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Steam Anchor offers coffee, sandwiches, and a place to relax

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COVER • STORY

Publisher Sam R Fisher Advertising Director Jennifer Heintzelman Editor Jeff Rogers Magazine Editor Kathleen Schultz Page Design Lucas Pauley

The Calling of a Coach

Published by

Sauk Valley Media 3200 E. Lincolnway Sterling, IL 61081 815-625-3600 Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of River City Living Magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

Fulton man has spent a lifetime with baseball, the game that saved his life

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Contents 5 – Steam Anchor Coffee & Café Fulton eatery offers hot drinks and tasty treats

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11

11 – Country Orchids and Kris’ Kookies Cookies, flowers in one spot

14 – Story behind local man’s game Fulton man couldn’t give up the game the saved his life

14 21

19 – Friends For Charity

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Local women join forces to help residents in need

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21 – River City Municipal Band Local group ready for upcoming concert season

22 – Vitale’s Pizza and Restaurant Secret recipe has kept Clinton eatery going strong

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24 – The Gypsy’s Wanderlust Boutique boasts a unique and beautiful variety of items

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26 – Denny O’s Live, local music a hallmark of Fulton bar

Drop

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The Steam Anchor Coffee & Café in Fulton has plenty of tables for dining, plus an area for sipping a drink and reading a magazine.

STORY BY LONNIE C. MILLER AND PHOTOS BY ALEX T. PASCHAL SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING Continued on page 7

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Husband-and-wife team Paige and Benjamin Wilbur serve specialty coffee and drinks, fresh fruit smoothies, artisan style sandwiches, homemade soups, fresh salads, ice cream, pastries, and more at Steam Anchor Coffee & Café in Fulton.

River City natives launch Steam Anchor Coffee & Café

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here’s a new place to dock for coffee and a bite.

Steam Anchor Coffee & Café opened Oct. 12 at the intersection of state Routes 84 and 136, behind the AmericInn Hotel and Suites, next to the Shell station.

Owners Benjamin and Paige Wilbur are natives: Paige, 23, grew up in Clinton, Iowa, and Ben, 27, in Fulton.

Steam Anchor serves specialty coffee and drinks, fresh fruit smoothies, artisan style sandwiches, hearty homemade soups, fresh salads, ice cream, pastries, and more.

They’re gaining in popularity daily.

“We brought ice cream back to Fulton, so that seems to be getting more attention as we come into the summer months,” Ben said.

“I would say that many people know us

Drop anchor at this cafe Steam Anchor Coffee and Café is open from 7 a.m. to 7p.m.

Monday through Saturday at 1310 17th St. in Fulton.

Find Steam Anchor Coffee Co. on Facebook, go to steamanchor.com or call 815-208-7074 to learn more about the Wilbur’s catering and other services. for our quality in our food and specialty coffee drinks and also our delicious fresh fruit smoothies,” Paige said. “Ultimately, I would say we are known for our customer service, though.

“We try our hardest to make you feel like you are the most important, because to us you are!”

Steam Anchor also has free Wi-Fi, outdoor seating, call-ahead service and a drive-through.

The Wilburs do small-event catering, too – soup, sandwiches, chips and baked goods for

meetings, retreats, parties, etc. Large orders are fine; they just don’t deliver at the moment.

Prices are reasonable: A half-sandwich with soup and a drink costs less than $8, and a specialty drink is featured daily. You can find a menu on the cafe’s Facebook page.

“We are always growing and changing to meet the needs and wants of our customers,” Paige said.

Continued on page 9

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Continued from page 7

They opened the business to satisfy a need of their own – well, two, actually.

“While I was attending school at Clinton Community College I kept wanting a comfortable place to study that had free Wi-Fi,” Ben said. “As I started my bachelor’s of business administration program through Oral Roberts University, that need only strengthened.

“For my senior project, I was supposed to do a mock business startup, but instead I actually ran the numbers to start a coffee/café in Clinton, Iowa, which [I hoped] to start after I graduated. However, the numbers didn’t pan out and we let the idea go.”

