Downtown Auroran Spring 2012

Downtown

Auroran LOCAL CULTURE

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two to know | new bands to see | a downtown relic film comes to downtown

art | poetry | people | recipe | calendar Spring 2012

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Downtown Auroran www.downtownauroran.com Marissa Amoni Publisher and Editor

Rob Oresteen

Happy

175th birthday Aurora! I might not have technically been born in Aurora (I was born at the old Delnor Hospital in St. Charles, and lived in Boulder Hill until I was two years old), but I was raised here. It wasn’t until I moved away in 1996, and then came back after 10 years, that I really appreciated Aurora for the city it is.

Dave Sobotka at Kelmscott Communications Graphic Design Tony Scott Max Balding Amy Roth for the Aurora Public Library Copy Editors

There are so many wonderful things about Aurora that easily go unnoticed, but once you are in a place without a river, without historic buildings, without community, then you start to fall in love with the treasures that Aurora holds, and there are many.

Don Picton Mike Mancuso Lisa Gloria Rosa Nevarez Contributors

In the 1830s, the McCarty brothers saw something special about the area that is now Aurora, and the city’s current size and diversity only seem to strengthen what they built all those years ago.

Advertising and Submissions: E-mail downtownauroran@gmail.com.

Summer issue deadline: May 18, 2012.

When I go downtown Aurora, I appreciate that some remnants of the past remain, like the old Stolp Woolen Mill Dye House behind River’s Edge Café. I also admire the more recent albeit historic additions to the downtown landscape, such as the Elks building and the Paramount Theatre. I recommend the downtown walking tour for anyone interested in learning about the historic buildings in our downtown.

On the Cover: “City of Lights” by Marie Lubshina

Currently, pumping life into some of these gems has been heating up the downtown scene.

In this issue’s cover story, I write about film livening up two theaters in downtown: the Paramount and the Copley. Check out the Locust Report for an exciting possibility for the Elks building, and also for news on the red-hot Vacant Window Project.

There is always a lot going on in downtown Aurora, if you look for it. But right now is an especially exciting time to be involved, no matter if it is attending a Monday night movie at the Paramount, attending a wine dinner at Chef Amaury’s, taking the kids to SciTech, or doing a downward dog up at Annie’s Om Towne after work. Every bit helps keep the momentum alive.

See you downtown!

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 three times a year, and over 2,000 copies are distributed free of charge throughout downtown and select locations in the Aurora area.

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Join us on Facebook! Summer 2012 issue is available in July.

Please support the businesses that support us. Keep it local!

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City of Lights Marie is a collage artist who lives in Aurora.

“City of Lights” incorporates the many great things about Aurora, including area landmarks, history, and nature. To celebrate Aurora’s 175th anniversary, we asked Marie and four other local artists to create artwork for the occasion. See pg. 9.

index

c over st ory

By Marie Lubshina

Finally Film

By Marissa Amoni

page

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features

Do you want to be pain free?

Moon Girl

By Steve Strawn The Magic Mustache & Wabash

By Timothy Jones A Love of Music

By Rosa Nevarez

A u ro r a n Wo rd s

page

DTA profile: Mike Mancuso

Join Us.

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Celebrate.

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page FOUNDATION COMPASSION 305 South Lake Street Post Office Box 270 Aurora, Illinois 60507– 0270

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Non-Profit US Postage Paid Permit No. 555 Aurora,IL

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

Miller’s Tailoring PAS since 1961

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Pipers Banquets 1295 Butterfield Road, Aurora $ $

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Reserve Your Seats Online Today: www.compassionfoundation .org For Nomination Form – and/or – To be placed on Mailing List, email: carliskas@comcast .net Graphic Design

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Spring 2012

Carole Arliskas 630.892.2371

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Table of Contents 4 5 6 8 9

auroran words locust report cover story submissions aurora posters

10 downtown voices 11 artist profile 12 recipe 13 culture shock 15 historical notes

Executive Director Compassion Foundation

Downtown Auroran

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Auroran Words Moon Girl

Wabash

Gray, powder gray, cement floor gray covered the sparse landscape of big round ruts and little stones that created, only after-thought shadows.

Wabash is a nice place if you like that kind of place.

The women are friendly as are the men.

I wouldn’t want to live there but it’s a place to go if you’ve never been.

