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Publisher/Ad Director Jennifer Heintzelman Magazine editor & Page Design Rusty Schrader Published by Sauk Valley Media 113 S. Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 815-284-2222 Have a story ideas for Dixon Living? Let us know ... Call 815-632-2531 or e-mail news@saukvalley.com Articles and advertisements are the propertyofSaukValleyMedia.Noportion ofDixonLivingmaybereproducedwithout 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 goodsandservicesprovidedbyadvertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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STORY CODY CUTTER | FOR SAUK VALLEY MEDIA

ven when times were tough, Henry Hey never gave up on the Dixon YMCA. The year was 1930, and America was in the throes of The Great Depression. As the economic upheaval delivered a gut punch to the nation’s economy, the pain was felt across the nation, and that included Dixon. One of the casualties of the cash-strapped community was Dixon’s Young Men’s Christian Association, which was forced to close its doors. But Henry Hey– who would become known as “Mr. YMCA” – never gave up, and without that commitment, and the commitment of others like him, he wouldn’t have been able to turn that first pile of dirt with a ceremonial shovel on a new YMCA building that’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. After 2 years of construction, the two-story building at the foot of the Galena Avenue Bridge opened in March 1971 and has been serving the community ever since – even during a pandemic. Continued on page 6

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Much like the dogged determination Hey showed decades ago, the Dixon Family YMCA – as it’s called today – hasn’t let a challenge keep it from serving its community. It’s been able to remain open, albeit in a limited form, since the pandemic’s arrival and stands ready to get back to business as usual when the time is right. When children needed care while parents worked, the YMCA’s child care operation remained open. When COVID turned Dixon students’ schedule upside down, the YMCA was there with safe, socially distant and fun activities to keep them occupied. Hey would be proud – but had he given up all those years ago, there might not have been a reason to celebrate this year. In recognition of a half-century in the same facility, a few as-yet announced community celebrations are planned for later in the year, with pandemic’s protocols factoring into the time, date, place and makeup of the events. And as soon as the Y’s semi-centennial year winds up, another milestone is right around the corner: its sesquicentennial — 150 years since the Y put down roots in Dixon.

Henry Hey was instrumental in keeping the YMCA alive in Dixon, and his contribution to its success is commemorated in this plaque at the Y.

Continued on page 7

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The YMCA’s origins date to 1844 when George Williams began a program in England. The concept was brought across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States later that century. It was in the U.S. where athletics became a popular aspect of the organization; it was the source of the invention of basketball in 1891 by James Naismith, and volleyball in 1895 by William Morgan – both done at YMCAs in Massachusetts. As one of northern Illinois’ anchor cities in the days after the Civil War, Dixon was large enough to generate enough interest in having a YMCA of its own. The first facility was established Nov. 25, 1872, when 23 men made a home for the group on the second floor of a jewelry store on the northwest corner of Ottawa Avenue and East First Street (the current location of Basil Tree Ristorante). More than 30 years later, the organization grew to warrant a building of its own, and one was constructed south of the Nachusa House on South Galena Avenue in 1907, complete with swimming pool, classrooms and activity rooms, and a pair of bowling alleys in the basement. Dixon’s most celebrated resident was part of the Dixon YMCA’s story as well. Ronald Reagan trained as a lifeguard there and played with its band. His lifeguard adventures are well-known in town: Eying the Rock River at Lowell Park, Reagan claimed to have saved more than 75 swimmers during the seven summers he stood watch.

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Dixon’s YMCA roots date back to 1872, when a reading room was established on the second floor of this building (above left) on the northwest corner of East First Street and Ottawa Avenue. Today, the building is home to the Basil Tree Ristorante. By the turn of the century, it had grown big enough to warrant a building of its own, and one was built south of the Nachusa House on South Galena Avenue in 1907, seen here in a hand-colored postcard from the early 1900s (above right). The building closed during The Great Depression. By the 1960s, as demand for a Y in Dixon began picking up again, space on the third floor of 105 W. First St. was rented for academic and athletic rooms (right), above the former Boynton-Richards men’s clothing store (now the Salamandra restaurant).