Then Ben got a call from Scott Schaefer with the Quad Cities Prayer Center in Davenport, Iowa, asking if the center could use Ben’s business model. The result was Connect Coffee House in Northpark Mall.

“That was the best and most influential decision we made,” Ben said.

“That experience and the connections we made during those 3 years at QCPC have helped us immensely to shape and start our own coffee house.

“When the opportunity to start one back in our hometown arose, we jumped. Both Paige and I have a heart for people and this community, we wanted to be part of it again.”

“We would love for people to come check us out,” Paige added.

“Spend some time with us, use the free Wi-Fi and enjoy the atmosphere while being surrounded by people who treat you like family and hospitality unmatched anywhere else.” s

ABOVE: Tami Dillin (left) of Erie and Erika Rus of Albany chat after having lunch at the cafe.

BELOW: A hot shot of Anchor Steam espresso can really perk up your day.

ABOVE: Karlie Byers puts together a chicken and cheddar sandwich at Anchor Steam Coffee and Cafe in Fulton.

RIGHT: Ben dishes up a steamy bowl of the popular broccoli cheese soup.

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Lori Shear has owned Country Orchids, 1019 Fourth St. in Fulton, for 3 decades. In addition to silk and fresh flower arrangements and green or blooming plants, she sells Tiffany lamps and other home decor, candles, home fragrances, and bath salts.

A feast for the senses

Best friends put forth their best at Country Orchids and Kris’ Kookies STORY BY LONNIE C. MILLER PHOTOS BY ALEX T. PASCHAL AND SUBMITTED SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING

Goodies made

by Kris Wiersema (shown here in a submitted photo) are available at Country Orchids, $8 for a dozen cookies, $5 for a half dozen, and $10 for a dozen “brookies.”

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hat’s better than doing something you love for a living?

How about doing it with your best friend?

Lori Shear, 54, learned floral design and decorating while working at a floral shop in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where she grew up. Her best buddy, Kris Wiersema, 49, is a baker with a nose for the nostalgic.

At Country Orchids and Kris’ Kookies, in the former Ammon Clothing Store Building at 1019 Fourth St., the two Fulton women make magic.

Lori has owned her floral business for 31 years; she and Kris have been best friends all but 10 of those.

Continued on page 13

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The floral business has been in operation for 31 years.

Continued from page 11

Lori specializes in weddings, and brings a sensitive, special touch to funerals, but she is best known for her personalized, custom floral pieces. Bring in any item, and Lori will consult with you and incorporate it into a design to suit the personality of your bouquet’s recipient.

Or maybe you’ll find that special item in the shop.

In addition to the silk and fresh flower arrangements and green or blooming plants, Lori sells Tiffany-style lamps and other home decor, candles of all shapes and scents, home fragrances, and Blissful Bombs – all-natural, handmade bath bombs guaranteed to soften the skin and soothe the senses.

It’s her dream job. “I can’t think of anything else I would rather do, she said. “This is it for me.”

Meanwhile, Kris spends a good portion of her days baking dozens of specialty and homey old-fashioned cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and “brookies” – a decadent cookie/brownie combo – that she sells at Country Orchids.

One of her top sellers is the pruttercup – a peanut butter-filled brownie topped with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. She also makes those childhood favorites that Grandma used to make: oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, peanut butter M&M, and macadamia nut, to name just a few.

Kris, too, does weddings and other festive occasions, and also welcomes special orders.

Together, the women fill the downtown Fulton shop with beautiful sights and delicious smells.

So, what’s better than browsing a cute shop full of bright colors and tantalizing smells?

How about browsing while nibbling on a cookie, maybe with your best friend by your side? s

Country Orchids and Kris’ Kookies

The pruttercup (shown here in a submitted photo) is one of Kris’ top sellers.

Country Orchids is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 1019 Fourth St. Call 815-589-4045, go to countryorchids.com or find Country Orchids on Facebook.

Kris’ Kookies goodies are available at Country Orchids, $8 for a dozen cookies, $5 for a half dozen, and $10 for a dozen “brookies.”

Reach her at the shop, email kriswiersema@ mediacombb.net or message her on the Kris’ Kookies Facebook page.

