To Respond to Readers' Comments

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.

Third Second Saturday

Unbelievably, it is already May.  The old saying that Chicago has only two seasons, Winter and Construction, applies to Dixon, IL, also.  Our side road, Hennepin Avenue, from Second Street is now one-way going north (how strange to say "north," when we would physically be going downhill towards the river), and will be that way almost until the end of the summer, while we get new drainage and lighting.  Later, when all is done, we will have new trees planted.  Those regularly coming downtown are not used to the change or inconvenience, but I hope they will be tempted with all that we have to offer, from great restaurants (the sushi bar at Touch of Thai is now open again! and Salamandra has more seating) to Second Saturdays to a wonderful riverfront park to (of course) Books on First for great coffee, conversation and pass-the-hat live entertainment.

Salamandra celebrate Cinco de Mayo tomorrow (Sunday, 2 May).  And, remember, the second Saturday of May is the 8th.

We will miss, but we hope you won't have to, also, miss Sauk Valley Community College's production of Aristophanes's "Lysistrata," a great classic Greek comedic play on war protest, which opened this week and closes tomorrow.  Jim Ferolo tells us that Jason Hedric's production is explicitly bawdy and hilariously done.  He actually said the words: "doubled over" and "falling in the aisle laughing."  If you are interested in reading the play, we have had two different publications of "Lysistrata" go out of print in the years that we have been around.  The version we can offer now is a great volume containing not only four of Aristophanes's most well-known works, as translated by well-regarded translators --William Arrowsmith, Richard Lattimore and Douglas Parker, but also introductions with historical reference.  Besides "Lysistrata," you can read "The Frogs," "The Clouds," and "The Birds."

An Incredibly Busy Saturday Arriving Fast

I meant to remind everyone that Larry has been agonizing over which books to order and bring to offer for sale at Nachusa Grasslands' Autumn on the Prairie, come Saturday, 19 Sep (always on 3rd Saturday of September). It's probably too late at this juncture, but you can put in your 2 cents (don't tweet him -- just call on the telephone or send an e-msg) and if we have something on the shelf, I am sure he'll be happy to oblige.

I and Bri Boyer, our newest employee, will be holding down the fort at Books on First, because there are major bicycle races happening right on the streets of Downtown Dixon, and Larry thinks all these riders and spectators are going to want to quench their thirsts -- for liquid refreshment as well as printed material -- immediately. The course comes north on Hennepin (downhill towards the river) and makes a left turn right in front of our place onto First Street. I am told that professional riders can reach speeds of 30+ miles/hr coming down that hill and at that point, a hairpin, turn. Luckily (but fingers crossed, unnecessarily), Dixon Fire Department and Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital are both nearby. I am still trying to figure out how all these thirsty people are going to be able to cross the street to reach the store, although I am assured that there is ample time between races, so that people can walk and will not need to worry about stray or lagging participants attempting to catch up or at least finish.

Distinctive Gardens is having its chili cook-off.

And, if that weren't enough happening in one day, I will be missing the return of NIA! to Dixon, as Nichole Miller, after a summer break and lots of Sunrise Yoga on the riverfront, starts up Saturday 5:30pm class at the Traditional Wellness Center upstairs from Touch of Thai. But, you don't have to, so be sure to give Nichole and NIA a try and I'll see you there next weekend.

And after a good workout for mind & body, come to Books on First to welcome classical guitarist Michael Lich who comes to us after many years of a Saturday a.m. larger double shot sugar-free vanilla latte customer, his father, Terry saying, "You gotta hear my son play." I am so excited that we finally will hear him live. And, I hope live music lovers everywhere will come to hear him, too. (Tony Fiorini's Wrong Element, who has been at Books on First, will be at Distinctive Gardens, but while the music is different, the events are not mutually exclusive -- where do you think we're going after we close at 9pm?)

Downtown Dixon on a Friday Night

What an unseasonably chilly August it has been!
The Dixon Heritage Crossing Riverfront Plaza had a great opening day and night, The actual construction did not take that much time, but it was a long haul to get this going. And, now, if there were only a few more refuse containers... The rumor is that they need donors who would like to apply their gift to the placement of a trash receptacle $800. They are very nice green-painted wrought iron. Think about it!
Tonight, with my sister Connie and our nephew Matthew in town, we will be going to Touch of Thai. Matt does not like Thai food, but he's crazy about sushi. Luckily for us, Touch of Thai also has a great sushi bar. Today for lunch, they and Larry went to Salamandra's, another great Downtown Dixon eatery.

Here's... August!

Cannot believe that August has come!

You can still catch the first production of Dixon's new theater group The Next Picture Show's Performing Arts School which performs Little Shop of Horrors this weekend (31Jul - 2Aug) at the Dixon High School Auditorium. Larry & I hope to catch the Sunday matinee tomorrow at 2pm.

August heralds the beginning of a new Melissa & Doug special -- buy two packs of art supplies and get a third one free!

Also coming up is the Heritage Crossing Riverfront Plaza (also known as the Dixon Riverfront) Dedication on Friday, 14 Aug. What a gala event-- eleven straight hours of a great time, with music starting with Dixon's Community Band and ending with Shades of Blue and the Late Night Blues Brothers Revue. The riverfront is looking great, a far cry from when Larry first introduced me to Dixon over 20 years ago, where most of this prime space was occupied by a municipal parking lot that had so few casual takers that there were posts with signs reserving spaces for private individuals who leased by the month or year or something like that. I was appalled. It's been a long time coming after the concerted efforts of many good citizens. Yay, Dixon!