Downtown Auroran Spring 2011

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Downtown Auroran LOCAL CULTURE

judd lofchie gideon haynes 20 e. downer art comic poetry recipe photography calendar

spring 2011

Downtown Auroran

t Profile

Marissa Amoni Publisher and Editor Dave Sobotka at Kelmscott Communications Graphic Design

My daughter, Stella, peering into a window of possibilities at 7 W. Downer (now 7 West Studio) in downtown Aurora.

I’ll start buying books again when an independent bookstore comes to downtown Aurora.

I haven’t bought a book in a long time. There’s really no reason for me to pay for a book when I can borrow almost any book from the Aurora Public Library for free. But I would Sea Illuminations gladly buy a book if it meant supporting a local, community-oriented business.

Likewise, I could eat at home every day because I enjoy preparing my own meals, but I reserve a day or two a week to eat out at local restaurants to support my community. I want to support the mom and pop. I want to support unique, cool and local businesses – like River’s Edge Café and Chef Amaury at 33 West.

When I ask people what they want to see in downtown Aurora, the number one answer is a bookstore. So whose job is it to get us merchants? Should the city be more actively involved in creating a viable downtown? Are realtors and property owners working hard enough to sell our downtown to desirable retail businesses?

Several fantastic buildings sit empty in downtown while many of us are hungry for diners, bookstores, art supply stores, youth centers, artist cooperatives and the like.

Last summer, local painter Lisa Gloria put her money where her mouth is and opened up an art studio at 7 W. Downer. Gloria quickly turned it into 7 West Studio, a consignment Planetary Sunset Reefto Fire Cavernous shop for local artists sell their wares.

It didn’tExploration take the city or a realtor to push Gloria downtown. It took vision. And to succeed it will take support from the community.

Gloria didn’t look at downtown demographics or studies. She saw the need and desire for independent downtown merchants, something others are also currently doing (see The Locust Report).

Catherine Stieg Amy Perry Max Balding Proofreading Advertising and Submissions: E-mail: downtownauroran@gmail.com.

Summer issue deadline is Friday, May 13.

On the Cover: Photographs by Samantha Oulavong and Tom King.

Artwork by Gideon Haynes IV. Letters by Joanna Goss.

Downtown Auroran (DTA) is a local independent operation.

We are focused on the downtown and its success – especially the burgeoning arts and culture movement. Opinions are encouraged and expressed, but they are not necessarily those of DTA. Downtown Auroran magazine is published quarterly, and 2,000 copies are distributed free of charge throughout downtown and select locations in the Aurora area. One copy of DTA per person, please.

Downtown is ripe for growth. If it takes people coming in and creating their own downtown with the restaurants and stores that they want, then I welcome it.

Share it and recycle it.

We know what we want in our downtown. And we can put it there.

Summer issue is available in mid-June.

town 2 Auroran

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Homemade soups, sandwiches, and baked goods Find us on facebook for updates on specials and events! facebook.com/riversedgeaurora

Spring 2011

NOW PLAYING EVERY WEEKEND

Aurora Downtown

By Marissa Amoni

page

index

cover story

6

features My Thinking Spot

By Michelle Slaughter, of North Aurora Columbia Hotel

By Karen FullettChristensen, of Aurora

Written by Eve Ensler

Fridays 8:00pm Tickets: $28.50

A u ro r a n Wo rd s

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A Metroplis Performaing Arts Centre Production

CHICAGO’S FUNNIEST COMEDY

DTA profile: Gideon Haynes IV

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PLAYING EVERY WEEKEND

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A r t i s t P ro f i l e

20 E. Downer David L. Pierce Art & History Center

us o i r a l i The heractive int h Wake Iris

Historical Notes

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Table of Contents

Saturdays 8pm • Sundays 3pm All Tix $28.50

4 auroran words 5 locust report 6 cover story 9 citizen voices 10 downtown voices

11 artist profile 12 submissions 12 recipe 13 culture shock 15 historical notes

CALL THE BOX OFFICE FOR TICKETS: 630.896.6666 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, IL • ParamountAurora.com Spring 2011

Downtown Auroran

3

Auroran Words Columbia Hotel

My Thinking Spot

By Karen Fullett-Christensen, of Aurora

By Michelle Slaughter, of North Aurora

He climbs the stairway, steep and dark Worn brown handrails, burnished wood His room is square, a metal cot With sheets and blankets strewn about A lumpy mattress piled with bags Pipes wrapped in silver overhead A microwave and icebox sit Beside a battered chest of drawers.

Tonight I went downtown and sat by a bench by the river.

The concrete wall on the far side of the river was colored gray with the age of wear, like a secret Morse code of lines to an unknown lover. The water coming over the dam was roaring, churning and fighting with itself, sending angry spittle into the air in each frothy spray. A commercial building in the distance was dark, except for one floor - two stories from the roof - fully lit against the night sky. Here and there, apartments were speckled with light of varying degrees. Moths twittered by the light post near the bridge. I looked to my right, and in the glow of the lamp I was sitting under, I could see one single strand of spider silk gracefully drifting slowly in the breeze that the maddened river had generated. The planted city tree behind it was stolid and unmoved by the ire of the river. And as I sat taking notes of my surroundings, a moth landed on my paper.

