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Who loves pinball, baby? Steven “Kojack” Kovach does. Kovach, seen here taking on Godzilla on Nov. 7, at Bugsy’s Arcade and Gaming is a regular at the arcade. ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

BYCODYCUTTERSAUK | VALLEYMEDIA

STERLING — Have you heard what’s going on at Northland Mall? “Pew pew!” “Vrooom!” “Waka waka waka waka!” Say what? If those noises sound familiar, then you’re probably old enough to remember when video games drew tons of teens to Blackhawk Arcade. These days, that noise is the sound of fun for the whole family at a business where pinball wizards and power-pellet munchers of all ages have found a home at the mall. Bugsy’s Arcade and Gaming opened in July 2022, and since then has been bringing customers through its doors to test their skill on a lineup of games old and new, from vintage video classics to virtual reality. You an even try your luck on some gambling machines. For longtime locals, it’s a welcome sight to see an arcade at the mall years after Blackhawk Arcade, a former favorite haunt for high-schoolers and high-scorers, closed its doors.

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Makayla Fordyce gets as much of a kick out of watching customers at the game consoles at Bugsy’s as they do playing them. “I like working with entertainment, and seeing the kids interact and seeing families coming in,” Fordyce said. “There’s a lot of joy and having fun.”

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BUGSY’S cont’d from page 3 Arcades are making a comeback in the area, nearly a decade after Blackhawk shut down. Bugsy’s was the first of three standalone arcades in the Sauk Valley to open in the past year. Not only has it brought in customers who were around when arcades were the place to be, but kids who are discovering them for the first time. Seeing customers tackle a challenging game is something Maggie Morrison enjoys seeing at the business, whether they’re playing Pac-Man or pinball, or getting in the driver’s seat of a racing game. Maggie, daughter of Bugsy’s owner Anna Morrison, runs the day-to-day operations, and sometimes gets the itch to hop back in a game seat like she did years ago on visits to the Peru Mall. “It’s a good, classic activity to spend time on, and everyone can do it,” Maggie said. “I always liked going to arcades when I was young. I would always sneak in there before I saw a movie; it just always grabbed my attention.”

Got a case of Pac-Man fever? This king-size version at Bugsy’s is just what the doctor ordered. ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

Makayla Fordyce also enjoys reliving her memories when she works her shift. She used to play the games at White Pines Skating Rink in Mt. Morris growing up, and still finds an opportunity to play the Big Buck hunting game when she has a chance. “I like working with entertainment, and seeing the kids interact and seeing families coming in,” Fordyce said. “There’s a lot of joy and having fun, and a lot of competition sometimes.”

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

If the Godzilla pinball machine isn’t enough monster action for you, hop in the seat of this King Kong of Skull Island virtual reality game at Bugsy’s.

BUGSY’S cont’d from page 5 Named after a French bulldog/Boston terrier mix in the Morrison family, Bugsy’s has 15 arcade games and two claw machines for customers of all ages, including a couple of pinball machines that rotate out every so often. For the adults, six Gold Rush gambling machines are set aside in a private room. Morrison, Fordyce and the rest of Bugsy’s crew get a kick out of seeing people try and claw their way to a prize, whether they manage to grab it or not. It’s a game all ages enjoy, especially children who hop up on a stool and

Locally Owned, Locally Managed

work the claw machine’s controls. When they manage to snag a stuffed animal, there’s nothing like seeing the smile on their face. If all that fun works up an appetite, Bugsy’s has some “power pellets” to give you a boost: snacks, including corn dogs, nachos, pizza and hot dogs. You can wash it down with a soda or a slushie, and Mom and Dad can grab a beer or mixed drink at the bar while the kids get in some screen time. If you don’t want to pal around with Pac-Man, a more modern take on gaming in available where you strap on goggles and immerse yourself in a virtual reality. “You’ll look around and things will be different, and you get to use your hands and collect different things throughout the levels,” Morrison said. “Everybody likes to sit and watch everybody play it. Sometimes it scares them, sometimes it’s funny, sometimes they’re just sitting there — you get all kinds of different reactions.”