Flowers, gifts and decor can be found at Country Orchids in Fulton in all the colors of the rainbow.

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Walt Fields, 91, of Fulton, shows the program from the night his college basketball team was inducted into the Indiana Hall of Fame.

He served in the Pacific with the Navy during World War II, then joined the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farm system.

As a teacher, a coach, and a Major League Baseball scout, sports has been a consistent thread through his life.

ne tough out

Fulton man chose coaching, family over baseball stardom

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STORY BY CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN AND PHOTOS BY ALEX T. PASCHAL SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING

alt Fields wasn’t thinking about his future, the fact that baseball didn’t pay much, or that he couldn’t play forever.

He was thinking only about catching the baseball.

With the bases loaded and his Valdosta Dodgers an out away from eking out a victory, the cleanup hitter launched a fly ball tagged for beyond the right field fence. Walt, the center

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fielder, read the ball off the bat, broke on a beeline for the fence, leapt and took away a grand slam.

“I had to save that game for my pitcher,” he said. “The pitchers loved me, and I loved baseball.”

Funny. He’d just gotten done asking his manager, William Welp, for his release from the Georgia ballclub. At that time, Walt was worried for his future.

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“I was a poor guy, and I knew I needed to quit this screwing around,” he said. “But he said, ‘No, I’m not going to release you.’”

Welp asked him a favor: Stick around so the Dodgers’ scouting director, Wid Mathews, could see him play. Fun fact: Mathews would later become general manager of the Chicago Cubs – the other team that courted Walt heavily as he served in the Navy in World War II.

When Mathews, once a fantastic outfielder in his own right, saw Walt make that game-saving grab?

“He said, ‘Hey, kid, have you got your bag packed? We’re going to Daytona Beach, and you’re going to play every day,’” Walt said.

Thus began a series of instances in which he tried but failed to get out of sports, only to put his fingerprints on the annals of dozens of professional, college and high school teams.

Quick learner Walt finished the season in Class D Daytona Beach, where he hit .302, a full 100 points higher than he hit in Valdosta. He struck out just four times in 106 at-bats, compared to fanning 17 times in 67 at-bats in Valdosta, a testament to his raw talent, not to mention how quickly he learned.

After all, he’d never had any coaching growing up, but he organized games for the 12 siblings on the family farm, where they used cow chips for bases.

They didn’t have baseball in high school, so he played hoops.

He was a flat-out grinder who couldn’t shoot a lick, but he could jump over opponents for rebounds and beat everyone to loose balls.

So he’d never seen 90-mph fastballs until he returned from the Pacific and joined the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farm system. He sure as heck had never seen any of the other junk pitchers threw, and back then, off-speed stuff was the bulk of a pitcher’s arsenal.

Even though in a few months he beefed up his average, all but eliminated his strikeouts, and carved out a reputation as a dynamo of a center fielder, he made good on his pledge to himself. He went to college at Butler University, where he would play baseball and basketball.

The Dodgers sent him a contract in December of his freshman year, telling him to report to spring training. He never responded.

“Oh, was it hard, and I never told anybody at college,” he said. “I never stopped thinking about baseball. I just loved it. I often think, ‘What if I’d stayed?’”

Continued on page 17

ABOVE: Walt has a well-stocked scrapbook with years of pictures, clippings and memories.

BELOW: Walt, number 40, played for Butler University in Indianapolis.

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A shelf in Walt’s home is stocked full of memorabilia.

Continued from page 15

Welcome to the real world

Eager to get on to the next chapter of his life, Walt graduated from Butler in 3 years with his physical education degree. Little did he know how good the next chapter would be.

He took a job teaching and coaching in Earl Park, Indiana, where he met a beautiful grade school teacher, Dorothy Abbott.

They were married that year, and would have five children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Walt taught and coached – with great success – in three school districts, setting up programs in all of them, before trying to get out again. A college buddy told him about a new Catholic school that had opened in Indianapolis, Scecina Memorial High School, so he took a job there.

Then the mother of all opportunities came along: Marian College (today Marian University) needed an athletic director and coaches.