One step away from city streets He sorts his mail: no cards or notes Just welfare checks and circulars He shares a toilet and a shower With other men Down the hall A corridor of hanging bulbs With washed-out walls and plaster cracks.

What happened to his real home?

A place where lamps are burning bright And bubbling pots sit on the stove And laughter warms a family meal A closet filled with ironed shirts And plaid wool coats Someone smiles when he comes in And hugs him tight.

Michelle Slaughter is a worker bee. When she’s not working, she hits up movies at Tinseltown or strolls along the river. She’ll write a novel someday.

His face is lined and weather-worn His hair is long and out of style A bar downstairs where music plays Where he can perch on plastic stools Connected by a drink, a fight, To other souls At closing time he walks upstairs He is alone.

Karen Fullett-Christensen is the manager of the city of Aurora’s Neighborhood Redevelopment Division. She helped found the Cultural Creatives in February 2008, and is the author of seven books of poetry, the most recent of which is entitled “So Much Good.”

Runway

By Edmarie Marcos Edmarie Marcos is a designer and artist living in Aurora with her husband and son. Marcos, influenced by the cubist movement, designs stationery for Smile Lifestyle Boutique, her twin sister’s online paper goods company out of Aurora.

Want to be a Rock Star? Learn to play first • Private Guitar Lessons • 630-291-3090 • Kevin Trudo 4

Downtown Auroran

Spring 2011

The Locust Report Reporting the News and Gossip in Downtown Aurora •D ust off your turntable; local music guys Steve Warrenfeltz (Kiss the Sky) and Benjie Hughes (Backthird Audio) are releasing Made in Aurora on vinyl. The project brings together area musicians, including Kevin Trudo and Jeremy Keen, on a compilation record to benefit the Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Find Made in Aurora on Facebook.

•D onnell Collins recently moved his professional photography studio to 14 W. Downer Pl. in the Metropolitan Business College building. Collins, a longtime photographer in Aurora, says he does it all from portraits to sports photography. On the first Monday of the month, he and partner Karen Spence will snap headshots for use on Facebook, etc. Call (630) 638-0444.

Samantha Oulavong

•P op your head into Chef Amaury at 33 West on Restaurant Row to see striking black and white photos of the sacred Temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Photographer and teacher Samantha Oulavong captured the images during her travels abroad. The exhibit at 33 W. New York St. runs through the end of April.

Contact Maureen Gasek for information on showing art at Chef Amaury’s: maureen@ epsilondesign.net.

Built around 1190 AD, the Bayon Temple in Angkor, Cambodia is famous for the legendary faces built by the Buddhist King Jayavarman VII. See this and other stunning photos of Cambodia’s sacred temples at Chef Amaury at 33 West.

• Restaurant Row update: The plan to move Luigi’s Pizza into the riverside spot (formerly Bacci’s Pizzeria) slowed from a crawl to a standstill last fall, as did other plans for the row.

Developer Steve Arwady appears to be tied up in court due to issues with the building’s landlords. Keep your fingers crossed for some resolution, so the row can move forward.

Also delayed is Comfort Zone BBQ’s planned expansion, which would bring a jazz and blues club to the row.

•T hree cheers for Beth Standish. Standish, an Aurora mom, and her posse reopened River’s Edge Café earlier this year after the coffee shop at 18 W. Downer closed last fall. Standish works with River Valley Community Church, just as previous owners Jeff and Cathy Jones did, to bring a welcoming hangout and lunch spot to downtown. Click on River’s Edge Café on Facebook for daily specials.

•A nnie’s Om Towne Fitness is offering more than downward dogs at 14 W. Downer, Suite A. Leah Mueller is bringing Sacred Lotus Astrology and Tarot and Danielle Marquez will soon bring her hair business, Hair 2 Xpress, to join Craig in the upstairs studio. Contact Annie Craig at anniecraig@email. com for sublet opportunities.

•D owntown’s own songstress Andrea Dawn is currently recording a new full-length album, and doing much of the tracking at Backthird Audio at 67 S. Stolp Ave. in downtown Aurora, reports her husband and manager Zach Goforth.

Check Andrea Dawn’s Facebook page for future details.

•B uddy Guy is coming to downtown Aurora and he’s bringing the blues with him – for free. That’s right. The legendary blues musician is the headliner at the popular Blues on the Fox on June 18. See Culture Shock for details.

•F loat like a butterfly, sting like a bee and hit like a woman.

36th Chamber, a Kung Fu and boxing studio at 12 N. River St., offers boxing classes for women of all ages on Sunday mornings. Find 36th Chamber Extreme Martial Arts on Facebook. Reach them at 630-664-1872.

