Sangamon Digest

Philanthropist Jim Hengst, whose $11 million gift is funding a planned outdoor amphitheater on Peoria’s riverfront, died in December 2025, it was revealed last week — but the Hengst Foundation and City Manager Patrick Urich say the project is moving forward, 25News reports.

The venue between the Murray Baker Bridge and the RiverPlex will be called The Dee, after Hengst’s late wife, Dee Ann. Hengst originally picked Washington as the site before the foundation shifted the project to Peoria.