“Oooh. … It was prestigious, and there was ego,” he said. “I figured I’d like to give it a try before I hang up my spikes. You want to make a contribution to society that’s worthwhile.”

He was there about 15 years and, after helping a community college in Ohio develop, he finally

retired in 1978 after setting up a number of programs and the financial aid system at the school.

Dorothy’s father had died, and left the house she grew up in along U.S. Route 30 between Morrison and Fulton, to her and one of her sisters – the same house Walt lives in today.

She wasn’t wild about moving back to the boondocks, but it was time to settle down and enjoy their family and the picturesque woods behind the house.

“Dorothy was so supportive, and she let me do what I wanted to do,” Walt said. He lost her 11 years ago.

Save situation Walt got to scratch the baseball itch again through a stint as a Major League Baseball scout. He still adores the game, as he should.

He says it saved his life.

He grew up on a farm in Batesville, Indiana, where his dad, a World War I hero in the infantry, fell on hard times.

“He was a good man, but got to drinking,” Walt said. “It was a dysfunctional family. Actually, it was tough on us. Playing ball saved my life.”

Walt developed a stutter as a result of the dysfunction, and it actually helped get him in the

door with the Chicago Cubs.

After he’d tried out with the Dodgers in Indy, he hitchhiked to the Cubs’ and White Sox’s spring training site in French Lick, Indiana.

Sox manager Jimmy Dykes, who’d been feuding with Cubs manager Jimmy Wilson, was being interviewed by reporters when Walt made his way through the scrum. Once he got Dykes’ attention, stuttering, he accidentally called him Jimmy Wilson. Dykes kicked him out of camp, but once Wilson heard about his nemesis’ reaction?

“He said, ‘Get him a uniform,’” Walt said.

Colorful anecdotes aside, there are a handful of Halls of Fame that boast Walt’s name. Perhaps most notable, however, was an honor he received about a year ago, when a handful of former Marian students established the Walter Fields Scholarship for incoming freshmen.

“Only a smattering of those kids were really quality players,” he said. “but we built such a bond that those kids last year scrounged up $50,000 and created a scholarship in my name.

That’s the best tribute you can ever get: that people have an appreciation for what you’ve done.” s

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Friends for Charity’s recent pie sale is just one of the ways the group raises money. It also goes for grants, seeks donations with fliers and posters, and work with agencies, businesses and schools in Fulton and Clinton, Iowa.

Volunteers help those in need

W

STORY BY LONNIE C. MILLER AND SUBMITTED PHOTOS SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING

hen good friends get together over good food, good ideas arise.

Judy Vogel and Pat Cummings of Fulton met with friends at Julie’s Restaurant in Albany for a social luncheon 4 years ago, and left with an idea for a charitable organization that would enable them to help a lot of those in need in Clinton, Iowa, and Fulton.

Friends for Charity volunteers meet from 6 to 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month at Fulton Township Building. Membership has grown to 15 to 20 individuals whose sole purpose is to help others, said Randy Barnes, chairman of the board.

There’s always room – and need – for more, though.

“We just love it when people show up for our meetings,” Barnes said. “If you like to help others and have an interest in making your part of the area just a little better, you are welcome.”

Vogel is vice president.

“We need people to help,” she said. “We all

To help To donate to or get involved with Friends for Charity, a 501c3 nonprofit agency, find it on Facebook and leave a message, or call 515-779-7944.

Donations also can be mailed to P.O. Box 341, Fulton, IL 61252. work very hard to do the fundraising. No special talent is needed, just a willingness to work hard and have fun.

“The more folks who help, the more we can get done.”

Fulton and Clinton are neighbors on either side of the Mississippi, and all money raised by Friends stays in the area.

“We get about three small grants totaling $2,500 each year, and we do about eight fundraisers throughout the year,” Barnes said. “We have a budget of about $12,000 annually, and expenses

of around $500, so you can see we spend every bit on the charitable works of the group.”

Money-raising ventures include bake sales, pie sales, and selling food at community events and homecoming games. They go for grants, and seek donations with fliers and posters about the needs of the surrounding communities, and through interaction with local agencies, businesses and schools.

