older People titled Gray Matters and a documentary of gay rights titled Out.
We discuss Randy’s creative impulse and his creative attraction to polarizing figures and subject matter. Shinn discusses the difficulties he has encountered in carrying out his documentary projects including personnel problems in documenting the essence of his subjects.
We were able to discuss the shutdown of his work in progress centering on local shock-jock, Bob Romanik. Shinn tells a great story about the day when rapper Waka Flocka Flame was expected to show up at Romanik’s Belleville studio.
We talk about inspiration, making great art while holding down a day job, future projects.
Old Town Market
Belleville’s Old Town Farmers’ Market is open for business every 7:30 am – noon on the first block of South Charles Street, between East Main and East Washington.
Belleville Main Street Director, Alicia Slocomb, organizes the market and its various vendors. “We host local farmers, several who are multi-generational farmers, who grow vegetables, fruits and plants, and raise cattle, hens and bees. You won’t find any bananas or oranges here!”
In addition to Farmers, we host crafters, a children’s activity table from 10:30-noon, a children’s scavenger hunt, and Yoga is being offered one day a month. The first day for yoga will be May 27th.
The best way to stay “on top of” the Market’s activities and vendors is to “like” us on our Facebook page.
The market runs from the first Saturday of May through the first Saturday of November 4th. Hours are from 7:30 – noon
We hope to see you soon!