The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard about the Pillars Event Center and the new co-located “Air B and B” at their weekly meeting on Tuesday at the Taylorville Moose Lodge. 

Jerry Cocagne gave Kiwanis members his background as a long-time insurance agent in the community, followed by his purchase in April of 2015 of the former First Baptist Church on East Market.   He and former partner Kevin Hamel purchased the building, which is 100 years old this year, and spent a year and a half remodeling it to turn it into what became the Pillars Event Center.

Cocagne told Kiwanis members the investment they put into the building.

Work included painting, decorating, new floor joists, and a new HVAC system.  Jerry’s wife Lori assisted Jerry in much of the work.

Pillars opened to events on December First, 2016, and has hosted as many as 25 weddings and 15 dinners each year, plus as many as 15 smaller meetings in the former gym which was turned into a chapel and meeting space.

The Cocagne’s more recently purchased the house just east of their event center, and after remodeling it, has turned it into an “Air B and B”.  

The public is reminded of the annual Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Breakfast Saturday, April 27th at the Moose Lodge, which is one of the club’s biggest fund-raisers to assist children and youth in the community.  Advance tickets are now available from Kiwanis members, at Taylorville Community Credit Union, People's Bank and Trust Taylorville branch, and the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce office on the square.   They can also be purchased the day of the event at the door.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.