For example, Kohl’s has helped the organization by sending workers to help raise money, and by giving a donation.

Friends of Charity works with credible sources to gather names of those in need.

The group gives to the food bank, and helps pay medical bills, rent, groceries, gasoline and utility bills in emergencies. Its donations buy winter clothing for school children, and helps pay for school milk programs.

“We trust that those who get the funds are encouraged by the help,” Barnes said. “We don’t go through a big, complicated application process.” s

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Music makers wanted River City band announces its summer lineup

BY KATHLEEN SCHULTZ SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING

M

aybe you fiddle around every day.

Maybe you bang your drum every once in a while. Maybe you haven’t blown your own horn since high school.

No matter. If you can play an instrument, the River City Municipal Band welcomes you to its ranks.

The all-volunteer band, founded in 1989, is a program of the Clinton (Iowa) Parks and Recreation Department. Its 30 or so members are gearing up for the 27th summer season, for which seven free concerts are planned.

All ages are invited to play in the band, which is “comprised mostly of amateur musicians who enjoy making Cassie Thuen music together in a fun, Music director for this season informal setting,” according to its Facebook page.

Those considering signing up shouldn’t fear a major commitment: Organizers work around vacations, reunions, weddings – all those summertime obligations that folks have, said Sarah Lind, president of the band’s board of directors.

Play some concerts or all: The experience “is supposed to be fun and positive,” Lind said.

No need to balk if you haven’t picked up an instrument in a while, she stressed. “Even though it’s been 20 or 30 years since you’ve played, you’re still perfectly qualified. ... It’s a fun joy to revisit,” she said.

It’s also a good way for college, high school and middle school students to keep their musical muscles in shape up over the summer.

Practice begins at 5:15 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the Ericksen Community Center, 1401 11th Ave. N., Clinton, and lasts about an hour and a half, Lind said.

The band performs high school level music, and middle school students might need a referral from their band director.

Cassie Thuen is this season’s musical director. The native of Portland, North Dakota, is completing her second year in instrumental music education with the Clinton Community

The River City Municipal Band, an all-volunteer band, was founded in 1989 and is a program of the Clinton Parks and Recreation Department.

The summer season

The schedule: • 10 a.m. May 30, Memorial Day observance at Clinton Lawn Cemetery, 2610 Manufacturing Drive, with Clinton AMVETS • 7 p.m. June 15 at Eagle Point Lodge, 3900 N. Third St., Clinton • 11:30 a.m. June 18 at Felix Adler Day at the Children’s Discovery Center, 332 Eighth Ave. S., Clinton • 1 p.m. July 4, the Fourth of July Celebration Parade along Riverview Drive in Clinton • 6:30 p.m. July 14, Fulton Summer Nights at De Immigrant Windmill in Fulton • 7 p.m. July 20 at Eagle Point Lodge • 7 p.m. Aug. 3 at Eagle Point Lodge For more information on the River City Municipal Band, participation and concerts, call the Ericksen Center, 563-243-1260, or find the band on Facebook.

School District, where she is band director at Clinton Middle School.

She also is an accomplished trumpet player with extensive conducting experience, thanks to a variety of student conductorships. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music at Concordia College in Moorehead, Minnesota.

“We are excited to have a musician of Cassie’s caliber lead us this summer,” Lind said in a

news release. “She is a terrific director and will bring much enthusiasm and fun to the band.

Players and audiences will all enjoy the musical experience.”

Members of the board of directors are Lind; Vice Presidents Dave Livingston of Clinton and Richard Morris of Erie; Treasurer Karil Carr of Bryant, Iowa; Secretary Christine Bauer of Clinton, and Rhonda Schmidt and Stuart Lind, both of Clinton, directors at large. s

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L A I T N E D I ONF

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Vitale’s signature dish is the stuffed pizza: Crust on the bottom, all the ingredients, and another crust on the top, smothered with its secret signature pizza sauce. It’s the number-one seller.

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Chicago-style pizza with a twist at Vitale’s

Vitale’s is open from 4 to 10 p.m. 7 days a week. It’s known for its stuffed pizza, and for its traditional Italian food. With no bar and no TVs, the atmosphere is conducive to good conversation.