By Steve Strawn

By Timothy Jones

The air had no wind; no life, no faint echoes, only silence, but the silence created a sound, and it screamed.

My final day there, which was my first as well, I sat in the bathtub at the hotel.

The sky was void; void of depth and substance and because of this the distant brightness shown brilliantly in the billions of sand grains that were the stars, distant and bright

My first and only bath in Wabash.

The water was warm so I was looser than usual.

My bath in Wabash was nothing too interesting.

Timothy Jones lives in Montgomery, and calls Carbondale home as well.

Jones works with developmentally disabled adults at A.I.D. in Aurora, and writes for Carbondale’s weekly entertainment paper The Nightlife.

He has wonderful parents.

A satellite or two floats silently on their gravity rails, their pulsing hearts beat as red beacon probes.

But they only confirmed that there is no life here, the monitors are flat-lined.

A Love of Music

Here, in the desolation, I found beyond a ridge, on a distant plot, flat and clean, an a-framed swing set that sways from the weight of a girl is a sun-yellow dress as she swings, her heart sparkles, warmly and bright

By Rosa Nevarez

And sometimes you ask me: what my life was like, before you Steve Strawn lives in Elburn with his wife and three dogs. After taking a writing course at Waubonsee Community College, Strawn has kept his creative juices flowing by joining others in the local arts community. Strawn is a strong advocate for dogs, and enjoys cycling and great modern literature.

The Magic Mustache

By Timothy Jones

Someday I am going to have a beautiful mustache.

It will be the most interesting feature I own.

Seven inches in length- three and a half on each side of the upper lip.

It will curl at the tips, be constantly waxed, and shine like the sun. But I am young and my baby face cannot produce such a marvel.

The one thing that does keep me trucking in the overcast world is the dream of my magic mustache.

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Downtown Auroran

Rosa Nevarez is an eclectic artist residing on Aurora’s West Side and a student at the American Academy of Art in Chicago.

Although her specialization at school is in watercolor painting, her art is not limited to this media.

Some of her current artistic endeavors include miniature food sculpting, costume and accessory design, physiognomy, and keeping up her blog, rosanevarezart.com.

Spring 2012

The L o c u st R ep o r t Reporting the News and Gossip in Downtown Aurora •R estaurant Row update: The closing of Comfort Zone Bar-B-Que in December came as a shock to the legions of customers who had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. Honorably, Chef Rich shuttered the doors after thanking everyone who had helped him to get on “The Row.” Rich and Shirley Green kept a brave face for as long as they could despite the building’s legal entanglements, and we appreciated every Friday night fish fry, and every tub of banana pudding. Kudos to Chef Rich; it was a great run.

Katie Michels

•P retty windows are popping up in downtown Aurora.

Two windows in the Conservatory Building on Stolp Avenue are looking fabulous, and more decorated windows will soon occupy the downtown’s Vacant Window Project many empty storefronts as part of the grassroots Vacant Window Project that kicked off via Facebook last fall.

The objective is to beautify downtown with artful displays.

Visit Downtown Auroran Magazine on Facebook for updates, and an invite for an upcoming window walk this spring.

•C ould the Elks building turn into a hotbed of artist activity?

That’s up to the city according to local attorney and Realtor Judd Lofchie, who not too long ago rallied to turn 47 S. Lake St. into an artist colony, and has now moved on to the Elks building. Based on a recent winter tour of the Mayanrevival-once-hotel along the Fox River, interest is high for converting the now vacant corner building into artist studios. But Lofchie doesn’t think it can be done without city support, and that means money. A couple of other visionaries have also looked at the building, but without a solid business plan and lots of cash, it might take a miracle.

2012

• After much ado, the Downer Place bridges are closed.

Beginning in February, the one-way going west was blocked off in order to tear down and replace the clearly crumbling bridges on each side of the river. Businesses are still open, and traffic is being rerouted to Benton Street, which is conveniently serving as a two-way. The project is slated to take nine months.

•N ew music: After promoting the first Made in Aurora album, Aurora songwriters Jeremy Keen and Andrea Dawn decided to start a side-project.

They quickly c ame up with the brilliant name The New Automatics, and invited other songwriters, Kevin The New Automatics Trudo and Ben Thomas, and rhythm players Brendan McCormick and Zach Goforth, to join them. The New Automatics perform original music in the vein of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Ryan Adams and Patty Griffin. Another post-Made in Aurora collaboration features Chad Watson, Justin O’Connell, and Greg Boerner as CattlePröd. Find the new trio on Facebook.

