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Each trip has a designation of a yellow N or a blue S at the top. Trips marked with the  are Northern trips and will generally have pick up locations from LaSalle/Peru north. Trips marked with the  are Southern trips and will generally have pick up locations from LaSalle/Peru south. Please be sure to check pick up locations at the bottom of each trip description before registering, as this is where you will need to meet the bus for departure.
2023 DAY TRIPS
 Friday, October 20, 2023
FALL FOLIAGE ON THE CELEBRATION BELLE
Imagine yourself cruising down the Mississippi, admiring the colors of nature all around you. Beautiful scenery abounds as you float up and down the river while in the background the great sounds of music from the 40’s to the present. Sit back, listen, and even dance to the sounds of your favorite tunes. Big Band, Country, and Rock and Roll, it’s all there. Don’t forget your cameras to capture the scenic views!
Our cruise will begin with a hot lunch buffet followed by an enjoyable afternoon on the water. 2023 is the 40th season for the Celebration Belle, a 750- passenger paddlewheel boat, specifically designed for cruising the waterways of the great Mississippi River!
Join VISTA Club for this relaxing and colorful afternoon!
WAIT LIST ONLY
Cost: $125 per person
Fee includes: Motor coach transportation, lunch cruise, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: 7:30 a.m. Schnuck’s Normal, 8:15 a.m. America’s Best Wenona, 8:45 a.m. Flying J LaSalle. Return to LaSalle at approximately 4:30 p.m., Wenona at 5:00 p.m., Normal at 5:45 p.m.
 Wednesday, November 15, 2023
BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROL KING MUSICAL
Beautiful is the inspiring true story of Carole King's remarkable journey from teenage songwriter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. From the chart-topping hits she wrote for the biggest acts in music to her own life-changing, trailblazing solo album, Beautiful takes you back to where it all began — and takes you on the ride of a lifetime. Featuring such unforgettable classics as "You've Got a Friend," "One Fine Day," "So Far Away,” "Take Good Care of My Baby," "Up on the Roof," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," and "Natural Woman," this Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical phenomenon is filled with the songs you remember and a story you'll never forget!
Before the show we will enjoy lunch at the theatre. Menu options include Garlic Crusted Pork Loin or Herb Crusted Salmon with Red Pepper Sauce. Either option will include salad, vegetables and dessert. Be ready to make your lunch selection when you call to register.
On our way back home, we will make a stop at the Long Grove Confectionery Factory Store in Buffalo Grove. This store is full of delectable chocolate and candy—a perfect time to stock up on your favorite items for the holidays!
Join VISTA Club for a “beautiful” afternoon out with friends!
WAIT LIST ONLY
Cost: $130 per person
Fee includes: Motor coach transportation, lunch, performance, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: LaSalle Flying J at 7:45 a.m., Mendota Civic Center at 8:00 a.m., Rochelle Petro at 8:45 a.m., Woodman’s North Aurora 9:45 a.m. Return to N Aurora at approximately 6:00 p.m., Rochelle at 6:40 p.m., Mendota at 7:20 p.m. and LaSalle at 7:35 p.m.
Sunday, December 3, 2023
HOW THE BARN STOLE CHRISTMAS
THE BARN IS BACK! Since 1975, the Conklin’s Barn (later known as the Barn II) has been hosting generations of theatergoers. And now the Barn III is diving into all your favorite Christmas movies in this hilarious spoof on one classic tale involving a big, green grump and his dislike of the holidays! Join The Conklin Players and this “chartreuse curmudgeon” as he attempts to thwart the plots of your favorite Christmas films! Will he succeed? Or will these loveable characters show him the true meaning of Christmas before it’s too late? Come celebrate the holidays with us classic Barn III style!
Prior to the show we will enjoy an amazing meal featuring Applewood Smoked Pork Loin along with the Barn’s other traditional favorites. A beverage package has also been included so you will be able to enjoy soft drinks, cocktails, house wine (signature wine excluded) or beer with your meal.
Don’t be a Grinch...get into the holiday spirit with your friends from the VISTA Club!
Cost: $110 per person
Fee includes: Performance, lunch, transportation, 2 beverages, taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart Rochelle Petro at 9:00 a.m., Mendota Civic Center at 9:40 a.m., LaSalle Flying J at 10:00 a.m. We will depart for home from the Barn at approximately 3:30 p.m., returning to LaSalle at approximately 4:40 p.m., Mendota at 5:00 p.m. and Rochelle at 5:40 p.m.
2024 DAY TRIPS
 Wednesday, March 13, 2024
BILLY ELLIOT
We will begin our day with a behind the scenes tour. The Paramount is an award-winning theatre and you will get to learn about what makes it so! Over the last 11 years, the Paramount Theatre has been honored to be part of the Jeff Awards (Joseph Jefferson Awards celebrate the vitality of Chicago theatre for the past 50 years, recognizing theatre excellence) with 97 nominations and 27 wins, most recently taking home six awards in 2022 for their production of Kinky Boots! Now you will get to learn about what it takes to produce these award winning shows!
Following our tour, we will enjoy lunch in the Meyer Ballroom. Conveniently located directly across the street from the theatre, our buffet lunch will get us ready for an afternoon of entertainment.
