faith

He grew up in Dixon, worked in radio and film, was a president — and it’s not who you think it is page 22

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The man in the Moon

He grew up in Dixon, went to Eureka College, worked at a radio station, played in Hollywood movies, and was elected president on more than one occasion — and it’s not who you think it is.

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As a Muslim growing up in Dixon, Nour Alsramah found that the things that make us different can make a difference, and that helped her turn life experiences into learning experiences, helping her classmates, and her community, grow.

The spirits moved them

A couple walked in to a pub for a few drinks and walked out with an idea to open their own bar, and just a week later that idea was on its way to becoming a bar and grill where the welcome mat is always out for House guests.

32 Who else wants some?!

The people who stop by Deebo’s in Dixon do, that’s who, and they’re finding a lot to like at the neighborhood food truck. .

River City Ale House owners Jennifer Magnafici and Justin Humphrey have a lot on their plate — Jennifer also runs a day care and Humphrey works as a lineman — but they’re never too busy to find time to pay a House call on their customers: “It’s refreshing to come here from our day jobs because we get to interact with the public,” Magnafici said.

CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM

By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media

day care owner and lineman walk into a bar … Sounds like the start of a joke, right? Actually, it’s the start of a business plan — no kidding.

Jennifer Magnafici, who also runs The Early Years Academy day care in Morrison, and Justin Humphrey, a lineman with the electricians union out of Rockford, recently took a short trip from bar hoppers to bar owners after a visit to an area pub inspired them to open up a place of their own back home: River City Ale House.

How short of a trip was it? About a week. The Dixon couple, who enjoys visiting restaurants and bars throughout the Midwest, were at Pub 225, a martini bar in Milledgeville, when the idea hit.

“Honestly, this was something we never really aspired to own, it was totally an on-a-whim, impulse decision,” Magnafici said. “We went out one time and were up in Milledgeville and saw this cute little place [Pub 225]. We went out on a Saturday night, talked about it on Sunday, this place came for lease on Monday, and by Tuesday we had decided that we were going to do this. No previous thought, no previous anything.”

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The genesis was speedy, but River City Alehouse has already become a busy place since opening last October, owing in large part to the couple’s vision for the business: offering distinctively different, and delicious, dishes and drinks.

The drink menu includes domestic and regional craft beers, 10 different martinis, a few wine selections, Moscow mules in fruity flavors, and a handful of both signature and seasonal cocktails. Holiday-themed cocktails are also available, such as for the Fourth of July, St. Patrick’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Some of the seasonal cocktails available in the spring and summer include a Drunken Mermaid with Tito’s, blue curaçao, simple syrup, lime juice and watermelon seltzer; and a lavender lemonade of limoncello, lavender syrup, creme de violet and lemon juice.

There’s even something a little fishy on the menu: a Fish Bowl cocktail, with Tito’s rum, peach schnapps, blue UV, Sprite, Nerds and Swedish fish, served in a bowllike glass.

RIVER CITY cont’d from page 6

“It’s crazy, the things that we’ve brought in here,” Magnafici said. “It’s one of those drinks that gets better the more you drink it, and the Nerds kind of infuse into the rest of it. It’s a doozy.”

If it’s a bite to eat you’re looking for, River City Alehouse’s food is as distinctive as its drinks.

For breakfast, served 8 a.m. to noon on the weekends, sandwiches, bowls and omelets highlight the menu, along with jumbo muffins of French toast strudel and blueberry lemon. Want pulled pork for breakfast? That’s not often found at most other restaurants, but it’s here as part of one of the bowls. Burgers, wings, salads, chicken sandwiches and a big pork tenderloin round out the lunch and dinner menu.

River City Alehouse beefs up its burger menu, too, with more than just your basics on a bun — and sometimes they’re not even on a bun. How about the Doughnut Mention It: a patty between two glazed donuts, with raspberry jam and candied bacon; a Cheesy Street Corn Burger with elote corn dip and a patty smothered in jalapeño sauce; or a peanut butter and jelly burger with cookie butter, jam, bacon and cheddar cheese. The burgers are a blend of ground chuck, brisket and short-rub black Angus beef.

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With so much on his daughter’s plate already, Jennifer’s dad, Keith Miller, was worried at first when she told him she and Justin were going to open a bar, but once they hit the ground running — “We both go at about 150 miles per hour,” Magnafici said — he was their biggest fan. “We opened in October and he unexpectedly passed away Christmas morning. I’m so glad that it worked out the way that it did, because he was able to come in and really see it full circle. He just loved this place, and I’m so thankful.”.