D

STORY BY JERMAINE PIGEE AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING

onna Kozovic visits Vitale’s Pizza and Restaurant once a week to get a taste of home.

“The pizza here reminds me of the pizza in Chicago,” said Kozovic, a Windy City native now living in Morrison. “When I come here, I feel like I’m going home.”

The roots of Vitale’s already were planted before James and Lou Dell Bartlett and Kevin and Becky Krontz took over the family business in 1993. Original owners Nunzio and Anna Vitale sold the business after 20 years, and went home to their native Italy.

The restaurant has been a part of Becky’s life for roughly 35 years: She began waitressing there as a teenager, and on May 15, she celebrated 23 years of running the business with her parents.

“There are people who come to the register and they will tell me ‘We have been coming here for years, and you have been waiting on us,’” said Becky, now 52.

The restaurant wasn’t all the partners bought from the Vitales. Becky said.

“We bought their recipe, and that is what keeps the place going. This is real, authentic, Italian food.”

While there are other Italian dishes on the menu, Vitale’s is known for its stuffed pizza: Crust on the bottom, all the ingredients, and

About the restaurant

Where: Vitale’s Pizza and Restaurant Address: 1134 Camanche Ave., Clinton, Iowa Contacts: 563-242-6140 and on Facebook Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. every day except major holidays Atmosphere: Definitely family-friendly and laid-back. There is no bar and no TVs, so the restaurant is really quiet.

Service: The stuffed pizza takes a while to prepare. But the servers are very friendly and sociable. They definitely help the time pass.

Chef recommends: Stuffed pizza Top appetizer: Garlic bread Amenities: Salad bar. Beer and wine coolers also are available.

Reservations: Accepted for large groups another crust on the top, smothered with the signature pizza sauce. It’s the number-one seller.

But there is more to the menu than just pizza.

The traditional, and popular, Italian dinners include spaghetti, ravioli and lasagna; meatball, ham and sausage sandwiches; and fettuccine Alfredo with chicken or shrimp.

The restaurant’s popularity has spurred an expansion: In the past year, the Krontz family bought the gas station next door, and tore it down to add parking space.

Kozovic works at a convenience store in Clinton, Iowa. Once a week, she makes a stop at Vitale’s before making the 14-mile drive back to Morrison.

“The crust and the sauce are really good,”

she said. “I always get the deep-dish pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni and extra cheese.”

Norb and Lorraine Barry have been coming to the restaurant about 35 years. They, too, stop in once a week.

“The food is good,” Norb said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Lorraine agrees.

“The restaurant has good service, good people and it’s clean,” she said. “We will definitely continue to come back here in the future.”

Their favorite is a thin crust sausage pizza. The stuffed pizza is just too much, Norb said.

“That pizza is tot big for us,” he said with a big grin. “I’d weigh 800 pounds.” s

Tour Information • Admission is $20 per vehicle. Price includes booklet and tour map.

• Tour starts west of Sterling by Emerson • Whiteside County Cattleman’s Association will have lunch available on the tour route both days.

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JULY 9-10, 2016 Saturday, July 9 9am-5pm Sunday, July 10 9am-3pm r i v e r

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Amie Ramirez, 30, a Clinton, Iowa, native, opened The Gypsy’s Wanderlust Boutique in November 2014.

Wander with The Gypsy Clinton boutique does boho chic proud

W

STORY BY LONNIE MILLER AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING

hen it comes to boho chic, The Gypsy’s Wanderlust Boutique is totally on trend.

Owner Amie Ramirez, 30, a Clinton, Iowa, native, opened the store in November 2014 on North Second Street, in a two-story home next to Jimmy John’s.

She lives above, while below she’s put together an inventory of unique, interesting, and beautiful clothing, purses, jewelry and gifts.

“I decided to start my boutique back when I was a kid,” Amie said. “I loved going to little boutiques and shops. When I moved back to

Clinton in 2014, I decided that it was time to go for my dream job and open up my very own boutique.”