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BUGSY’S cont’d from page 6

The arcade gives people of all ages a chance to relax, have fun, or just blow off some steam. If you really want a challenge, playing it safe It’s become a key part of the mall’s 50th year as might be the way to go. According to Maggie, a Sterling staple, one that rekindles memories perhaps the hardest game in the arcade is Safe of a time when Blackhawk, in all its darkened Cracker: “That’s impossible. I’ve never seen and back-lit glory, was packed with players anyone win off of it but one,” she said. plunking in token after token, vying for victory Not everything is just like the classic arcade when they could enter days. Token/ticket cards have Got a pocket full of quarreplaced dollar bills and ters and you’re heading their initials on the high score list and earn bragcoins. “Tokens” are loaded to the arcade? Swap ging rights — until the on a small, plastic card, ‘em for an arcade next player came along which is swiped at most macard, which is and beat their score. chines (except for the claws) what Bugsy’s Fordyce enjoys to start play; “tickets” are customers hearing stories of those loaded onto the same card and use to play times, and is happy to redeemed at a prize counter. games instead bring them back today The cards are easier to manage of change or tokens. at Bugsy’s. when things get busy, especially “I’ve heard about it a few times, but never during the parties that Bugsy’s hosts. got to experience it,” Fordyce said. “I’ve had a “We do a lot of birthday parties, and we did lot of customers say that it’s so cool to see one a lot more Christmas parties than I would have here, and they’ll tell me about that one. Some expected,” Maggie said. “A lot of adults will of the stories have been real interesting, and have parties here, too. With the work parties, they’re just happy to have something like this they’ll play the arcade games just like how the here again.”n kids do, some of them may gamble, and some Cody Cutter can be reached may just want snacks and drinks and enjoy at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com. their night.”

Bugsy's Arcade and Gaming, 2900 E. Lincolnway in Sterling (at Northland Mall), is open from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Find it on Facebook, email bugsysarcade@ gmail.com or call 815-677-2307 to arrange parties or for more information.

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ROCK FALLS — When Chaley Sexton and Ashley Kness became friends, they each found someone who they could fit right in with. But they couldn’t say the same about the clothes they were finding at stores. It seemed like whenever they went shopping in the area, they couldn’t find clothing in the sizes and styles they wanted, and they knew they weren’t the only ones facing fashion frustrations. So they decided to do something about it. By They opened up their own store, Mud Cody Cutter and Moo Boutique in downtown Rock Sauk Valley Falls. Media Those frustrating shopping trips became the inspiration for a store that carries the kinds of fashions they were looking for in the sizes that weren’t always on the racks close to home. Mud and Moo Boutique opened in September and sells tops up to size 3X and jeans up to size 24, in the kinds of styles that the pair hopes will fits customers’ fashion needs to a tee. “We’re not here just to make a sale, we’re here to help women find clothes that they’re happy with and feel beautiful in,” Sexton said. “They’re clothes that they love, and they can come back in to us for their next purchase or their next outfit.” The Mud and Moo name caters to their favorite styles.

MUD & MOO cont’d to page 9 Ashley Kness (left) and Chaley Sexton invite you to check out their new shop, Mud and Moo Boutique, in downtown Rock Falls. “We’re not here just to make a sale, we're here to help women find clothes that they're happy with and feel beautiful in,” Sexton said. ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