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As pieces of Dixon’s future were put into place, another piece of its past hearkened back to its history. Work on the new Y was just starting when the photo above was taken along North Galena Avenue, where a strip of buildings (at top) were torn down to make room for the new Y. Painted ads on the side of a building can still be seen, advertising a drug store and Selz Shoes, a brand of footwear made by Chicago-based Selz, Schwab & Co. The company started as Selz & Cohn in 1871 and by the beginning of the 20th century, its four Chicagoland factories (Chicago, Joliet, Genoa, Elgin) were churning out around 12,000 pairs of leather boots and shoes a day. The company became a casualty of The Great Depression in 1929. SUBMITTED

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Hey, who later managed the Hey Brothers ice cream plant in town, became president of the YMCA in 1927. He didn’t expect what would hit just a couple of years later when the stock market crashed. Membership declined and the building became too costly to operate, and closed in 1930. Hopeful that the organization would one day return, Hey put the Y on life support, keeping it alive on paper and maintaining its tax-exempt status with the Illinois Secretary of State, even paying for dues and other fees out of his own pocket. It would be awhile before the YMCA would have a building of its own again, but by the 1960s, momentum began to pick up.

Kids enjoy some leisure-time fun during the Dixon Family YMCA’s day care program.

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When Jack Shadrach joined Hey in keeping the organization going, an opportunity to operate facilities and programs soon presented itself. Space on the third floor of 105 W. First St. was rented for academic and athletic rooms; it was above the former Boynton-Richards men’s clothing store (now the Salamandra restaurant). Membership began to rise and it became clear the Y would need a home of its own again. Richard S. Durkes, president of City National Bank, led the fundraising efforts. In a June 21, 1968, story in the Dixon Telegraph, Durkes said “[W]e must accomplish this task because of the urgent need for healthful facilities to aid in the development of our youth.” He organized more than 300 volunteers during the first fund drive, and just as many stepped forward in a subsequent fund drive. The first goal was met in just more than 6 months, and the second took even less time, with $828,000 eventually raised– $575,000 the first time, and $238,000 the second time, after Y officers decided to expand original plans. Continued on page 12

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

The KSB Wellness Center (above) is located on the top floor of the Dixon Family YMCA. The center has weight machines, treadmills, stationary bikes and other equipment. The weight room was recently upgraded, with a new floor and new equipment.

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Some young swimmers get in a lesson at the Dixon YMCA.

A location was picked and plans were drawn up for the new building in 1966. Formerly, the site had been home to Zeien Buick, the Fulfs Confectionery and the Northside Standard Oil gas station. Storefronts and a two-story house across Galena Avenue were razed, a Queen Anne-style home across Boyd Street was razed a decade ago for more parking, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken and Gulf Gas Station occupied the space where McDonald’s is now, one block north and across Galena Avenue. Today, little remains of the surrounding structures that were there at the time of the building’s construction. Construction began in 1969 and took a little less than 2 years to complete. Father William Boland of St. Patrick Church gave the invocation at the dedication ceremony, and Robert Schumm, pastor of First United Methodist Church, gave the benediction. Stan Smith was the YMCA’s board president at the time, and David Rymer was its executive director.

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More than 30 years into servCELEBRATE ing the community, the YMCA 50 YEARS added childcare and The Dixon Family health-wellness programs, YMCA, 110 N. Galena and a capital campaign Ave., is open from 5 a.m. paid for an expansion at the to 8 p.m. Monday through north edge of the building, Friday, and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. close to the corner of Galena Saturday. Find Dixon Family YMCA on Avenue and Boyd Street in Facebook, go to dixonymca. 1998. The wellness center org or call 815-288-9622 was established in partnership for more information. with KSB Hospital. The Lovett Child Development Center is named for longtime board member Donald Lovett. The expansion also included a new reception area. It didn’t take long after the new building opened for membership to grow to more than 1,300 members participating in 75 activities. Having a place of its own gave the Y room to grow and a few years later there were 4,315 members. Today, overseen by Executive Director Andrew McFarlane, the YMCA serves more than 6,000 people each year with aquatic, childcare, day camp, youth programs and health and wellness programs. The YMCA’s initiatives are to promote health and wellness, and be an active partner in the community. It also plans to strengthen and build additional partnerships with local businesses and organizations, continuing its mission to make Dixon a better place for many years to come. n

