Thank you, Christopher G Moore, for taking the time to write! And it looks to be a great 2011 for you.
We look forward to seeing the film debut and hope you'll be happy with the end result being a good reflection of your vision. And, we will be sure to have Spirit House (as well as other Vincent Calvino) in stock. Keep the action up (and almost needless to say, keep the allusions to past books down).
We also feel great about helping Steve Cousins find something on the internet and we thank him for taking the time to write and let us know. We at Books on First try our darndest to share what we know and what we discover as we pursue those little curious paths of inquiry.
I have had many people personally thank us for the "kind words" we post. We are happy to showcase all the wonderful features of Dixon which make it a great place to visit if not stay -- Books on First, of course, but also Second Saturdays, Reagan Days, Heritage Crossing Riverfront Plaza, Lowell Park, White Pines State Park, Crystal Cork, Touch of Thai, Distinctive Garden, and the list continues. When I was younger, the State of Indiana had "Wander Indiana" on its license plates. I always thought that it was a county in Indiana. A classmate at Boston College (now Carroll) Graduate School of Business who is from Indiana clarified that this was a slogan thought up by a tourism bureau. She said it would be changing to "Linger Indiana," to shift the thinking from driving aimlessly through Indiana to staying awhile in Indiana. I don't know if she had been pulling my leg, but whether you wander into, linger in or just plain make this a destination sometime, Dixon is someplace you should consider.
Some of you may have noticed that these posts have become "fast breaks," as I consider them. Yes, I am learning again to write better faster, just like when I was on the school newspaper in West Babylon. One fortunate change that computers have wrought is the capability to change the article after publishing. Why don't we learn and know more about who created the internet and the first word processing programs, like we (well, some of us oldsters) learned about Gutenberg and the invention of the movable press which changed the world from the 15th century onward.
Showing posts with label Crystal Cork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crystal Cork. Show all posts
07 January 2011
07 May 2010
Don't Despair. Books on First and Downtown Dixon Is Still Here for YOU
Today, Books on First has no sidewalks outside or inside, but we hope photographer Charles ("Chuck") Osgood will not be deterred to come by and say hello, bringing us a few copies of Sidewalks, Volume 2: Reflections on Chicago, his latest published work with Rick Kogan, based on their Sunday Chicago Tribune Magazine regular feature (on the inside cover).
We tried to get them both for a longer visit to Dixon, and still might be able to host Chuck in the near future in conjunction with a show or talk at The Next Picture Show here in Downtown Dixon.
Meanwhile, Downtown Dixon awaits your visit. There are still great gift ideas all around the neighborhood, from clothing and accessories from Tangibles to unique new and antique items at Waterfront Gifts to wine at Crystal Cork to wonderful cakes & breads at Snow White Bakery to jewelry at Trein's and Venier's to gift certificates at all of them plus Books on First which has a book for every kind of reader, including journals for those who want to write their own, as well as cards for Mother's Day. While the restaurants downtown are not open on Sunday, they are open for lunch and dinner on every other day (plus available for that gift certificate purchase). Wait, I think I heard that Basil Tree Ristorante, our great neighborhood Italian eatery, is now open on Sundays. Give them a call!
Looking ahead, Graduation Day is coming quickly on the heels of this weekend and all those great gift ideas which apply to Mother's Day (except maybe the wine) would equally apply to our new graduates. If wine for the parents of the graduates won't be enough, we also have books on getting the kids out of the house or on the other hand, coping with the empty nest. CONGRATULATIONS, ALL!
25 February 2010
The first Second Saturday
From Sauk Valley News, 24 February 2010
Art lovers unite: Second Saturdays prepares to launch collaboration of art, music, theater
By ILENE HALUSKA ihaluska@svnmail.com
815-284-2224, ext. 526
DIXON – A new event will begin in a month in Dixon to "enliven the downtown and get people out walking to see what's going on in their cultural community."
"Second Saturdays Art Happenings" will showcase the town's art, music and theater offerings as visitors bop from venue to venue, organizers say.
The event will launch next month, on March 13, with activities at five downtown venues, including a hair salon and a church.
"The idea is to get people to get out and walk the streets and check out the galleries" – like a pub crawl, said artist Lisa Higby LeFevre, one of the event's organizers and owner of Distinctive Gardens.
"Traditionally, it's when all of the galleries will be open at the same time, usually once a month, and do different things on that particular night," Higby LeFevre said.
Second Saturdays is designed to get people interested in what's going on with the community's artists and galleries. People who usually are interested only in music can get a taste of the visual arts, and vice versa.
It will increase community pride, and make Dixon a more attractive place to live, organizers say.
Nontraditional venues are part of the attraction. Episcopal Church of St. Luke, for example, will present organ music and will offer its first art exhibit, paintings by the late artist Gordon Utley.
"It's exciting to have a town with an active base of artists," LeFevre said. "There's a tremendous wealth of quality art."
LeFevre suggested an art hop a few years ago, but the arts community wasn't ready for it, she said.