She majored in visual merchandising and minored in entrepreneurial studies at Iowa State University in Ames, then managed several retail stores before opening The Gypsy’s Wanderlust.

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The boutique has been selling handmade jewelry, lamp shades, dream catchers and other gypsy themed and styled pieces since 2014.

Amie Ramirez, owner of The Gypsy’s Wanderlust Boutique in Clinton.

“If I didn’t have my boutique, I would still be working in retail, probably doing visual merchandising with a retail store like Anthropology or Urban Outfitters,” she said.

Hers is a “free-spirited, bohemian and inspirational boutique,” with clothing that’s on trend with what’s going on the East and West coasts, she said. “From the clothing to the gifts, everything in the store is all about expressing yourself for who you are as an individual.”

Amie prides herself on nurturing that individuality.

“We get one size run [two each of small, medium, and large] of all our clothing. By doing this, our customers don’t have to worry about many

About the botique The Gypsy’s Wanderlust is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 818 N. Second St. in Clinton.

Find it on Facebook and Instagram, call 563-219-8858 or email owner Amie Ramirez, 30, at amesramirez@gmail.com for more information. people walking around in an outfit just like theirs.

“We also carry inspirational and one-of-a kind gifts, which are mostly made in America.”

Those include travel mugs, wall decor, vases,

handmade lampshades and dream catchers, among other things.

In addition to the shop, Amie also does vendor shows and donates to benefits.

“A big part of why I decided to open my store in Clinton was so I could give back to my community,” she said.

Her business philosophy?

“The most important thing I want my existing and future customers to know is that we are very much a unique boutique that doesn’t care about how much is spent, but about how the customers’ experience was.

“I want each and every customer to leave feeling very excited to come back.” s

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Anything goes at Denny O’s

Dawn Smith has been Denny O’s’ bar manager for nearly a decade now. “We welcome customers to just come in, sit a spell, and enjoy the company and a drink.”

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ABOVE: Denny O’s is thought to be the oldest bar in Fulton.

LEFT: The bar is expanding, adding a 50-by-54-foot building for weddings, receptions, parties, meetings and the like. Owner Denny Ottens expects it to be ready to use sometime this summer.

Popular tavern expanding its beer garden, adding an events building Pop in for a cold one

Denny O’s is open from 11 to 2 a.m.

Monday through Friday, from 10 to 2 a.m. Saturday, and from noon to 2 a.m.

Sunday at 307 10th Ave. in Fulton.

Call 815-589-3417 or find it on Facebook for more information, or to reserve the building in the bigger, better beer garden. books bands year-round, although a few less in the summer, when folks are vacationing.

He has a few new plans in the works, too.

He’s redoing the restrooms and expanding the beer garden, adding a 50-by-54-foot building,

for weddings, receptions, parties, meetings and the like. Those who rent the space can bring their own food or hire a caterer, and if they buy their beverages through the bar, use of the building will be free.

Give him until the end of June or beginning of July, and Denny will have the details ironed out and will be taking reservations.

Dawn Smith has been Denny’s bar’s manager for 9 years. She’s a big fan of her boss’ laid-back vibe. “We welcome customers to just come in, sit a spell, and enjoy the company and a drink.�  Denny’s business philosophy: “The customer is always number 1. It’s been that way for 20 years, and we plan to keep it that way. “We plan to keep that mindset for forever.� s

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f you and your friends are looking for a laid-back, not-too-fancy but welcoming watering hole where you can grab a cold one and hear a great band, Denny O’s neighborhood pub might be right up your alley.

Owner Denny Ottens, 56, was a union iron worker for 36 years. Twenty years ago, he decided he wanted to buy a bar, and when the spot at 307 10th Ave. came up for sale, he jumped. Denny’s O’s was born.

His formula is simple: “We’re not big into food,� he said. “We have some bar food, like frozen pizza and such, but mostly, this is an adult place to drink and socialize.�

Live music is a hallmark of the bar. Ottens

EN

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STORY BY LONNIE C. MILLER AND PHOTOS BY ALEX T. PASCHAL SPECIAL TO RIVER CITY LIVING

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