PEORIA, Ill. — The Creve Coeur Club of Peoria has announced the speaker for its annual George Washington Day Banquet.
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina was tapped as the keynote for the club’s 122nd annual event.
Club General Manager Andrea Wildey said the connection to Fiorina came through board member John Morris, who is acquainted with someone on a D.C.-based board on which Fiorina serves.
The banquet is touted as one of the country’s oldest celebrations of George Washington’s life and legacy.
“We do a couple different things [to celebrate Washington’s life],” said Wildey.
“We give out a scholarship, and we ask students in high school to write up an essay about Washington’s life and what he meant to the community and to the United States as President,” she said.
The club also conducts a toast at the dinner to the former President.
“It’s just a tradition for us here in Peoria and the Central [Illinois] areas to really come together over a great meal and a great speaker,” Wildey said.
The 2020 event featuring Fiorina was set for February 24 at the Peoria Civic Center.
Previous event speakers include Presidents Gerald Ford and George Bush and Super Bowl-winning head coaches Mike Ditka and John Madden.
The Creve Coeur Club of Peoria began in 1894 as a business networking organization.