•H ave you been to a movie at the Paramount Theatre lately?

No? You must be kidding? Go already! They show great classic movies every Monday night for only 80 cents. It’s truly amazing. Big screen. Little money. Seriously. Go! Oh, and Willie Nelson is going to be at the theatre on April 12. Go see him, too.

•T wo Brothers Roundhouse is luring in lots of local musical talent, and establishing itself as a first-rate venue. With headliners like Lonesome Strangers, The Kevin Trudo + Meathawk, and Jeremiah Higgins, the Roundhouse is gaining a solid reputation among the area’s musical elite.

Upcoming shows not-to-be-missed are The Giving Tree Band, The New Automatics, and Hoss. If you want to catch some up-and-coming talent, then stop by on Thursday for the newly launched open mic. The establishment also recently announced that the popular Hop Juice Festival will be held at the Roundhouse on June 1 and 2.

• Are you a Downtown Aurora Mom Engaged in Society?

Join other DAMES every Monday morning at 9:30 in the lounge area of River’s Edge Café at 18 W. Downer Pl. The gathering, a DAAM spinoff, will bring moms and tots together; others are free to join in the precious chaos. Find out more by joining the Downtown Auroran group on Facebook.

• A list to like on Facebook: L.I.F.T Aurora, Postcards from Heck, Asa’s Dad.com, Cynosure Radio

BLUES ON THE FOX June 15/16 - Blues Favorites

ROCK ON THE FOX July 14 - Rock Favorites

JAM ON THE FOX

August 11 - Country Favorites

North Rive r IT’S WHE Street Park HER TO BE TH E YOU WANT IS SUMME R!

Check out our website for a complete list of artists @ www.DowntownAliveAurora.com Spring 2012

Downtown Auroran

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A new film venue is bringing movies to downtown Aurora.

FINALLY FILM

By Marissa Amoni It took a determined woman and a group of loyal film buffs to bring movies like “Murderball” and “With a Friend Like Harry” to downtown Aurora. It also took a vision, some money, and a willing partnership to screen critically-acclaimed independent films in some place other than a big city movie theater.

J

eanne Norris loves good movies. Norris, who lives on Aurora’s far West Side, would take the train from Aurora to Downers Grove and Chicago in order to get a glimpse of art house films on the big screen. She’d extend weekends using vacation and sick days in order to attend film festivals in Champaign and Madison.

“I was spending a small fortune. Sometimes I’d have to race out of the theater before the end of the film to make the last train back to Aurora,” Norris said.

In 2008, Norris said she broached the idea of a local film society to some friends and thus City Cineastes, Aurora’s only film society, was born. Since Aurora has no movie theaters within city limits, a venue was ripe for picking. The group of about a dozen quickly agreed that they wanted to show movies in downtown Aurora. They also wanted it to be an experience, “We wanted to walk somewhere after the film to eat, have a drink and talk about the movie we’d seen.”

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Norris and her friend Marge Nichols, also of Aurora, innocently promoted the film society using business cards and paper fliers, and started screening films in the little theater of a downtown museum. In the meantime, they grew the group to include about 100 members, and showed independent film gems such as the Coen brother’s Blood Simple, Mike Leigh’s Secrets and Lies, and Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay.

After several months of screening an eclectic array of movies, the group discovered that their cultural activities had been illegal. It is required by law that permission be obtained and a licensing fee paid of up to $300 per screening if a movie is shown publicly, regardless of whether or not admission is charged, and independent of how many people are watching the movie. “You can show a movie at home to several hundred of your closest friends; you just can’t do it publicly. Not without paying the licensing fee,” Norris said.

The museum decided that, although they supported the group wholeheartedly, they could not risk the liability of screening films without a license. They would have to go somewhere else.

A short stint screening films in the corner room of the children’s department in the lower level of the Aurora Public Library on Benton Street proved to be unsuitable, yet educational for the group. A librarian informed Norris about the peculiar details of film licensing, and how to

Downtown Auroran

Spring 2012

screen a film lawfully to accommodate the group. It would require tracking down each film’s licensor, since City Cineastes doesn’t pay for an annual license with the film distributors to screen films publicly.