• The bridges are falling. The bridges are falling. You might start hearing that in late December. Stay tuned.

•W aubonsee Community College’s new, comprehensive Aurora Campus is opening on June 1 for registration and student services. The formal grand opening, open to the public, is from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3. There will be self-guided tours of the building, refreshments and a formal ceremony.

Classes at the new campus begin Monday, June 6. Students will now be able to start and finish an associate degree entirely in downtown Aurora.

•W ait for it. Old Towne Books and Tea announced that they are indeed moving their independent bookstore from downtown Oswego to downtown Aurora. Could this be a dream?

Visit their Facebook page for updates on location and movein details.

• R.I.P.

Joe Vantreese, River Street Plaza developer and downtown visionary.

•R yan Green aka “Ghost” and Jake Heinz are firing up “functional glass pieces” at their new studio in downtown. The Mausoleum Art Gallery opened in March at 213 S. River St. The gallery features locally made artwork and jewelry. DJ booths, coffee and baked goods bring additional offerings to the head shop.

Spring 2011

Downtown Auroran

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Cover Story

Story by Marissa Amoni • Art by Joanna Goss urora Downtown is an association of approximately 250 property owners within the neighborhood generally bounded by Lincoln Avenue, Lake Street, Spring Street and Clark Street.

P

otted planters. Painted railings. Holiday lights. It’s the quiet elves of Aurora Downtown busily working to beautify downtown Aurora. They’re not used to attention. They’ve always been more comfortable in supporting roles – until now.

“We are not reinventing ourselves,” said Bob Reuland, a consultant for Aurora Downtown, a 501(c)(3) organization created to enhance downtown. “We are trying to look forward.”

Aurora Downtown hired Reuland (formerly of Budget Finance) in August 2010 after the city shuffled job titles and roles to make up for a large budget shortfall. Reuland replaced Karen Christensen, the former downtown development director, who took a leadership role in the organization and helped organize the Aurora ArtWalk among other things.

In looking to the future, Reuland along with Tom Bartlett, president of Aurora Downtown, wants to get fresher, newer input on the vision of Aurora Downtown. This year will be a year of examination, he says. “What should downtown Aurora be in 2020?”

Special Service Area #One

Aurora Downtown started as a Special Service Area (SSA) in 1994 at the request of downtown property owners in order to improve downtown and benefit existing businesses.

Property owners fund the SSA (called SSA #One because SSA #1 was already being used) through a one percent tax on assessed property value, which amounts to approximately $110,000 annually plus an additional $110,000 from the city – for a total of more than $200,000.

Waubonsee Community College is off the tax rolls, as are all city-owned or public properties.

“We keep losing money,” Bartlett said about the shrinking business presence and fewer properties to tax in downtown Aurora.

Bartlett owns Aurora Fastprint with daughter, Kim Granholm, and was part of the old Broadway SSA that paid for sidewalks and brick accents.

Other SSAs on Piney Street and on LaSalle Street during the 70s and 80s paid for street improvements and dissolved once the loans were paid. At the behest of area banks concerned with the deterioration of downtown, SSA #One was created to include all of downtown.

Currently, Old Second and PNC Bank are the only banks that remain in the SSA. 6

The business of business in downtown

When the inclusive downtown SSA began, there were several specific goals in mind.

The first was to create, fund and staff a downtown management and development organization, which gave birth to Aurora Downtown. The additional goals focused on bringing new businesses downtown and doing everything possible to help existing businesses prosper.

A board made up of 24 members governs Aurora Downtown, 15 positions are elected annually by property owners; the remaining nine are appointed by various organizations and agencies with permanent seats on the board.

The organization functions through a committee system. Various committees work to develop a yearly budget and work program that is mailed to all downtown property owners.

There are currently a dozen committees: business development and infrastructure; business attraction and retention; by-laws review; holiday decorations; landscaping and maintenance; marketing; nominating; parking; strategic plan; task force on homelessness; visioning committee; and work program and budget.

Together they tackle downtown beautification, electrical problems, maintenance, infrastructure and parking issues, promotion of the downtown through event sponsorships and more.

More tangibly, they are responsible for the holiday tree at North Island Center, light bulbs along the bridge and along the dam, streetlamp banners and a day program at Hesed House near downtown Aurora.

Aurora Downtown’s task force on homelessness helped establish the day program at Hesed House and funds it with $24,000 annually. The daytime drop-in program at the homeless resource center is intended to keep homeless persons off the streets and away from downtown businesses. The program’s effectiveness is difficult to measure and its future is uncertain, according to Bartlett, who said that homeless individuals make people nervous. “They think the downtown is unsafe,” he said.

A vision for downtown

“We are trying to look forward,” Reuland said. He said that Aurora Downtown wants to develop a vision for downtown Aurora that encompasses the next 10 years.