The idea resurfaced when The Crystal Cork Wine Shoppe and The Next Picture Show both had openings the evening of Nov. 6, and she and local photographer Rick Munson noticed how many people bounced back and forth between the two galleries. They got to talking on Facebook, talked with other artists, and the idea caught on, she said.
Each Second Saturday will feature different venues and events, and The Next Picture Show plans to participate in three of them, organizers say.
Art lovers unite: Second Saturdays prepares to launch collaboration of art, music, theater
By ILENE HALUSKA ihaluska@svnmail.com
815-284-2224, ext. 526
Local artist Lisa Higby LeFevre talks about "Second Saturdays Art Happenings," a new art and music event that kicks off March 13 at several businesses in downtown Dixon. The monthly collaboration will showcase the town's art, music and theater offerings as visitors trek from venue to venue, organizers say. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@svnmail.com)
DIXON – A new event will begin in a month in Dixon to "enliven the downtown and get people out walking to see what's going on in their cultural community."
"Second Saturdays Art Happenings" will showcase the town's art, music and theater offerings as visitors bop from venue to venue, organizers say.
The event will launch next month, on March 13, with activities at five downtown venues, including a hair salon and a church.
"The idea is to get people to get out and walk the streets and check out the galleries" – like a pub crawl, said artist Lisa Higby LeFevre, one of the event's organizers and owner of Distinctive Gardens.
"Traditionally, it's when all of the galleries will be open at the same time, usually once a month, and do different things on that particular night," Higby LeFevre said.
Second Saturdays is designed to get people interested in what's going on with the community's artists and galleries. People who usually are interested only in music can get a taste of the visual arts, and vice versa.
It will increase community pride, and make Dixon a more attractive place to live, organizers say.
Nontraditional venues are part of the attraction. Episcopal Church of St. Luke, for example, will present organ music and will offer its first art exhibit, paintings by the late artist Gordon Utley.
"It's exciting to have a town with an active base of artists," LeFevre said. "There's a tremendous wealth of quality art."
LeFevre suggested an art hop a few years ago, but the arts community wasn't ready for it, she said.
The idea resurfaced when The Crystal Cork Wine Shoppe and The Next Picture Show both had openings the evening of Nov. 6, and she and local photographer Rick Munson noticed how many people bounced back and forth between the two galleries. They got to talking on Facebook, talked with other artists, and the idea caught on, she said.
Each Second Saturday will feature different venues and events, and The Next Picture Show plans to participate in three of them, organizers say.
The first Second Saturday
The first Second Saturday will be held in downtown Dixon from 6 to 8 p.m. March 13.
■ The art trek begins at Crystal Cork Wine Shoppe, 219 W. First St., which will offer its quarterly show, "Dissolution," which is photography by Hope Greene; and an artist's reception for the pastels "Atmosphere" and "Time Passages," by Lisa Higby LeFevre.
■ Acrylic artist John DeLong will showcase his paintings and put on a demonstration at his business, JSalon, 208 W. First St.
■ The next stop is Trein's Jewelry, 201 W. First St., which will feature Czechoslovakian art glass and a guest artist to be announced.
■ Books on First, 202 W. First St., will present music by Maddies Farm from 7 to 9 p.m. Art exhibits are a regular feature at the coffee shop and bookstore.
■ The hop ends at Episcopal Church of St. Luke, 221 W. Third St., where the late Gordon Utley's paintings will be displayed and organ music will be performed.
To learn more
The next art walk is April 10. Groups and artists interested in participating in Second Saturdays can contact Lisa Higby LeFevre, lhlefevre@comcast.net or 815-285-0014, or Theresa Sholders, theresa@essex1.com. or 815-285-3496.
More information also is available at www.Second-Saturdays.com online.
07 November 2009
Indian Summer in November
What a beautiful weekend this has promised and fulfilled to be!
Downtown Dixon has just been hopping. Last night was the Opening Night Reception for Next Picture Show's newest judged show -- "Shades of Grey," which is of black & white photographs. If only we all had enough cash and wall space to honor these entries which range from the cerebrally compositional to the thought-provoking to the quirky to the soothingly familiar. Check it out! Also, Judy Dixon is showing at Crystal Cork which is now open to the public on Saturday nights. They too have live music.
Tonight, here at Books on First, we have a very special live performance from duo Maddie's Farm. All the wa
y from Muscatine, Iowa, Vicki & Marvin Plank have some great songs from the 70s and 80s to tickle the memory as well as covers of Alanis Morrissette, Sheryl Crow and other more contemporary singers.
Downtown Dixon has just been hopping. Last night was the Opening Night Reception for Next Picture Show's newest judged show -- "Shades of Grey," which is of black & white photographs. If only we all had enough cash and wall space to honor these entries which range from the cerebrally compositional to the thought-provoking to the quirky to the soothingly familiar. Check it out! Also, Judy Dixon is showing at Crystal Cork which is now open to the public on Saturday nights. They too have live music.
Tonight, here at Books on First, we have a very special live performance from duo Maddie's Farm. All the wa
y from Muscatine, Iowa, Vicki & Marvin Plank have some great songs from the 70s and 80s to tickle the memory as well as covers of Alanis Morrissette, Sheryl Crow and other more contemporary singers.
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