Norris discovered that obtaining the rights to screen a film is expensive, and exhausting. An annual license can cost a thousand dollars and that’s for a subscription to just one licensor. It’s also labyrinthine. There is no database where you can determine who to go to for the screening rights for a film, and it can involve a lot of research to find the licensor.

The Revolution Begins!

Without an appropriate venue in downtown, along with the added legal obstacles, the film society thanked the library and put the group on hiatus.

For the next two years, Norris said well-intended folks would suggest alternative venues, like the library’s Eola branch, Aurora University, Waubonsee Community College’s Sugar Grove campus, or local churches. “The problem with all these ideas is that they turned their backs on downtown as our social and cultural center. I am not a suburbanite and Aurora is not a suburb. It was foolish not to have a film venue downtown,” Norris said of keeping City Cineastes in downtown Aurora.

But then something almost unimaginable happened: Tim Rater took over as director of the Paramount Theatre.

“I’d heard that he was very innovative and approachable.

I’d also heard that he didn’t underestimate the potential for culture the theater could provide to our little city of 200,000. I think I e-mailed him, but it could be that I just phoned him. I briefly explained our situation and we set up an appointment to talk. His response was nothing short of miraculous. He said, ‘Let’s try it over at the Copley Theatre. We can give it a year and if we can break even we might be able to keep it going,’” Norris recalls.

In October, Norris helped to launch a monthly film series at the Copley Theatre, which is referred to as the Copley Cinémathèque for one night a month when City Cineastes and other locals get their film fix in downtown Aurora.

The first movie screened at the Copley Cinémathèque brought out around 60 people to the intimate 216-seat theater. Norris hand selects each film, and has even been in contact with a film festival in England to show one of the films at Copley. In April, they’ll screen Killer of Sheep, a film that Norris reviewed in the second issue of Downtown Auroran Magazine. Norris said the soundtrack alone is worth the ticket price of $8 ($5 for annual members).

Norris said she is now decidedly optimistic about the possibilities for film in downtown Aurora.

Copley Cinémathèque, along with the Paramount’s continuing Classic Movie Mondays, is a dream come true for Norris. She says: “Film culture is communal. Going to a movie is a sort of pilgrimage. You join other people to sit together in a prepared space at a designated time to share a cultural experience. There›s no better place to do it than downtown.” ■ Spring 2012

MARCH 14 - APRIL 1, 2012

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Downtown Auroran

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Don Picton Rosa Nevarez

Spring 2012

Happy 175 Years Aurora!

Downtown Auroran

Lisa Gloria Mike Mancuso

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D ow n t o w n V o ic es Book Review

Two to know Lyle Rolfe

If you are familiar with a 4x5 large format camera, then you

might be able to guess Lyle Rolfe’s age, but he’s not telling.

Rolfe, a lifelong Auroran, is a unique piece of local history – he has been taking in the sights and sounds for around 70 years give or take, if you do the rough math.

Rolfe is a time capsule of local history.

As a Beacon-News employee for just over 40 years, Rolfe has an in-depth perspective on the workings and history of Aurora. It was also his reporter status that allowed him to become a keen observer of the city, and its many changes, both subtle and monumental.

Rolfe started out as an errand boy for the Aurora Beacon-News in 1960 and worked his way up to city reporter, a position he kept until leaving the Beacon in 2001. Rolfe spent time covering City Hall when former mayors Jay L. Hunter, Albert D. McCoy, and Jack Hill walked the halls. He covered county government in later years.

Working at the Beacon, Rolfe saw the downtown go from bustling to bare over the decades. When he worked as an errand boy running ad proofs to Kresges, Woolworth, and Grants, downtown was where everything happened. Then Harry Stoner built Northgate, and West Plaza opened.

“It started to change downtown,” he said. But Rolfe has many fond memories, including meals at the Elks Club and Barefoot Charlie’s, a railroad car diner on Stolp Avenue.

After Rolfe left the Beacon, he ran Aurora Community Television (ACTV) for three years, and he currently is a freelance reporter for Oswego’s Ledger-Sentinel.

This year, Rolfe is sitting down with some of Aurora’s most memorable people, including Jack Cunningham and Joe Reier, Aurora’s first alderman. Rolfe is going to interview them on camera as part of the Aurora Historical Society’s celebration of Aurora’s 175th anniversary.