“We are trying to get fresher, newer input,” Bartlett said. To that end, Aurora Downtown recently created a new “visioning” committee chaired by Jeff Noblitt, of Waubonsee Community College, and Pierre Garcia, of PNC Bank.

Downtown Auroran

Spring 2011

Aurora Downtown’s board members are volunteering their time to improve downtown, he reminds. “We are trying to run our own businesses and be successful.”

“We want to bring in a younger strata of fresh blood,” Reuland said.

Noblitt and Garcia are recruiting “fresh blood” to sit on the visioning committee and help determine where some of Aurora Downtown’s funds should go. Bartlett and Reuland have their ideas, but they consider themselves part of the old gang of business owners in downtown Aurora and they are eager for the next generation to step up.

Art and business

A downtown filled with small businesses and art studios is something that Reuland would like to see happen. “I’d like to see every storefront full,” he said.

Downtown is becoming more of an arts and entertainment district and Reuland wants it to continue down that road. He’s thinking that the old Waubonsee College building on Stolp Avenue could even be converted into artist studios.

“We need more art events, not fewer,” he said. He added that he’d be happy to see downtown come alive with arts offerings every weekend and called the ArtWalk “essential.” It’s also a direction that Aurora Downtown supports through their funding of events like Downtown Alive! and Aurora ArtWalk.

Editor’s note: Bob Reuland’s former company, Budget Finance Corporation at 44 E. Galena Blvd, was a casualty of the recent economic downturn. Reuland’s father, Ralph, started the company in 1957 to offer specialized financing for customers who had limited credit experience and few financial resources, typically people clustered on the lower rung of the socioeconomic ladder.

Aurora Downtown board meetings are on the third Thursday of the month at City Hall; meetings are open to all property owners and interested parties.

For more information, visit www.auroradowntown.org.

Aurora Downtown in Action What does Aurora Downtown do for downtown Aurora?

Here is a list of some of the organization’s more noticeable accomplishments:

Sponsored:

• Aurora ArtWalk • Midwest Literary Festival • Downtown Alive!

Initiated:

• Architectural walking tours in downtown • Downtown Heritage Tour • Downtown Restaurant Guide • Living Downtown Tour (2009) • Window Galleria project to put art in storefronts (2006)

Purchased:

• Holiday decorations • Bridge lighting • Street planters

Aurora Downtown could also back the push for a 4 a.m. liquor license to encourage an expanded entertainment district if area businesses are in favor of the proposal local building owner Dan Hites is working to get approved.

Downtown Aurora

“We would like businesses downtown,” said Bartlett of his current vision. He admits that the days of anchor stores in downtown Aurora are over, but it’s a great place for small businesses.

“People living in downtown need retail stores,” Bartlett says.

“We need a drug store and a grocery store.”

Reuland agrees. “Aurora Downtown is anxious for whatever businesses we can get,” he said. But ultimately they both agree that the burden lies on realtors to recruit businesses.

The organization is working with the city to streamline the permitting process, which is a common complaint among business owners. “We’d like to get the time reduced (to obtain permits),” Bartlett said.

As to the city’s role in downtown businesses, Bartlett is clear: “People expect a lot from the city. I don’t want them to hinder me, but they don’t need to give me a handout.”

Spring 2011

Downtown Auroran

7

Celebrate National Library Week with

BRIAN J. HIPP

AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY

HIPP LAW OFFICE

BRIAN J.atHIPP Attorney Law

HIPP LAW OFFICE Attorney at Law Phone 630-844-1234 630-631-5192 PhoneFax 630-844-1234 630-859-0205 1026 Prairie 630-631-5192 Email bjhippx2@aol.com Aurora, IL 60506 Fax 630-859-0205 1026 Prairie Email bjhippx2@aol.com

Aurora, IL 60506

An afternoon with Audrey

Niffenegger

Author of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” 2 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, April 10

JUDD LOFCHIE Alderman-At-Large Candidate

22+ years as an Attorney, Developer & Realtor in Aurora Founder of StreetWise Magazine 1992 Chicago Citizen of the Year President, Aurora Rotary Club 2009-2010

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Auroran

Downtown Auroran

Summer 2010

Crimi Auditorium at Aurora University 407 S. Calumet Ave. Free!

Registration appreciated: 630-264-4100

www.aurora.lib.il.us

Spring 2011

Citi z e n V o i c e s

Untitled 5

By Marcy Lyzun

What would be a good slogan for downtown Aurora?

Compiled by Josh Black

David Day, Wheaton Window washer The city with the vital look!

Spring 2011

Eddie Bahhur, Plainfield Owner of Eddie’s Mini Mart, 9 S. Stolp Ave.

Jose Santoyo, Chicago Student at Aurora University

All the benefits of the big city without the traffic!

An inclusive and tight-knit community!

Raymond Byrne, Westchester Pharmacist The winning city!

Downtown Auroran

Artist Marcy Lyzun lives in a historical district on Aurora’s West Side. She became interested in mapping as a concept for her work during a past job that used satellite location technology; different types of maps including astro-geology and cartography inspire her.