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STORY CODY CUTTER | FOR SAUK VALLEY MEDIA

hren Giblin wanted to reach the point in his life where he could do the things he does best on his own terms. Now, the 39-year-old Dixon native has. Having worked in the auto body repair industry for most of his adult life, Giblin now has a place of his own, Sauk Valley Collision, at 210 W. Boyd St., one block east of Dixon High School. His first customers rolled in throughout mid-March, but plans to have a grand opening celebration some time in July. In the meantime, he’s working on building up his business, and he’s getting help from his partner, Jessica Coppotelli. The two have four children between them, and they’re taking on the responsibility of running a small business at just the right time, Giblin said. “I’m at that teetering point right now where I’m young enough to take something on to start,” Giblin said. “That’s what I did. I decided, ‘You know what, we’re going to go for it.’ That’s what I want to do, and I want to be retired by the time I’m 60. She wants to do the same, and so we’re going to make the best of it that we can.” Continued on page 16

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

Ehren Giblin looked at few other locations for his shop, before finding out about the spot on West Boyd Street. He said it was well worth the wait. His shop is in a prime spot. “I saw it, and I was like, ‘Wow!’ I couldn’t go wrong. Between Dixon and Sterling, I bet three-quarters of the people that drive by see this place a block away from here every week at least once. To me, that’s a win-win. Location is huge.”

Sauk Valley Collision can handle all sorts of body work, from a scuff to a scratch, from a ding to a dent, or getting your vehicle back in shape after an accident. While many businesses have taken a hit during the pandemic, Giblin said he’s actually picked up some business. Some of the first customers told him they specifically came in to get their dings fixed because they had received their economic stimulus checks, which were sent out to help kick-start an economy hobbled by the coronavirus. Even if you think some minor cosmetic damage isn’t worth fixing, Giblin says you might want to rethink that: As the cost of vehicles – new or used – goes up, people are keeping them longer, so it’s worth it to do a little cosmetic surgery on your car or truck. “They go on NADA (the National Automobile Dealers Association price guide) and see the value of their car; they are blown away at the prices of their cars,” Giblin said. “it’s still worth money.” Continued on page 17

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Customer service is something Giblin has always taken special pride in during his years in the auto body business, and he brings that same approach to his own business. One of the ways he’ll do that it is by being transparent. He plans to install a webcam on the repair floor, allowing clients to go online and keep an eye on their vehicle. In addition, the business’ open floor plan puts everything front and center – no walls or tinted windows to keep customers from seeing what’s going on. “I’ve always reached out, and that’s a deep passion for me, reaching out to customers and giving them good, honest customer service,” Giblin said. “I’ve been on both ends of it. I want to go above and beyond to do what I’ve got to do to make sure that I’m reaching out to customers as far as contacting them, to let them know what’s going on.” Continued on page 20

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

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Cars, trucks and just about anything with wheels has fascinated Giblin for as long as he can remember. His fondest memories were with his grandfather, Louis Levan, who enjoyed restoring old vehicles on the family farm. “He had antique cars, and we would always go out in them since I was itty-bitty and mess around with them,” Giblin said. “That’s pretty much how I got started.” Giblin began his career with the former Varga’s Collision Center on North Galena Avenue. That experience led him to a move to Beloit, Wisconsin, doing similar work before coming back to his hometown. “John and Nancy (Varga’s owners) took me on for almost 3 years,” Giblin said. “We had a lot of fun. John and Nancy taught me a lot.”

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

With a paint booth onsite, Sauk Valley Collision is equipped to handle anything from scuffs to scratches, dings to dents, and more. “I’ve always reached out, and that’s a deep passion for me, reaching out to customers and giving them good, honest customer service,” Ehren Giblin said.