Peanut butter and jelly old-fashioned

Flip Flop Summer

Other sandwiches include a Bigger Than Texas grilled cheese with a huge hunk of melted cheese, bacon and blistered tomatoes between two slices of Texas toast; a veggie wrap; and chicken and waffles, topped with hot honey sauce. They even have a favorite from north of the border in poutine, so there’s no need to travel to Canada just for the fries, beef gravy and cheese curd dish. And no need to visit Bavaria for a huge pretzel, River City Alehouse has that as well — a foot of thick pretzel dough twisted into shape and served with beer cheese and mustard. Have enough room for dessert? You can top off a meal with fried pearl sugar waffle a la mode, chocolate lava cake, and cheesecake made by the CheeseKake Ko. of Rochelle. The cheesecake has been a big seller, Magnafici said. CheeseKake Ko. is run by a pair of sisters from Rochelle, one of whom used to work with Magnafici at her day care.

That’s a pretty impressive menu, especially considering that food wasn’t even part of the couple’s original plan: Magnafici and Humphrey had originally just wanted to have a martini bar, but they heard there was a demand for a place with unique eats.

Pulled pork breakfast bowl

“The more we researched the market and talked to people within the community, and everywhere I heard, ‘Dixon needs something different,’” Magnafici said. “We decided, you know what, we have to go with that. We tried to focus on something different, so we took ordinary items and put kind of a different twist on it. Our menu kind of reflects that, the base of the pyramid is a traditional concept, but everything has a different twist to it.”

Juggling a business along with their other jobs keeps the couple plenty busy, so it’s a good thing Magnafici and Humphrey are built for speed.

“We both go at about 150 miles per hour,” Magnafici said — but it took a little convincing for some people to get behind their juggling act. Adding a business to their already busy lives was a concern at first for her father, Keith Miller. However, she convinced him that it was all going to work out, and he soon became one of River City’s regulars.

River City Ale House serves gourmet cheesecakes from the CheeseKake Ko. of Rochelle.

From his usual seat at the bar, Miller was able to see his daughter and her boyfriend turn their whim into a successful business before he suddenly passed away on Christmas morning. Photos of Miller can be found in the restaurant, a way to keep his memory alive,

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“When we started this project, I called my dad and told him that I was going to start a bar,” she said, and he thought she might be taking on too much. “We opened in October and he unexpectedly passed away Christmas morning. I’m so glad that it worked out the way that it did, because he was able to come in and really see it full circle. He just loved this place, and I’m so thankful.”

The couple enjoys being able to mingle with their customers, and they’ve been able to not only spend time with old friends who stop by but make some new ones, too — some who are new to The Petunia City. With its strong tourism base, and being off of an interstate, Dixon has proven to be a good spot for people wanting to enjoy the local flavors of the community, Magnafici said, and they’ve met people who’ve just been passing by and stopped in, and others who’ve made their bar a destination during their day trip.

“It’s refreshing to come here from our day jobs because we get to interact with the public,” Magnafici said. “One of my favorite things is when someone comes through town and they aren’t from Dixon, I’m like, ‘How did you find this place?’ It’s nice to hear that people are traveling through town, and they’re using their Google Map to navigate our city.”

Humphrey feels the same way too, and enjoys being able to see the design work at River City Ale House that he and some of his friends did put to good use.

“I enjoy the fact that people enjoy it,” he said. “The feedback from the community –‘It’s a great place to eat,’ ‘I love going there,’ ‘It’s nice, it’s classy’ — It was something for the community, and there was a need for a different kind of menu as far as breakfast and lunch.”

The food and drink menu will rotate once more come fall, which the couple hopes will give people another reason to return.

“Traditionally when you go to a bar, they don’t have the time to do this stuff, they just don’t,” Magnafici said. “That was kind of our vision: We wanted to have something different all the way around, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.” n

Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Online: rivercityalehouseil.com and on Facebook Contact: 815-284-0381

Editor’s note: The following article was written by Dixon resident Tom Wadsworth, a writer, speaker, and a sixth-generation Dixonite. His background includes careers in ministry, broadcasting, corporate communications, and 20 years as the editor of a national trade magazine. He holds two master’s degrees and a PhD in New Testament.

Millions are aware of the story of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the Dixon boy known as “Dutch,” who became president of the United States. Very few, however, are aware of the story of Neil “Moon” Reagan, President Reagan’s only sibling and brother. Yet even fewer are aware of how Dutch helped Moon to go to college and launch a remarkably successful career in California.

First, it must be noted that Neil was older than Ronald. Neil was born September 16, 1908, while Ronald was born February 6, 1911, 2-1/2 years later. But the rapid early rise of Ronald’s career resulted in Neil often being viewed as the younger brother.

As Neil put it in a 1981 interview, “I guess I’ve really never gotten over it completely. I automatically became the younger brother.”