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Downtown Voices The Guild is Dead

DTA Q&A: Judd Lofchie

Guest column by Benjie Hughes

Judd Lofchie caught our eye when he showed up at DAAM

(see Culture Shock) last year, and then he came again and again.

The 52-year-old attorney, realtor, businessman, single father and community leader is currently running for Alderman-atLarge. Since moving to Aurora in 1996 to raise a family, Lofchie has been active in the community.

He was recently elected to the Aurora Downtown board and is the co-founder of Aurora Business United, an opportunity for business folks to meet up every month and discuss issues.

Oh, and he started the Streetwise organization, which prints StreetWise Magazine and helps get men and women out of poverty. Is this transplant from Chicago the real deal?

What do you like about Aurora?

The rich diversity; the Hispanic culture, the river, the size, the business opportunities, the people and Downtown Auroran magazine!

What are your goals for Aurora?

To get Aurora working again. We need to revitalize the downtown with real property improvements, continued development of open space, cultural and educational amenities, addition of residences and incentives for small businesses. We need to streamline development, which will create jobs and increase the tax base, thus supporting our schools and change people’s perception of Aurora. I would like to see more police officers and a canine unit on the streets, Broadway Avenue lit up and more businesses moving.

How would you like to change the world?

I’d like to end homelessness.

What is your favorite spot in Aurora?

La Quinta de los Reyes in downtown Aurora. I love when they come to the table and make fresh guacamole and salsa.

If downtown Aurora had a slogan, what would it be?

Downtown Aurora, Watch Us Shine!

What is one thing that people should know about you?

I started the homeless charity “StreetWise” in 1992 with my life savings and never took a dime for doing so. We have helped over 8,700 men, women and teens get jobs of which almost half get a place to stay or other part-time or full-time work.

Amy Cihak takes abstract, layered photographs using reflections.

Cihak lives in Aurora with her playwright husband and cats and dog. www.reflectiveviews.com

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After 3 years, it was time for the Guild to have an existential crisis.

A subsection of the Aurora music community has been gathering at my recording studio for quite a while. We’ve been, at various times, a collection of songwriters, lyricists, blues artists, rock artists, jazz artists, metal artists, rap artists, spoken-word artists, visual artists, producers, promoters, engineers, mixers, teachers, students, hopefuls, burnouts and realists. The focus was simply on relationships. We’ve tried to meet and know the other people who do what we do.

We dubbed this gathering the Guild, and our first meeting was on January 23, 2008. I made a little speech about poinsettias (they only bloom in the dark!) and then we had a group discussion about the musical environments we each developed in. “It’s just good to be around people who don’t think you’re crazy,” someone said.

Since then, we’ve come a long way – or perhaps nowhere at all. I’ve made a lot of great relationships. I’ve found some new recording clients, found a few folks I could hire or refer work to and found some willing volunteers and collaborators when I’ve needed them.

We spent nights listening to music and discussing it. We brought in guitars and played for one another.

And we’ve learned a ton. The Guild has enjoyed visits from the guy who mixes Soundstage for PBS, from a publishing executive at EMI and from an entertainment lawyer. We’ve met music therapists, songwriting theorists and a guy who writes theme songs for Japanese cartoons. Our two most well attended gatherings were both panels – one with members of the music press, and another with local booking agents.

But for all that, the last six months of gathering with musicians have left me unsatisfied. The arts are about affecting change – first in the artists themselves, and then in those who encounter what they make. If we don’t seek to change some things and to be changed ourselves, we stagnate and get bored – or worse, indifferent – after so long. At some point, you need to quit building relationships by talking – and start building them by doing.

Here’s what I think we need: more expectations, more structure and more risk.

Most good things need to die and be reborn a couple times, and so the Guild is on hiatus for a while. I’m calling a few folks who’ve made significantly more musical progress than a lot of us have, to see whether we could get a couple nationally known guest speakers to come see us later this year. But I’m stipulating that they have to give us homework.

The point is to lay out some specific plans and goals for how we want to change and grow – as artists, as professionals, and as a community – and then commit to do those things. If we hear a talk on songwriting, then we’re going to write songs as a group and submit them to publishers. If we have a talk on show promotion, then we’re going to promote a show as a group. It’s put-up-or-shutup time.

If this sounds like what you’d like to do as well – whether or not you’ve ever heard of the Guild before today – I’d love to hear from you. Existential crises are great for creatives. Let’s see what emerges out of this one.

Benjie Hughes is the owner of Backthird Audio, a recording studio and wedding-music business at 67 S. Stolp Ave. in downtown Aurora. He has been the Guild master since 2008. Contact him at benjie@backthird.com.

Downtown Auroran

Spring 2011

A r ti s t P r o f i l e DTA profile: Gideon Haynes IV Gideon Haynes was waiting to It wasn’t until the doors, however that Haynes was ready for a be inspired. It just took a hammer and some nails.