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Giblin had a couple of other buildings in town on his mind before being made aware of the Boyd Street building by a fellow auto body tech. That building had housed Razor Replay and Razor CrossFit in recent years. Being close to some of busier streets in town also played a big part in Giblin’s decision to move in. His shop is located close to some high-traffic areas, nearby McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Subway. “I saw it, and I was like, ‘Wow!’ I couldn’t go wrong,” Giblin said. “Between Dixon and Sterling, I bet three-quarters of the people that drive by see this place a block away from here every week at least once. To me, that’s a win-win. Location is huge.” Giblin plans to have more than just his life partner on his staff. Coppotelli has worked in office settings for years and will work with him to get all of the important clerical work handled efficiently. She is just as excited as Giblin is to get the new family business rolling. “There’s a lot of what goes on that people don’t see behind the scenes of calling the insurance companies, doing the paperwork and doing supplements,” Giblin said. “That is huge. That’s every bit as important as me painting someone’s car. If that stuff isn’t done, I’m not painting cars. It’s going to be a great team effort.” “That’s the plan,” Coppotelli said. “I’m excited to get Ehren working.” Starting a business isn’t easy during a tough time like a pandemic, but Giblin enjoys rising to the challenge. “I just hope I have a big enough seat belt to strap in because it’s going to be a hell of a ride,” Giblin said. “It’s going to be a great one. I’m excited about it.” n

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APSCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

MORE INFO Sauk Valley Collision, 210 W. Boyd St., is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday arrangements can be done by appointment. Find it on Facebook or call 815-973-1811 for more information.

Timing is everything and Ehren Giblin said now is the perfect time to open his own business. He and his partner, Jessica Coppotelli, have four children between them, and Giblin said, “I’m at that teetering point right now where I’m young enough to take something on to start. ... I want to be retired by the time I’m 60. She wants to do the same, and so we’re going to make the best of it that we can.”

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STORY CODY CUTTER | FOR SAUK VALLEY MEDIA

ure, you can’t spell “barbecue” without “bar,” but did you know you can spell success with two B’s and a Q? If you’re wondering where, just head to Lil’ Smoked in Dement Town, where a pair of local restaurant owners have found a home in the Dixon neighborhood that’s welcomed their bar and restaurant’s BBQ delights with open arms and sticky fingers. Michelle Burns and John French, “partners in business and partners in life,” opened Lil’ Smoked in December 2019 as a more bite-sized version of their first venture, Smoked on 3rd, in downtown Sterling. Opening only a few months before pandemic restrictions started throwing businesses a COVID curve ball, one might have expected Lil’ Smoked to face an uphill battle to get off the ground, but the business hit it out of the park, Burns said, because of Lil’ Smoked’s commitment to the neighborhood, and the neighborhood’s commitment to Lil’ Smoked. Continued on page 24

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CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SAUKVALLEY.COM

Michelle Burns and John French opened Lil’ Smoked in December 2019 in the Dement Town neighborhood, and it’s been a great place for nearby folks to have a beer and get a bite to eat. “To them, this is a neighborhood place,” Burns said. “We love the fact that they’re kind of considering us a neighborhood bar and neighborhood grill.”

“Dixon has been so wonderful to work with,” Burns said. “What blows my mind is how many people come in here and say they live in the neighborhood. To them, this is a neighborhood place. We love the fact that they’re kind of considering us a neighborhood bar and neighborhood grill.” Another reason Lil’ Smoked has been a big success: It caters to customers’ appetite for the kind of mouth-watering menu items they can’t find elsewhere. One of those items: Lil’ Smoked’s brisket. The brisket is a cut of meat that comes from below the chest of the cow and can be a tough to prepare just right. It has to be prepared slow and low: cooked about 12 to 16 hours at a lower temperature. It’s a carefully balanced combination of meat, heat and smoke that makes a perfect brisket. “It’s been fun educating our customers, and it’s been fun teaching our crews about smoking,” Burns said. Continued on page 25

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As for barbecue, Lil’ Smoked’s variety is a Texas-style. “The food networks started bringing barbecue into the mainstream,” she said. “Before, barbecue was pretty much left to Texas and the southern states. It’s taken the Midwest a long time to know what barbecue is. Barbecue isn’t about how many bottles of barbecue sauce you have, or how many different flavors.” When it comes to sauce, French is the go-too guru. He’s tinkered around with a variety of different flavors in his more than 30 years in the food industry. He ran a chain of sports bars in Florida, and worked at a hotel with a Japanese steakhouse and sushi bar. Today, French lends his name to Big John’s Original BBQ – a large jar of which is at every table at the restaurant. The gluten-free sauce is made of ketchup, apple cider vinegar and other spices. Though they’re meant for meat, French has found that the sauces he’s made also pair well with house chips.