Jim Corti

Jim Corti has probably wowed your socks off at least once

recently. If you’re a patron of the Paramount Theatre’s Broadway series, then maybe it was the Lady Gaga-inspired pop grooves at the finale of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, or it could have been the sexual tension between the main characters of My Fair Lady, or its singing and dancing Cockney quartet.

“The Paramount is a place to stretch your creative and artistic muscles,” said Corti, who was hired as the first artistic director at the downtown Aurora theater in the beginning of last year.

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins

My 50-something dad, who reads only biographies and Westerns, was skeptical but intrigued when I gave him a copy of the young adult novel The Hunger Games.

He ended up reading it in one night and begging for the sequel.

Now that The Hunger Games is opening in theaters March 23, it will likely be just as popular with adults as with teens.

The Hunger Games tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, who lives in post-apocalyptic Panem (the former United States, now made up of 12 districts and controlled by the rich and powerful Capitol).

The Hunger Games are an annual event during which teen boys and girls from each district are selected by lottery to compete in a televised fight to the death.

Katniss and Peeta Mellark are the combatants from District 12 who understand they must kill one another and 22 others in order to be the “winner.”

Fueling Katniss’s drive to survive is the knowledge that she is the sole provider of food for her family during rampant starvation in the land.

Katniss’ inner struggles and her relationships with the other characters are only one small part of what keeps teens – and adults – reading The Hunger Games into the wee hours of the morning. Collins’ use of creative details and imagery will have readers hungry for more.

The Hunger Games film, starring Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”) as Katniss, is directed by Gary Ross (“Pleasantville” and “Seabiscuit”). Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, and Donald Sutherland also are featured in the film.

--- Hannah Berry, Aurora Public Library

Corti, originally from Trenton, N.J., has spent his career dancing, acting, singing, directing and choreographing in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere. Now at the Paramount, he says he feels humbled and proud to contribute to the newfound sense of pride and ownership that locals have toward the historic theater.

“I had no idea everyone wanted it so badly,” he says.

As for pumping life into the Paramount, Corti says he feels a great sense of purpose.

“This theater could help revitalize this downtown,” Corti said. And after three very impressive and successful Broadway shows, he could be correct.

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A rt is t P r o file DTA profile: Mike Mancuso Artist

and screen printer Mike Mancuso is one of the two brains behind The Yetee, an online t-shirt company based in Aurora that specializes in geeky-cool pop-culture designs at a low price. The other brain belongs to Glen O’Neill, who lives in British Columbia, Canada.

The Yetee, a clever version of the abominable snowman, is pretty adorable and is gaining lots of attention among artists and trendy consumers. Since launching the website in July, Mancuso and O’Neill have sold thousands of t-shirts, and moved the budding business out of Mancuso’s garage and into a fullfledged studio in downtown Aurora.

As Mancuso, 32, was working to set up shop in the lower level of the Graham Building at 33 S. Stolp Ave., he took a break from folding shirts to talk to DTA magazine.

DTA: Do you have a degree in art?

MM: I went to Northern, and have a degree in design. I thought if my parents are going to make me go to college, then I’ll do (art). I should have just gotten a job, and saved money.

Mosquito Abatement) and was completely out of doing anything creative for about 10 years.

DTA: When did you get into screen printing?

MM: I started doing screen printing in college. It was pretty horrible. It was pretty low tech. I bought screens and some equipment, and I didn’t know how far I was going to go with it.

DTA: What got you back into art?

MM: I went to Alley Art Festival and saw people selling their work. Molded Heroes was a good stepping stone, and it kind of snowballed from there.

DTA: What are your plans for The Yetee and the new studio?

MM: Right now we are doing a lot of work, so that hopefully this will support both of us and maybe others. I’m planning two upcoming gallery shows here. I’d like to do them every other month. Glen is a comic book artist, and we are going to start a comic zine in a funny page format. Eventually, I’d like to do all of the t-shirt screen printing out of here, but that’s probably a dream.

DTA: Let’s play “Five Favorites.”

MM: (Color) Blue. (Band) Pixies. (Year) 2011. (Artist) Kevin Tong. (Website) Reddit.

Mike Mancuso lives in Aurora with his wife, Becky, and their two sons, Jack and Leo. He curated Molded Heroes, an art print show, at 75 S. LaSalle St. in 2011. The Yetee is a t-shirt site featuring new t-shirt designs every 72 hours that cost $11. Once the 72 hours are up, the design is no longer available for purchase through The Yetee. www. theyetee.com.