It started with a house that he was tearing apart last spring as part of a Rebuilding Together Aurora project on Aurora’s East Side. Haynes, the house captain, was responsible for much of the remodel.

As he was pulling off old doors, he thought, “I could do something with those.” He didn’t want the doors, which were full of character, to end up in the garbage.

So he collected the doors and added others. He soon picked up every door he found – driving down the street and at work.

project. When his dad was diagnosed with advanced cancer in August 2010 and died a month later, Haynes used one of the doors to sketch a timeline of his dad’s life, from his birth to his time in Vietnam to the birth of his grandchildren to his death.

“I wanted to make it in a way that it helped me, but it was ambiguous enough,” Haynes said of “Past Times,” the door that chronicles his dad’s life and serves as an interactive piece in his exhibit at the Paramount Arts Center. Strips of paper hang nearby with a sign asking viewers to write down their favorite past time and attach it to hooks that are mounted to the door.

Every piece, every door represents transition, he said. It’s an appropriate theme since he was making the transition from husband and father back to artist.

Haynes was inspired.

In high school back in Wheeling, Ill., Haynes lived in the art room. “I breathed art all day long. I had the ability to do what I wanted,” said Haynes, who works primarily in mixed media and dabbles with photography.

He is still riding his wave of inspiration and will participate in Molded Heroes, a gallery show in April organized by Mike Mancuso, who he went to high school with in Wheeling.

As an adult and a father, Haynes admits that months pass without art. But art is never gone. “It’s cyclical,” he says. Inspiration comes and inspiration goes.

“I’ve been lucky enough to fall where I’ve fallen,” he said.

Gideon Haynes IV is an artist living in Aurora with his wife, Kyra, and their two children, Marley and Quin. He is the director of general services at Monarch Landing, a retirement community in Naperville. He is passionate about the arts and also enjoys horticulture and basically anything to do with the outdoors. Hayne’s artwork is on display in the Paramount’s 2nd floor Grand Gallery until March 31. His work can be viewed at www.adistantfire.com.

Haynes was briefly inspired after purchasing a set of artist trading cards not too long ago; the small, tradable cards got him painting and drawing again.

“I hadn’t done anything for a couple of years,” he said. “I used them as a medium to get back in the groove of making art.” He added that when looking at the cards, “You can tell the progression. I feel good about the last half.”

Spring 2011

Haynes studied art at college, although he didn’t finish; art is something that is always with him. “I don’t really think things out. I just do them,” he says of his loose artistic style.

Downtown Auroran

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The Fox

By Michael Mancuso Michael Mancuso has been an Auroran six out of 31 years.

“While that isn’t quite twenty percent, the best of my life happened here,” Mancuso says.

“I married my lovely wife, Becky, my son Jack was born, and my second son is expected this May.” Mancuso recently started a small screen-printing and design business; he organized Molded Heroes, a gallery poster show in April in downtown Aurora.

Chef Amaury at 33 West homemade food and fresh in Downtown brews give us Aurora Open 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Wednesday – Friday for lunch ourIndoor edge Bar Seating

Inspired by Auroran James Phillips.

Outdoor Seating (weather permitting) Extensive Wine List

Broccoli Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

18 W Downer Place

Contributed by Kate Purl – west of downtown

Wednesday & Thursday 5 - 9 p.m.

- downtown Friday & Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.

Sunday 5 - 8 p.m.

Whether you make this recipe as written or opt for the vegetarian version below, be sure to use local honey. Not only are you supporting a community business, but you are also getting the superior flavor local honey provides. Go ahead and try a spoonful. You will be amazed at the complexity of the flavor – you can really taste the flowers. This contributes to the depth of flavor for this dressing. The bacon adds a dark, smoky undertone to balance the light sweetness of the honey.

33 West New York Street 630.375.0426 – www.chefamaury.com

Ingredients:

4 cups of broccoli florets ¼ cup bacon drippings ¼ cup red wine vinegar 1 tsp. local honey ½ tsp. Dijon mustard 2 Tablespoons dried cranberries Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp. toasted almonds – slivered or chopped

Directions:

Blanch the broccoli: add broccoli to a pot of salted boiling water for two minutes, then quickly transfer it to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Dry the broccoli completely and allow it to return to room temperature.

In a small saucepan, heat the bacon drippings over low heat. Whisk in the vinegar, honey, mustard and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding additional honey, salt and pepper as needed.

Congratulations Melissa and Chanh!

In a large bowl, toss the broccoli, almonds and cranberries with about half of the dressing. Add more dressing until the broccoli is lightly coated – you don’t want the vegetables to be swimming in dressing. Garnish with additional almonds, if desired. Serve warm.

Vegetarian option: Add two cloves of crushed garlic, then substitute olive oil for the bacon drippings and use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.

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Downtown Auroran

Bird

By Cinnamon Reiter Cinnamon Reiter is a 36-yearold artist and mom living in Montgomery. She picked up a camera after developing arthritis in her hands due to complications of Lupus, which kept her from two of her loves: music and art. “My inability to capture life with a brush or pen became a desire to create moments with a camera.”