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MUD & MOO cont’d from page 8 Sexton and Kness enjoy a rural style of fashion — jeans, flannel patterns, flowy features and country-inspired shirt designs — and have seen it become popular in the area. “I have cows, and we wanted it to have more of a western name,” Kness said. “We came up with six different choices, and I told her, ‘What do you think of these?’ Mud and Moo, it’s this one. It sounded better.” Sexton and Kness don’t go after the same names you might see at big-box stores, instead preferring to seek out smaller, women-owned brands to supply their products, with the idea that the ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM connections will help those businesses grow as well. It also has the benefit of Robyn Meinen (left) and Ruth Petrashek look dealing with suppliers who are more knowledgeable about their products and through a rack of tops at Mud & Moo Boucurrent trends, since they deal in a more select selection, as opposed big labels tique. Owners Ashley Kness and Chaley that offer larger lines of clothing. Sexton say business has been picking Rural not your style? The store also carries other kinds of clothing as well. Don’t up since they first opened in Septemsee what you’re looking for? Ask if there’s “more in the back” — Sexton and Kness ber, as word of mouth about the are happy to work with customers to find what they’re looking for in different styles shop spreads. and sizes. And those sizes aren’t just on the larger size. Customers looking for smaller sizes can find something too. They also stock a selection of clothes for babies and toddlers.

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MUD & MOO cont’d from page 9 Mud and Moo also carries fashion accessories — purses, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and more, You can even give your home a makeover with some new home decor products. Other items — such as mason jar candles, wax melts, beard balms, handmade soaps and cell phone grips (the knob-like attachment affixed to the backs) — are made or designed when

Sexton and Kness aren’t tending to their ever-revolving inventory of clothing. The two met while working next door at Froggy’s Bar and Grill, where they found a friendship in their fashion sense. They started to sell their creations, including fashion accessories and home decor, at local markets and things started to take off from there. They hopped on a chance to turn what was Froggy’s storage room into a shop stocked with their creations. Then came the clothing, which wound up being the biggest part of their store’s stock.

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a whole lot to choose from ... Clothing in a wide range of sizes, fashion accessories, kids clothing, personal care products, and more — you’d be hard-pressed to not to find something you like at Mud and Moo Boutique. Like the sign in the store’s front window says: “See it. Buy it. Love it.” DY C

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MUD & MOO cont’d from page 10 “Just because you’re in your 20s, 30s or 40s and you have to get a curvier size, it doesn’t mean you want it to be ugly,” Sexton said. “You want to wear the same thing as something in a medium. We’d go shopping and find out that many boutiques don’t carry plus-size, or curvy sizes. They have cute, adorable clothes, but they don’t carry sizes for everybody.” Since theire shop opened, Sexton and Kness have heard the sighs of relief from customers who don’t have to head out of town to find the kinds of clothing that they want. “We’re still getting new customers who are coming in and going, ‘Someone just told me about this place,’” Sexton said. “The best compliment we can get from a customer is telling a friend. It’s amazing seeing many new people come in.” n Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.

Mud and Moo Boutique, 209 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday though Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Find it on Facebook, Instagram (@mudandmooboutique22) or TikTok (@mudandmooboutique); email mudandmoo@gmail.com; or call 815-441-3103 for more information.

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Alley Loop owner Linda Dunham ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

DIXON — “Crazy” Cuban sandwiches, “Ragin’” Reubens and “Mommi” salamis — you’d be hard-pressed to find them at most bars. At Alley Loop, they’re panini-pressed. Not only does the “saloon and deli” — as it styles itself — have customers who come to quench their thirst with a beer or two, it also serves up a bevy of uniquely packed sandwiches. Alley Loop owner Linda Durham is a big fan of panini-style sandwiches — made with Italian-style bread and toasted on a panini press — and her customers are, too. It’s a touch of her Italian heritage that she brings to her menu, and it attracts both food fans and familiar bar-goers alike. “Everybody knows everybody,” Durham said. “The pool teams will come and bring their girlfriends, have a little bit of food, and we’ll get some of the people from the other bars that come and get food.” The bar’s compact kitchen isn’t big — you might think that her crew would be hard-pressed to make so many sandwiches, but they do, keeping up with orders that come in during the busy lunch and dinner hours. They’ve even done the occasional large order for work meetings and group functions as well.