DTA: Was art incorporated into your childhood?

MM: When I was a kid, I loved cartoons and I loved video games. And when your mom doesn’t let you play video games, then you draw them. I’d also ride my bike to the comic book store (Thumbs Up Comics in Wheeling, Ill.) and read. We were those kids who just sat there and read them, and we’d anger the guy.

DTA: What was your favorite comic book as a kid?

MM: Spider-Man, by far. Todd McFarlane was the artist, then.

Spiderman would stretch in crazy poses, and the web was really intricate. Venom was introduced. It was the perfect time to get into it.

DTA: When did you realize you were talented in art?

MM: (Laughs) I still don’t think I’m talented. I started going crazy with it after I took photography in high school and learned Photoshop.

DTA: What did you do after college?

MM: I designed weddings for a few years with my wife, Becky. They were Indian weddings; we’d build mandaps and decorate horses. After that, I was working freelance doing merchandising. Then I started doing maps (for Northwest Spring 2012

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Tostones

OUR SPECIALTY IS SERVICE.

Contributed by Kate Purl – west of downtown This simple plantain dish, a Puerto Rican favorite, makes a wonderful appetizer or side. Serve with a dipping sauce or top with guacamole or cheese, and watch them disappear!

Yield: 4-5 servings Ingredients: • 2 green plantains • Cooking oil • Salt to taste Directions: • Heat about ½-inch of oil in a cast iron skillet to 300 degrees.

• Peel the plantains by cutting off the top and bottom of each, and then make a shallow cut lengthwise down the peel. This should allow the peel to be removed easily.

• Slice each plantain into 2-inch pieces.

• Fry plantain slices in oil for about two minutes on each side until they soften.

Carefully check for doneness with a toothpick.

• Remove slices to a paper towel to drain, and increase the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees.

• While the oil is heating, flatten the slices to about ¼-inch thickness using a heavy, flat kitchen item, like a small saucepan.

• Fry the smashed plantains until golden brown on both sides.

• Remove to a paper towel to drain, salting immediately to taste.

OUR TALENT IS PRINTING.

Aurora Fastprint DOWNTOWN AT

54 E. GALENA BLVD. WWW.AURORAFASTPRINT.COM

P: 630.896.5980 F: 630.896.5989

Matthew Jung

Tostones are a nice accompaniment to black bean soup.

Find recipes at thereluctanthippie.wordpress.com.

Meet the author!

Saturday, April 14, 1 to 3 p.m.

Waubonsee Community College, 5 E. Galena Blvd.

Scan the QR code or call 630-264-4101 to register for this free National Library Week event.

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C u l tu r e S h o c k MARCH

AURORA’S 175TH BIRTHDAY PARTY CELEBRATION Fri March 2 at 5 Official 175th birthday party for Aurora includes music, entertainment and more. Free. Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadway.

SWING DANCE AT THE CAFE Fri March 16 at 7 Join other dancing fools for a little fun, and swing dance lessons. $10.

River’s Edge Cafe, 18 W. Downer. 630-8973343.

PRINT SHOW AT 33 WEST Sun March 18 at 3 Art prints by local artists curated by Aurora artist Lisa Gloria.

Chef Amaury at 33 West, 33 W. New York St. STORYTIME AT THE CAFE Mon March 19 at 11 The Aurora Public Library hosts an off-site storytime for children with books, dancing and fun, plus a free treat.

Free. River’s Edge Cafe, 18 W. Downer. No reg. needed. aurorapubliclibrary.org.

COPLEY CINEMATHEQUE FILM Tue March 20 at 6:45 Local film society City Cineastes with the support of Paramount Theatre screens OSS 117 Lost in Rio. $5/members, $8/non-members. Copley Theatre in North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. citycineastes@gmail.com. Facebook: Copley Cinematheque BATTER UP! BASEBALL IN AURORA Sun March 25 at 2:30 Aurora Historical Society’s John Jaros will give a presentation on the history of the national pastime in Aurora. Free. Aurora Public Library, 1 E. Benton St. aurorapubliclibrary.org.