Spring 2011

Culture Shock MARCH

SOUL SESSION SPOKEN WORD AND JAZZ SHOW Sat March 26 from 8 to 11 Join Yahya Muhammad for a night of energy and poetry. $10. Community 4:12, 76 S. LaSalle St. in downtown Aurora. 630-8881104.

BUILDING THE BURLINGTON RAILROAD ELEVATION Sun March 27 at 2 Gerald Hamsmith gives this historic talk presented by the Aurora Historical Society. $5; $3 members. Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway. aurorahistory.net

APRIL

OPEN HOUSE AT ANNIE’S OM TOWNE Sat April 2 from 1 to 4 Join Annie Craig for yoga demonstrations, hip tease and more in her studio overlooking the Fox River. Free. Annie’s Om Towne Fitness, 14 W. Downer Pl. 2nd floor. On Facebook.

MOLDED HEROES GALLERY SHOW Sat April 9 from 6 to 10 & Sun April 10 from 10 to 5 Inspired by toys from their youth, local and national artists will hang prints at 75 S. LaSalle St. in downtown Aurora. sixtybones.com

CIVIL WAR AT 150 Fri April 15 at 10:15 A cooperative exhibit from Aurora Historical Society and Aurora Public Art Commission.

Free. Open Wed-Fri, noon to 4. David L. Pierce Art & History Center, 20 E.Downer.

(630) 256-3340. aurorahistory.net AN ENCOUNTER WITH MARK TWAIN AND WILL ROGERS Sun April 17 at 2 Warren Brown and Lance Brown have fun as America’s greatest humorists. Sponsored by Aurora Public Library. Free. Registration required. Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway. (630) 264-4100.

MAY

that benefits the Food for Thought initiative. North River Park (across the street from the old police station.) Register at active.com. (630) 256-4500.

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE Mon May 30 at noon Step off at Benton and River streets. Pre-parade ceremony starts at 11:15 at the reviewing stand on Downer across from the GAR building. aurora-il.org

JUNE

AURORA ARTWALK Fri June 3 from 6 to 10 The 2011 summer ArtWalk is here! Meet artists. See and experience their work. Watch the streets come alive with culture. Along Downer Place and more. auroraartwalk.org

MID-AMERICAN CANOE & KAYAK RACE 50TH ANNIVERSARY Sun June 5 49th Mid-Am race down the Fox River from St. Charles and Batavia to Aurora. Ends at McCullough Park at Illinois Ave. and Lake St. (630) 859-8606. foxvalleyparkdistrict.org LOUCHE PUCE FLEA MARKET Sat June 11 from 9 to 3 Second Saturdays just got a lot more louche. Peruse antiques, collectibles and more. Water Street Mall between Downer and Galena. norrisjeanne@gmail.com

GREEN FEST Sat June 11 from 10 to 3 Aurora’s environmentally friendly celebration brings music, speakers, activities and more.

Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave. auroragreenlights.org

BLUES ON THE FOX 15TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Fri June 17 from 6 to 10 and Sat June 18 from 2 to 10 Headliners Robert Cray and Buddy Guy. Part of the city’s Downtown Alive! series. North River Street Park near downtown Aurora. downtownaliveaurora.com

DOWNTOWN AURORA TASTE Tue May 10 from 5 to 9 Several downtown eateries will participate in the annual Taste hosted by the Exchange Club of Aurora. To purchase tickets call (630) 415-1263. www.auroraexchange.org.

2ND 2 NONE 5K RUN/WALK Sun May 22 at 8 Pass by beautiful architecture on a 5K course through downtown Aurora. The Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry partners with Communities In Schools for this run Spring 2011

LIMITED RUNS & SHOWINGS

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES Fri at 8 thru May You can say the V word and a whole lot more! $28.50.

North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd.

(630) 896-6666. paramountarts.com WARM LIGHT/COOL SHADOWS: WORKS BY RUTH VAN SICKLE FORD May 20 thru Aug 12 An exhibit of all weather/utility bicycles and other active transportation, public transit, sustainable garden design, new energy and useful work. Open Wed-Fri, noon to 4. Free. Aurora Public Art Commission at the David L. Pierce Center, 20 E. Downer Place. (630) 256-3340. aurora-il.org LUXEMBOURG TO USA: A MIGRATION STORY Opening mid-May An exhibit on loan from the Luxembourg American Cultural Society. Open Wed-Fri, noon to 4.

Free. David L. Pierce Art & History Center, 20 E.Downer. (630) 256-3340. aurorahistory.net AURORA FARMERS MARKET Saturdays starting June 11 from 7:30 to noon 99 years of eating fresh and buying local. Food demos, music, knife sharpening and more. Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadway Ave. (630) 256-3370.