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

ALLEY LOOP cont’d from page 13 And paninis aren’t all they serve. The Loop’s lineup also includes burgers, Italian beef sandwiches, turkey pestos and Greek pitas. Having trouble deciding what kind of sandwich you want? The menu offers some help: “Start with your bread ... then add your cheese ... throw some meat on there ... now let’s run it through the garden ... and last but not least, sauce!” Taste buds want a fiesta of flavors? Stop by during one of Alley Loop’s two taco nights: one on Monday with Puerto Rican carnita meat and the other on Thursday with ground beef. In another nod to her Italian heritage, there’s also a Caprese sandwich on the menu, served with or without meat, one that Durham decided to start making after a visit to her

mother’s homeland. “I took a trip to Italy a few years ago to go to where my mother (Ada) was born,” Durham said. “I remember looking at these Caprese sandwiches that came off of a panini machine, and I thought, ‘I have to start making those.’ We did, and it’s one of the better selling sandwiches we have.” And while there’s plenty of room on the menu for Italy, there’s not quite enough space for France. Nothing personal, mind you. “We get a lot of calls for French fries, but they’ll never be a French fry here,” Durham said, noting that there’s simply not room in the kitchen to ask customers: “Want fries with that?” The bar’s location — about 100 feet from Dixon’s riverfront — makes it a perfect fit to route some of the customers traffic from special events into the business, like the City Market on summer Wednesdays. And for folks who might not stop by the bar, Durham will bring her business to them. She bought a hot dog cart this past summer and enlisted her boyfriend, Mason Hayenga, to push the cart and sell Loop Dogs. “With all of these festivities going on around here, with people selling donuts and this or that, I thought of our Vienna Beef guy who has these huge hot dogs,” Durham said. “I thought, let’s buy a nice hot dog cart, and when they have these events, we can pull it right out front and sell them.”

A little bit of Italy and a little bit of Cuba ... Paninis are a customer favorite at Alley Loop. Among the Italian-style sandwiches is the Cuban.

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worked for her brother before owning Alley Loop. Also nearby, her cousin, Patrick Venier, owned Drifters Saloon next to Royal Palms; Drifters continues to be run by members of his family. In addition, Venier Jewelers — across the alley from Alley Loop’s back door — and its staff of three generations of Veniers also are cousins of Durham’s. Last year was a difficult one for Durham, with Eastman and Patrick Venier both passing away, but she keeps the family legacy of fostering good times and camaraderie going in her hometown. “I enjoy people, and there’s some real good people here,” Durham said. n Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com. ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

When Linda saw other vendors having good luck with selling food during downtown festivities, she decided to invest in a hot dog wagon, manned by her boyfriend, Mason Hayenga, during special events. “With all of these festivities going on around here, with people selling donuts and this or that, I thought of our Vienna Beef guy who has these huge hot dogs,” she said.

ALLEY LOOP cont’d from page 14 Tilly Seidel has been an Alley Loop bartender for almost 10 years, and still looks forward getting behind the bar and serving customers — and getting out from behind the bar when her shift is over. The atmosphere and people who come in have made it a place where it can be great to stay at work after clocking out, she said, or even coming in early. And she still likes to grab a sandwich from the kitchen; “haven’t gotten tired of eating The Alley Loop Sathem yet,” she’s happy to say. loon and Deli, 80 “We have everything: You can S. Hennepin Ave. have dinner, you can gamble, you in Dixon, is open can play pool,” Seidel said. “We’re 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. just a huge family. Any time I come Monday through here, I know I’m going to see at least Saturday, and five people who are going to make 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. me laugh, and Linda’s always going Sunday; the kitchto have our back if we ever need en is open 11 a.m. anything. There’s always going to be to 7 p.m. Monday a group of people here with a smile through Saturday, on their face.” and 11 a.m. to The Alley Loop name isn’t too 5 p.m. Sunday. Find hard to figure out: It sits at a corner it on Facebook or of Commercial Alley and Hennepin call 815-288-9335 Avenue. Being in the bar business to place a carryout has been right up her family’s alley. order or for more Durham’s brother, Bill Eastman, information. owned the Royal Palms bar across from the nearby Bean Blossom parking lot for 48 years, and today it’s operated by Durham’s daughter, Maria Burke; and Durham

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