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Another popular sauce crafted by French is called BOO-YAH. While in Florida, a friend told French about a hot potato salad he had tried, and that got French thinking. Recalling a Cajun potato salad he had in New Orleans, French began to play around with some ingredients – including a spice blend, mayonnaise and vinegar — and mixed up his own potato salad. BOO-YAH was born and it didn’t take long for it to grow up into a full-fledged hit. Its name comes from from a popular phrase coined by the late ESPN Sportscenter anchor Stuart Scott, the sauce caught on with customers, who put it on all sorts of menu items. “People liked it so much, they started asking for the sauce on the side and started dipping chicken tenders, chicken wings, putting it on burgers, sandwiches, all sorts of things, and Reubens instead of thousand island dressing,” French said. “They wanted it on everything. It was a big surprise.” Lil’ Smoked is the only restaurant in the neighborhood that is open during traditional dinner hours, and it’s a welcoming stop for local folks, such as lifelong Dement Town resident Tom Germanson. Germanson, 68, is a big fan of the ribs, and he enjoys eating at “a nice, relaxed place.”

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There’s no shortage of John French’s barbecue sauce at every table at Lil’ Smoked. Big John’s original BBQ sauce was first made when the restaurant’s co-owner operated restaurants in Florida. It’s not just meant for meat, they go well with the house chips that are served with each entree.

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IN DIXON: Lil’ Smoked, 609 Depot Ave., is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Drive-thru window service also is available on the south edge of the building. Find it on Facebook, email info@smokedon3rd.com or call 815-677-9867 for more information. IN STERLING: Owners Michelle Burns and John French also own Smoked on 3rd at 14 E. Third St., which has a similar menu; it is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 815-632-3773 for more information. Online at https://smokedon3rd.com/ or find Smoked on 3rd on Facebook. Continued from page 26

“It’s a very nice bar and grill,” Germanson said. “There’s good staff, good food, good management; there’s nice clientele here and everyone here has a good time.” Two of Germanson’s other favorites are the turkey club and lightly smoked chicken wings – which send him home with a takeout box to enjoy his leftovers. “I get about 10 to 15 of them, and I can get a good midnight snack,” Germanson said. Burns and French first met as employees at The Underground bar in Sterling more than 30 years ago before heading in separate directions with their restaurant careers. They reunited nearly a decade ago and opened Smoked on 3rd in September 2016 in Sterling. After the pair got Smoked On 3rd up and running smooth, French longed to start a place that was more on a smaller scale, with a bar-and-grill feel to it – thus, Lil’ Smoked began. “To see people like what we did here, it’s just a thrill,” French said. “I’ve been in lots of bars, lots of restaurants, ran a lot of them, and all of those put together is this little place. People like to come here to get cold beer, bloody Marys, nachos, brisket sandwiches and burgers,” Burns said. “It’s very casual, it’s very fun.” n

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Lil Smoked’s brisket is a customer favorite, but there’s something for everyone on the menu … APPETIZERS – Cheese curds, onion rings and more. How about some Disco Fries? No jive talkin’ here, just crinkle cuts topped with pulled pork, homemade gravy, white cheese sauce, melted mozzarella, garnished with green onions. WINGS – With a choice of seven different sauces CHICKEN TENDERS — Hand cut, dipped in buttermilk batter and deep fried. They also come grilled. SANDWICHES — Take your pick: Pork, beef, turkey, chicken and cheese. Lil Smoked has some traditional offerings – like a classic pub burger or chicken sandwich – along with signature sandwiches such as the Smoked Beef Brisket, Stuffed Grilled Cheese (pulled pork stuffed between smoked gouda and American cheese on Texas toast), the C2B2 (2 C’s, chicken and cheese, and 2 B’s, bacon and Boo-Yah sauce on a toasted Brioche bun), a Gravy Burger (Swiss cheese and homemade beef gravy on a toasted Brioche bun, smothered in more gravy and topped with fries), and more. SALADS — Brisket and Bleu, Garden Chicken, or House

Lil’ Smoked’s nachos come with gluten-free toasted chips with Mexicali shredded cheese, and are drizzled with white cheese sauce, layered with black beans and come with a choice of smoked brisket or pulled pork.