ART AT CITY HALL: THE COMMON THREAD Starting April 29 An exhibit of wildlife and nature photography. Open MonFri, 8-5. City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place. aurora-il.org RIVERFRONT PLAYHOUSE Call for current schedule. Riverfront Playhouse, 11-13 Water Street Mall, is a 90 seat, not-for-profit theatre located next to City Hall on the Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora. $12-$15.

Reservations recommended. 630-8979496. riverfrontplayhouse.com

MONTHLY EVENTS

Paramount Theatre, Tom King Downtown Auroran

DAAM! First Thursday evenings of most months Join artists of all kinds for Downtown Aurora Arts Mixers at various downtown establishments. Everyone is welcome. Find Downtown Auroran on Facebook for more information.

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Book Part y

Today!!

Luigi’s Piz za 732 P

rairie Stre et • Auror a 630-896-9 861

www.luig ispizzaand funcenter.

Pizza • Las com er Tag • G ame Room Mini Bow ling • Fun Prizes

Kim Granholm 54 E. Galena Blvd.

Aurora, IL 60505 aurorafastprint.com

P: 630.896.5980 F: 630.896.5989 kim@aurorafastprint.com

Woman’s Day at VNA

April 13, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at VNA Health Center, 400 N. Highland Ave, Aurora Everyone is welcome; there is no cost to attend.

Come for free health services and health information.

Event Highlights: • Free bone density tests • Sign up for free mammograms (for uninsured women through VNA’s Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer program) • Free depression screening

• Complimentary health tests, including blood pressure, blood sugar, and more.

• Free box lunch to go (1st 100 adults) • Physical exams available: Call (630) 978-9754, ext. 8245 by April 6 to reserve your spot. Limited number available during Women’s Day.

VNA provides complete OB/GYN services, including pap tests, mammograms, pregnancy care and hospital deliveries.

Make an appointment today by calling (630) 892-4355 (Aurora) or (847) 717-6455 (Elgin)

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Downtown Auroran

Spring 2011

Historical Notes 20 E. Downer - David L. Pierce Art & History Center, built 1866

By John Jaros – east of downtown

Art and history come together in one of the oldest buildings in downtown Aurora.

Architecture

One of the first permanent structures on Downer Place, the three-story limestone-faced structure at 20 E. Downer, has a rich history. Built in 1866, the building cost $25,000 and was financed

by Joseph Stolp (for whom Stolp Island is named). It was originally home to a hardware store, the Masonic Hall and the Aurora Herald newspaper. Later, it was Sydney Ginsburg’s ladies’ store; still later, it housed Filip Music.

History

Founded in 1906, the Aurora Historical Society (AHS) is one of the oldest historical institutions in the state. Its first home was a room in the Public Library in downtown Aurora.

Thirty years later, AHS received the generous donation of the William Tanner homestead at Cedar and Oak on Aurora’s near west side. While AHS and its museum prospered in this quiet residential neighborhood, by the late 1980s and early 1990s, the historical society was looking once again for a “downtown presence.”

Aurora Historical Society’s partnership with the city and the art commission has been a good one, and over the fifteen years of its operation, the Art and History Center has hosted many award-winning exhibits, educational programs and exciting special events. Both the Aurora Historical Society and the Aurora Public Art Commission regularly feature changing exhibitions, and the shared Museum Store offers unique merchandise from both organizations.

City funding issues caused a cutback in hours last year, but the Art and History Center, with its exhibit galleries and gift shop, is still a vital force in the downtown. It remains a pivotal cultural anchor in a downtown that is being renewed once again.

Courtesy of Aurora Historical Society

Samantha Oulavong

After much work and more than a million dollars of expenditures by the city, the historical society’s dream became reality when the building officially opened in the summer of 1996.

It was rededicated and renamed the “David L. Pierce Art and History Center” in 2003, in honor of the former mayor who was instrumental in its creation.

Revitalization of the downtown was a big movement at the time, and AHS wanted to be a part of it, and to be in the midst of a busier, more populated environment. The drive for a downtown historical center began in earnest after Aurora received one of the state’s vaunted riverboat gambling licenses, which opened in the summer of 1993.

With the help of then-Mayor David Pierce, planning began for a downtown center. AHS had a set of needs for a downtown building and so did the Mayor. His main stipulation was that the Aurora Historical Society shares the space with the Aurora Public Art Commission. The city would renovate and maintain the building, which would be shared by both entities.

After standing empty for many years, 20 E. Downer Pl. was in need of extensive renovations, which began in February of 1995.

Spring 2011

Downtown Auroran

John Jaros is the director of the Aurora Historical Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to the collection and preservation of Aurora’s rich heritage. For information about the David L. Pierce Art and History Center and Aurora Historical Society activities, call (630) 906-0650 or visit www.aurorahistory.net.

7 WEST STUDIO Clever! Shiny!

Strange! Pretty!

Art • Jewelry • Gifts locally made Shop online: 7weststudio.com

7 W Downer in downtown Aurora 15

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