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STEAMERS HUNGRY Repairs to hole in road to start Monday TO TAKE NEXT STEP FULTON FOOTBALL, B1
DIXON, A3
dailyGAZETTE Friday, August 14, 2015
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ROCK FALLS | RECREATION AND EDUCTION
Happy ending coming this fall? Storybook Trail planners hopeful project will launch before leaves turn BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeier
ROCK FALLS – The Storybook Trail project is running behind schedule, but organizers still hold out hope it can be finished this fall.
Mary Nelson, a Whiteside County Extension program coordinator, has been working on the project with city building inspector Mark Searing. The trail would extend from Avenue D near Linville Crossing to McNeil Road. Books with nature themes will be chosen,
and different pages will be found at each post. Activities related to each book will be planned. Nelson answered members’ questions at Thursday’s meeting of the Hennepin Canal/ Trails Committee. Searing said it was hoped the
project could be completed in August – in time for the beginning of a new school year. Two Eagle Scouts are working on the project, however, and they have been busy this summer. STORYBOOK CONTINUED ON A4
Did you know? • When the Storybook Trail in Rock Falls is completed, it will be the first of its kind in the state, according to city building inspector Mark Searing.
DIXON
DIXON | TOURISM
‘You can feel the real America here’ Day care renews lease at Lincoln Open Sesame pays $12K for another year in idle school BY JERMAINE PIGEE jpigee@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5525 @JPigee84
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com
Illinois Director of Tourism Cory Jobe (right) and tourism representative Eric Wagner look over the Lincoln Highway mural on the side of the Dixon Welcome Center on Thursday during a tour of the area led by Diane Bausman, executive director of Blackhawk Waterways Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Tourism director: Collaboration gives Sauk Valley strength in numbers BY BRENDEN WEST bwest@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5529 @BWest_SVM
DIXON – Tourism – locally and statewide – is on the rise. There’s a trickle effect to that, says Illinois Director of Tourism Cory Jobe.
TOP5 Your Weekend
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Far out, man: Gardenstock turns 7
DIXON – The seventh annual Gardenstock Art and Musical Festival will be at Distinctive Gardens, 2020 Lowell Road, beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. Nine bands will play, work from regional artists will be on display, and there will be a tie-dye contest, raffles, and food. Wristbands cost $6, and $3 for children 12 and younger. Proceeds benefit Sinnissippi Centers’ Youth Garden Program.
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Jobe, who visited the area Thursday, ahead of that night’s Blackhawk Waterways Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual dinner in Oregon, said the rise in visitors will reflect an improved quality of life locally. Last month, the CVB report-
ed 2014 regional tourismrelated expenditures were $159.7 million, up 6.6 percent from 2013. That contributed to the $36.3 billion garnered statewide, a 3.5 percent increase over the same span. “Tourism really touches a lot of lives in the commu-
nity,” Jobe said during a tour through Dixon with CVB Director Diane Bausman, during which they visited the riverfront, Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home and other unique aspects of the city. TOURISM CONTINUED ON A2
DIXON – Open Sesame Children’s Learning Center will hold after-school and summer programs at the closed Lincoln School for another year. The Dixon School Board on Wednesday approved a 1-year, $12,000 lease with the nonprofit center, based at 1101 Middle Road, which also rented the building last year but has since been looking for a larger space. “They use the gym on occasion, and they use the old cafeteria downstairs for lunch,” said Dave Blackburn, the district’s business manager. “The playground and baseball field worked out well for them. They are using a little less than half of the building.” The district closed Lincoln at the end of the 2013-14 school year to save money. Last year, Open Sesame paid $10,500 to use the building. LINCOLN CONTINUED ON A4
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Rock out at Beamanfest
DIXON – Two days, 23 bands, countless guitar licks. That’s what you’ll get this weekend at the seventh annual Beamanfest at VFW Post 540, 1560 state Route 38. The lineup includes heavy metal bands and some southern rock and heavy country. Camping will be at 734 Bloody Gulch Road with a free shuttle service to the post and back. Tickets are $10 for Friday’s lineup (from 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.), $13 for Saturday’s (11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.) and $20 for both days.
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Want to land in Lincoln’s time?
FRANKLIN GROVE – “Lincoln and the Civil War” will be the theme of the Singing Bird Chautauqua from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at Franklin Creek State Natural Area, 1893 Twist Road. Character portrayals, nature walks, food, music, arts and crafts and more will be part of the event. Tickets are $25 for one day, and $45 for both days; kids 12 and younger are admitted free. Go to franklincreekgristmill. com for a schedule and more information.
ABBY ................... A8 BUSINESS ......... A13 COMICS ...............B7
CROSSWORD....B13 LIFESTYLE .......A7&8 LOTTERY ............. A2
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Carnival continues in Sterling
STERLING – St. Andrew Catholic School’s Back to School Carnival continues through Sunday in the parking lot of Northland Mall, 2900 E. Lincolnway. Daily armbands are $20 for each of the following sessions: noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday. There will be a charge for each ride from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday.
NATION/WORLD .. A9 OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6
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A festival atmosphere in Rochelle
ROCHELLE – The Lincoln Highway Heritage Festival runs today through Sunday and features a food court and beer garden, music, carnival rides, arts and crafts, and more. There will be a car show Saturday in the downtown, with judging from noon to 1:30 p.m. A parade kicks off at 3 p.m. Sunday, followed by an ice cream social at the downtown gazebo. Go to lincolnhighwayheritagefestival. org for a complete schedule.
Today’s weather High 90. Low 68. More on A3.
Need work? Check out your classifieds, B8.
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