Rock Island Today

Illinois state Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) shared information about an ongoing contest aimed at highlighting Prairie State manufacturers and their products.

McCombie shared information about the competition and how Illinoisans can vote in a Feb. 4 Facebook post.

"Love this contest!!!" she said in the post. "The Illinois Manufacturers Association, in partnership with Comcast Business, has opened its 4th Annual Makers Madness contest. Makers Madness is an online contest highlighting Illinois manufacturers and the many wonderful products produced right here in this state. Illinoisans will be able to nominate and vote for their favorite products made in Illinois."

In her post, McCombie shared a link to a news release about the contest. People can nominate products through Feb. 19 by going to makersmadnessIL.com. Voting will take place over several rounds with the winner being announced and crowned The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois on March 29.

Nomination voting will end on March 5, and the top 16 will move on to the first round of voting, which will end on March 12. The eight products that receive the most votes will be narrowed down to four after March 19, with those four advancing to the final round of voting, which will end on March 26. The winner will be featured in "Illinois Manufacturer" magazine, which is put out by the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA), an advocacy group for manufacturers.

McCombie was elected to the Illinois House to represent the residents of the 71st District in 2016, the General Assembly website said. She is a lifelong resident of Savanna, Ill., and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Illinois University. McCombie owns and operates Blue Appraisals and is a real estate broker with MelFoster Company. Her previous political experience includes time as mayor of Savanna and as a councilor on the Savanna City Council.