Above: Wings come with a choice of seven sauces. Left: The C2B2 Burger.

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t. Mary School principal Jean Spohn found her school in a bit of a quandary last year as the time drew closer for students to roam the school’s hallways again in August. The COVID-19 pandemic brought many changes to the usual school setting, but there was still one problem: The STORY school had only one water founCODY tain that would be safe for people CUTTER to use in the new pandemic realiFOR ty, in the first-floor cafeteria. SAUK VALLEY That problem became Dixon MEDIA Rotary Club’s mission. Once members found out, it didn’t take long for a pair of new fountains to arrive at the school, and just in time for students. Through a Rotary District Community Grant, St. Mary School now has new water fountains on each of its three floors, and they’re all pandemic safe, able to fill a water bottle without having students touch the fountain. Continued on page 29

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At first, Spohn had expected just one fountain, but when she found out there would be one more coming, she was practically bubbling with joy. “I was thrilled,” Spohn said. “This was all during the time of preparing to reopen our school during the pandemic. One of our concerns was that we only had one drinking fountain in the school that had a bottle filler on it, and we knew we couldn’t have children use the part where they drink from their mouths. “To receive this from the Rotary was just … I was ecstatic!” The Dixon Rotary has served the community for decades as it promotes its seven core principles. Along with promoting peace, fighting disease, supporting mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies, Rotary Clubs also help provide cleaner water, sanitation, and hygiene to those in the community. Don Lovett, the Rotary’s grant chairman, put the school’s need on paper to submit to the Rotary Foundation for financial assistance. Each fountain, made by Downers Grove-based Elkay Manufacturing, costs between $1,500 to $1,700; the Rotary Foundation pays for half of the costs while the club pays for the other half. “As an international service club, we contribute to the Rotary Foundation that helps every year with worldwide initiatives,” Lovett said. “One of the nice parts about it, besides the obvious part of that it helps people throughout the globe, is that we have the opportunity to write grants and get matching funds from the Foundation so that money can come back to the community.” The Dixon Schools Water Project now has supplied 14 fountains to St. Mary and each of the five public schools. Each fountain is expected to last about 20 years. During that time, they also provide a reminder to users of the impact they’re having on the environment, thanks to an electronic display of how many one-time-use plastic bottles of water are kept from going into landfills. Before the new fountains were installed at St. Mary, the school had their old ones on lockdown. Not anymore.

St. Mary School principal Jean Spohn (left) was “ecstatic” about the Rotary Club’s gift of new, safer and environmentally friendly drinking fountains. Rotary Grant Chairman Don Lovett was able to double the good news by offering the school a second one. ALEX T. PASCHAL/APAS-

CHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

Continued on pages 30-33

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When St. Mary staff and students get done using the new water fountains, they’ll walk away leaving a green footprint behind. A display on the fountain keeps a running total of how many bottles have been kept out of landfills, thanks the fountain’s bottle-filling water dispenser.

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GIVING BACK

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves. Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end. Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Our more than 35,000 clubs work together to: promote peace; fight disease; provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; save mothers and children; support education; and grow local economies. We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. FIND DIXON, Illinois Rotary Club on Facebook or go to These plaques were installed at the new rotary6420.org/clubInfo/dixon for more information. fountains at St. Mary School to recognize – Source: Rotary.org

the club’s contributions to providing safe, convenient drinking water at the school

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“They have the bottle filers on them, and that’s really something special,” Lovett said. “You can’t fill a water bottle very well off of a regular spigot that kind of arches up.” No one knew when the project started that the pandemic was going to change the world, but the timing of the installation turned out to be perfect. Water fountains – along with door knobs and gym and music class equipment – are touched more often than anything else in a school. Now the school can rest a little easier knowing they’ve cut back on at least one of those contact points. “The initial thought behind it was to make sure the water that was coming from the fountains was well-filtered and healthy,” Lovett said. “We never thought about it, once it left the fountain, to get in the person’s mouth or anything like that, but that’s important to be protective of. We all think back to the days when we were in school, and have kids that drink out of the fountain with their mouth pretty much right on the piece. “The timing of it could not be more perfect. It’s really been a blessing.” Dixon Public Schools has been the beneficiary of the Rotary’s generosity since the project began a few years ago, and new fountains most recently were installed at Jefferson Elementary last spring. While water fountains are a staple at schools, upgrades – like bottle-filling stations– often aren’t made, as maintenance funds dry up before they can get to replacing them. Kevin Schultz, Dixon schools’ buildings and grounds director, considered the Rotary’s gifts a huge upgrade that’s benefited many students and staff at the district’s schools. “Like any school district, budget issues always have the needs outweighing the wants,” Schultz said. “We wanted to have drinking fountains with the bottle fillers, but the needs for other items in the district