Then it’s time for the show! The music of Elton John brings to life the story of Billy Elliot, an 11-year-old English boy who stumbles upon a ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson. His surprise love for dance must be hidden at all costs, especially from his coal miner father. With the help from his sharp-tongued teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, Billy gets the chance to attend a prestigious ballet school and must decide what is most important: doing what he loves or doing what other people want. Billy Elliot is a coming-of-age story that inspires us all to do what you love no matter what other people think. BE TRUE TO YOU.
Cost: $110 per person
Fee includes: Transportation, tour, lunch, show admission, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart LaSalle Flying J at 8:30 a.m., Mendota Civic Center at 8:50 a.m., Rochelle Petro at 9:30 a.m. Return to Rochelle at approximately 4:50 p.m., Mendota at 5:30 p.m. and LaSalle at 5:45 p.m.
AND
 Tuesday, May 7, 2024
SANFILIPPO SPRING SWING
Travel with VISTA Club to Barrington Hills, IL to experience the beautiful Jasper Sanfilippo Estate, featuring the world's finest collection of automatic musical instruments. Before there were jukeboxes and radios, there were nickelodeons and orchestrions, ingenious mechanical music machines that played the music of the day to entertain the public. The Sanfilippo Collection has on display the largest variety of these restored instruments in the world!
We will begin at noon with a sit-down, elegant luncheon in the Sanfilippo Carousel Pavilion. Demonstrations of Dance, Band, and Fairground Organs with Big Band favorites will follow lunch, and guest may roam the pavilion collections, including boarding the train cars. The 1890 Eden Palais Carousel will also be demonstrated. Guests are encouraged to dress in their best Spring outfits and most striking hats!
At 2:00 pm we will head over to the Sanfilippo Residence and into the theater for an 80-minute live Theater Organ Concert with Organist Zach Frame on the 7,000+ pipe Wurlitzer Organ. Selections will include Big Band favorites, Swing, and music from the Great American Songbook. Re-live the nostalgia of one of the greatest eras in music!
Following the concert guests may roam the Sanfilippo Residence and its Collections of Automatic Music Instruments for 45 minutes, with many machines being demonstrated by Docents.
Swing into Spring at the Sanfilippo Estate with an afternoon filled with a delicious meal wonderful music!
Cost: $150 per person
Fee includes: Transportation, lunch, concert, tour and all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart Schnuck’s in Normal at 8:30 a.m., LaSalle Flying J at 9:30 a.m., Rochelle Petro at 10:10 a.m. Return to Rochelle at approximately 6:20 p.m., LaSalle at 7:00 p.m. and Normal at 8:00 p.m.
AND
 Wednesday, June 19, 2024
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S LAURENT HOUSE AND ANDERSON JAPANESE GARDENS
Travel with VISTA Club to Rockford, IL to experience beautiful Japanese gardens and an architectural gem! We will tour Anderson Japanese Gardens, a beautiful, outdoor setting that inspires the mind and energizes the soul. Construction of Anderson Japanese Gardens began in 1978, when Rockford businessman John Anderson was inspired by a visit to the Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon. With the ongoing assistance of renowned Master Craftsman and designer Hoichi Kurisu, the Anderson's swampy backyard along Rockford’s Spring Creek was transformed into a Japanese-style landscape. From groundbreaking to today, the placement of every rock, alignment of every tree, and layout of all paths has been made with careful consideration by Mr. Kurisu. Their twelve-acre landscape of streams, waterfalls, winding pathways, and koi-filled ponds has been rated one of North America's highest quality Japanese gardens for more than a decade.
We will experience a farm to table fresh lunch at Fresco at the Gardens. Fresco has partnered with local suppliers to provide you with the ultimate dining experience. Lunch selections include Fresco Club, Tuscan Chicken Sandwich, Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad or Mango Berry Salad. Be ready to make your selection when you call to reserve your spot.
We will tour an authentic Frank Lloyd Wright home located in Rockford, Illinois, the Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent House is one of only 11 hemicycle Usonians in Wright’s extensive portfolio of work. It is also the only home designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright to be wheelchair accessible. In the fall of 1948, the Laurents, impressed with Wright’s Usonian style architecture, commissioned him to design a home that would allow Ken, a paraplegic, to move about freely in his wheelchair. Forty years before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Wright created a blueprint for an open-plan, single-story home that could accommodate Ken’s unique needs. In reflecting on the functionality of his home, Kenneth Laurent shared, “This house helps me focus on my capabilities, not my disability. That is the true gift Mr. Wright gave to me.” The Laurents lived in the home from its completion in spring of 1952 until early 2012 when it was purchased by the Laurent House Foundation. It opened as a public museum in June 2014.
Cost: $125 Per Person
Fee includes: Transportation, tours, lunch, all associated taxes and tips. Cancellations will be refunded only if we are able to fill your vacancy.
Pick up: Depart Schnuck’s in Normal at 7:00 a.m., LaSalle Flying J 8:00 a.m., Mendota Civic Center at 8:30 a.m. Return to Mendota at approximately 5:00 p.m., LaSalle at 5:15 p.m. and Normal at 6:15 p.m.
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