APRIL

ALL CITY YOUTH POETRY SLAM Sat April 7 from 6 to 10 Spoken word competition for ages 13 to 18. $7 general admission. Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave. allcitypoetryslam.com “THE CIRCLE” FILM PREMIERE Sat April 7 at 6 Local chiropractor and executive producer Dr. George Piccolo invites the public to see his latest film, an original American Gothic story filmed in Aurora. $20 admission. Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. docpic1@aol.com COPLEY CINEMATHEQUE FILM Thurs April 17 at 6:45 Local film society City Cineastes with the support of Paramount Theatre screens Killer of Sleep. $5/members, $8/non-members. Copley Theatre in North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd.

SWING DANCE AT THE CAFE Fri April 20 at 7 Join other dancing fools for a little fun, and swing dance lessons. $10. River’s Edge Cafe, 18 W. Downer. 630-897-3343.

STORYTIME AT THE CAFE Mon April 23 at 11 The Aurora Public Library hosts an off-site storytime for children with books, dancing and fun, plus a free treat.

Free. River’s Edge Cafe, 18 W. Downer.

2ND 2 NONE 5K RUN/WALK Sun April 29 at 8 Due to downtown detours, the race sponsored by the Aurora Food Pantry and Communities in Schools and benefitting the Food for Thought initiative will move to Phillips Park this year. 2nd2none5k.com

Spring 2012

MAY

COPLEY CINEMATHEQUE FILM Tue May 8 at 6:45 Local film society City Cineastes with the support of Paramount Theatre screens Seraphine. $5/members, $8/ non-members. Copley Theatre in North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd.

STORYTIME AT THE CAFE Mon May 21 at 11 The Aurora Public Library hosts an off-site storytime for children with books, dancing and fun, plus a free treat. Free.

River’s Edge Cafe, 18 W. Downer.

DOWNTOWN AURORA TASTE Tue May 8 from 5 to 9 Multiple downtown eateries will participate in the annual Taste hosted by the Exchange Club of Aurora.

To purchase tickets call (630) 415-1263. auroraexchange.org.

AMPED UP ADVENTURE RACE Sun May 27 Local outdoor shop Paddle & Trail is looking for adventure seekers to bike, paddle and run the Fox River. ampedupadventurerace.com MEMORIAL DAY PARADE Mon May 28 at noon Step off at Benton and River streets. Pre-parade ceremony starts at 11:15. aurora-il.org

JUNE

AURORA ARTWALK Fri June 8 Spend an evening in a downtown Aurora filled with art. Meet artists. See and experience their work. Watch the streets come alive with culture. Location TBA. auroraartwalk.org COPLEY CINEMATHEQUE FILM Tue June 12 at 6:45 Local film society City Cineastes with the support of Paramount Theatre screens Tell No One. $5/members, $8/ non-members. Copley Theatre in North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd.

MID-AMERICAN CANOE & KAYAK RACE Sun June 3 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

BLUES ON THE FOX WEEKEND Fri June 15 from 6 to 10 and Sat June 16 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

LIMITED RUNS & SHOWINGS

IF I SHOULD NOT WRITE YOU AGAIN: REMEMBERING AURORA DURING AND AFTER THE CIVIL WAR Extended thru March 30 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 JESSE HOWARD: PAINTINGS Thru April 20 Artist Jesse Howard. Free.

Aurora Public Art Commission at the David L. Pierce Center, 20 E. Downer Place. (630) 2563340. aurora-il.org FROM THE GROUND UP, A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE IN AURORA Opens May 4 From the Mayan-revival Elks building to the Elmslie-designed buildings, Aurora is a splendor of architectural delights.

Open Wed-Fri, noon to 4. Free. David L. Pierce Art & History Center, 20 E.Downer. (630) 906-0650. aurorahistory.net.

ART AT CITY HALL: AURORA IN PICTURES, 175 YEARS Ongoing Enjoy historical photos of Aurora in its heyday and beyond hung on all five floors of city hall. Open Mon-Fri, 8-5. City Hall, 44 E. Downer Pl. 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.

630-897-9496. riverfrontplayhouse.com

MONTHLY EVENTS DAAM!

First Thursday evenings at 7:30 Join artists of all kinds at informal Downtown Aurora Arts Mixers. Typically held at Chef Amaury at 33 West, 33 W. New York St., but locations can vary. Everyone is welcome. Find Downtown Auroran on Facebook for more information.

LOUCHE PUCE FLEA MARKET Sat June 9 from 9 to 4 Second Saturdays bring vendors of all things cool to the pedestrian brick alley known as Water Street Mall. Peruse antiques, collectibles and more.