always outweighed the ‘extras,’ like bottle filler drinking fountains.” Access to safe drinking water isn’t the only thing that Dixon Rotary has done for schools. Improving literacy is another of the Rotary’s missions, and it does that by giving every public and private school third-grader a dictionary, and every fifth-grader a thesaurus. The Dixon Schools Water Project will continue as long as the schools need it, Lovett said, and expanding the scope to include more public places is not out of the question. “Living in a caring community like Dixon is great for our students,” Schultz said. “They reap the benefits from people who care.” Spohn agrees. “We’re just so, so appreciative,” she said. “It came at the perfect time. [Rotary] is an organization that works very hard for the community. They really do.” n

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N w h e r e i s Diixto?n S PHOTOS BY CODY CUTTER FOR SAUK VALLEY MEDIA

The Executive branches of government … When these trees fill out, you might hum Hail to the Leaf when you see them from this one-of-a-kind vantage point.

More than 15,000 people call Dixon their home, whether they live on the north side, south side, the many subdivisions attached to the city’s perimeter, or the rural areas clo se by. But how well do they know it? Th ere’s a lot to see an d do around town, bu t how often do people notice the little things? The pictures below are snapshot s of a sites in and around Dixon. Can you guess what and where the y are? Answers: Pages 33-34

Allll aboard! Four score and 13 years ago, these stones were first pressed into service, and they’re still chugging along nearly 100 years later.

It’s a Page right out of history ... A pioneer in Dixon’s dairy history was born 82 rods south of this marker. Do you know where this is and what it commemorates?

What’s the point of this photo? Here’s a tip: This bird’s original mission was accomplished decades ago but it’s still serving its country at a Dixon park.

Here’s a place where you can take your last stand and watch people back into a rock.

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Dixon’s most famous resident stands watch over the yards he used to roam at the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home on South Hennepin Avenue. The statue depicts Reagan admiring corn kernels in his hands. The picture used with the clue was taken peering up though Reagan’s arms. The Union Pacific railroad bridge over Lincoln Avenue – which turns into Pump Factory Road south of town – is a tight fit for some of today’s vehicles, but the 1928 viaduct continues to hold strong.

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West of Dixon on Palmyra Road and the old Lincoln Highway is this marker commemorating the first child born to white settlers of Palmyra Township. The marker is on the south edge of the road between the intersections of Sugar Grove and Peek Home roads. George Ham Page was the oldest of three brothers who would establish the dairy industry in Dixon. After serving in the U.S. War Department during the Civil War, Page and brothers William and Charles – who was appointed consul to Switzerland by President Abraham Lincoln shortly before his assassination – established the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk company in Switzerland in 1866, the first condensed milk operation in Europe. They brought their operation to Dixon in 1889 and later sold to Borden in 1902; that plant currently operates as TreeHouse Foods. The Page’s ownership of the Dixon milk plant also led to the naming of nearby Page Park along the Rock River. The Page’s log cabin sat about 1,300 feet south of this marker; 1 rod, a unit of measurement that was once more commonly used, is equal to 16.5 feet

The Custer Avenue boat landing is one of just two such places in Dixon where boats can head out on the Rock River; the other is in Page Park. Boaters can explore more than 10 miles of water heading west up to the start of the Hennepin Canal in Rock Falls.

The F-105D Thunderchief warbird, one of which is preserved for display at Veterans Memorial Park, saw action during the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1970. Equipped with a Pratt and Whitney J75-P-19W turbojet engine, it could reach a maximum ceiling of 48,500 feet and a speed up to a supersonic mach 2. The pilot tube, which is at the front tip of the plane, was used to measure air velocity. A plaque nearby gives further information on the plane, and the same for several other military aircraft and vehicles at the park.

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