Water Street between Downer and Galena. norrisjeanne@gmail.com GREEN FEST Sat June 9 from 10 to 3 Aurora’s environmentally-friendly celebration brings music, speakers, activities and more. Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave. auroragreenlights.org

Downtown Auroran

MUSEUM ROLL CALL

David L. Pierce Art & History Center 20 E. Downer Place Aurora Regional Fire Museum 53 N. Broadway Avenue SciTech Hands On Museum 18 W. Benton Street Grand Army of the Republic Museum 23 E. Downer Place

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t o h 9 9 5. h s e r f and ! a z z i p large $

Try our

! e c I n a Itali

On the corner of New York and Lake Street in downtown Aurora

420 W. Downer Pl.

If you’re reading this magazine, you know as well as we do that a lot is happening in downtown Aurora. Founded in 1975, Aurora Downtown is an association of approximately 250 property owners within the neighborhood.

We are a Special Service Area governed by a 24-member board of directors.

Aurora Downtown contributes to the success of the neighborhood through numerous initiatives such as: • Advocacy for the downtown community • Street planters, hanging baskets, trees and landscaping • Sponsorship of events, including Blues on the Fox, Downtown Alive!, Aurora ArtWalk and many others • Holiday street decorations

• Lobbying to remove downtown parking meters • Homeless assistance • Award-winning cell phone tour detailing the history of our neighborhood • Sharing all of the exciting news about our downtown

Contact Bob Reuland for more information at (630) 336-1310 or info@auroradowntown.org.

Check us out online at www.auroradowntown.org.

Come join us! Meetings are open to the public and take place the third Thursday of every month at 8 a.m. in the fifth floor conference room of City Hall.

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Downtown Auroran

Spring 2012

H i s t o r ic a l N o t es Miller’s Tailoring

221 E. Galena Blvd. ~ Since 1961

Ann Miller

has a unique perspective of downtown Aurora. Miller, 34, has lived above her father’s tailor shop since she was eight years old. She would play with friends in the downstairs playroom, and became a pro at filling pin cushions.

Family trips to a weekend cabin provided Miller with a break from the ultra-urban downtown setting, but overall it was pretty cool to live downtown, she says.

Miller’s father, George, bought the downtown building at 221 E. Galena Blvd. in 1961 when he was still a bachelor, but very

www.nidoartstudio.com

much married to his work. He started out as a tailor in 1945 at Chicago Aurora Tailoring, and then worked as a foreman at a suit company in downtown Chicago. He later married Marilyn in 1972, and they had two children: Ann and Michael.

Clothing stores were plentiful in downtown Aurora at the time, and Miller’s Tailoring kept busy from day one. George started the shop by buying New York Tailoring’s business, located at Downer and Galena, for $300.

George, who was the first male student to take a home economics class at East Aurora High School, primarily worked on men’s suits and women’s dresses for many years.

Then fashions changed over the years and the store expanded into tuxedo rentals, and cleaning services.

The store, just one block east of Broadway, is somewhat of a relic, especially with George, now 83 years old, still working every afternoon at the shop. Customers still bring back their hangers, and it’s cash-only.

The kempt store sells men’s ties, and related accessories, along with formal dresses. Miller mostly runs the shop; she apprenticed with her dad for four years after she graduated from Aurora Central in 1995. Michael is a cabinet maker and started Miller’s Millwork next door.

After all these years of living downtown, Miller will be moving out this summer after she gets married in June. She said she’ll likely miss the convenience of living just steps away from her work. ■

More than a cup of coffee...a place for minds to meet!

❉ art classes for all ages ❉ special workshops ❉ school break art camps ❉ birthday parties ❉ craft nights ❉ open studio

River’s Edge Café

Nido Art Studio 514 Terry Ave. Aurora, IL 60506 630.730.1028 lisa@nidothreads.com

Spring 2012

find ‘Nido’ on Facebook

www.nidoartstudio.com

Homemade soups, sandwiches and baked goods OPEN DURING BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION 18 W. Downer Pl. between River and Stolp

630.897.3343 • theriversedgecafe.com

Downtown Auroran

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2012-13 SEASON

BUY TWO HUGE SHOWS, GET TWO HUGE SHOWS

FREE 4 MAJOR BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS FOR THE PRICE OF 1 TICKET.

ParamountAurora.com • 630.896.6666