MOON cont’d to page 12

MOON cont’d from page 10

Neil’s “younger brother” image started as early as 1929. When he graduated from South Dixon High School in 1926, he landed a decent office job working at the Medusa Portland Cement plant in Dixon.

“When I graduated from high school, I was smarter than any college professor,” said Neil, “so I saw no need for college.”

At that time, only 30 percent of students finished high school, and a tiny fraction of these went on to graduate from college. So, in 1928 when little brother Ronald (“Dutch”) went off to Eureka College, Neil was content to stay in Dixon doing “cost work” at the cement plant.

Dutch, however, persisted in urging Neil to join him in Eureka and get a college education. But Neil just laughed. After all, he was getting paid $125 a month, which was better than a manual laborer’s wage at the plant.

In the summer of 1929 before the beginning of Ron’s sophomore year, Ron made a significant effort to pave the way for Neil to go to college. He arranged a scholarship for Neil to play on the Eureka football team that fall. He secured a job for Neil to serve food at the girls’ dormitory. He also arranged for Neil to pledge to Ron’s Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. All Neil needed was to raise $10 a month to pay for his room at the frat house.

Dutch went one step further. In September, just before leaving for college, Ron had saved enough money to buy Neil a steamer trunk to facilitate his move to Eureka. But again, Neil just laughed.

He recalled: “When the day came that (Ron) was to go back to school that fall, I got up and went to work (at the cement plant). When I came home that evening, I dashed upstairs and there sat the trunk in the middle of the floor.”

When he went downstairs for supper, he said to his mother, “Nelle, I thought Dutch was going back to school today.”

“With a tear in her eye she said, ‘He did, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself. He left the trunk, thinking you’d change your mind.’” The hardened big brother just laughed again.

The next morning Neil went back to work at the cement plant. Before he went to his desk he told his boss, Mr. Kennedy, the “very funny story” about Ron’s scheming and the steamer trunk. But Mr. Kennedy didn’t laugh.

About ten o’clock that morning, the boss’s secretary came to Neil and said, “Here’s your paycheck, Mr. Reagan.”

Neil replied, “Paycheck? It’s not payday.”

She said, “It is for you.”

Stunned, he asked, “Do you mean I’m fired?”

“Call it what you want to,” she said. “Mr. Kennedy says if you’re not smart enough to take the good thing your brother has fixed up for you, you’re not smart enough to work for him.”

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So, Neil left the cement plant office and walked the long stretch along River Road, heading back into Dixon. It was one of those life-changing walks when you realize you’re at a critical fork in life’s road. He was 21, unemployed, and holding his last paycheck in his hands. So, he stopped at the bank to cash the check, went home, packed the steamer trunk, and then headed south for Eureka.

His mother Nelle called Ron on the phone. “I’ve got news for you,” Nelle said.

“Your brother Neil doesn’t think college is a joke anymore. He doesn’t want to work; he wants to be educated. He wants to come to Eureka.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Ron, who had always viewed Neil as a “sophisticate.” But he was pleased that Neil was going to join him in college.

When Neil walked onto the Eureka campus, the reality set in. He was just a freshman, while his little brother was a wellknown sophomore involved in sports, drama, the fraternity, and campus activities.

In essence, the big brother had become the little brother. And no matter how much Neil succeeded, he would remain the “little brother” in Ronald’s shadow for the rest of his life.

Neil was elected the president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity while attending Eureka College. He also served as the editor of the yearbook, and he was on the school’s cheerleading squad with brother Ron. FACEBOOK.COM/TAU.KAPPA.EPSILON.FRATERNITY

Moon entered Eureka College in September 1929. Only one month later, the Great Depression descended on America, triggered by the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. Over 1,300 banks failed in the next year, and millions of Americans lost their jobs. But thanks to Ron’s arrangements for Moon’s scholarship, dorm job, and frat housing, Moon was relatively insulated from the collapsing economy around him.

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Three years later in the spring of 1932, Moon was thriving at Eureka College. That March, an article appeared in the Dixon Telegraph titled, “Neil and Ronald Reagan Make Good.” Neil was “very popular on campus” and had been elected the president of the TKE fraternity and president of the Campus Council on Religion. He also served as the editor of the yearbook, and he was on the school’s cheerleading squad with brother Ron.

Dutch, a graduating senior in 1928, had received four letters in football, was a student instructor in swimming, president of the Booster Club, and president of the Senate, the student governing body. In Neil’s senior year, he would follow his brother as president of the student governing body.

In January 1933, Dutch landed a job as a full-time staff announcer at WOC radio in Davenport. It paid $100 a month, which was good money during the Depression. But brother Neil was struggling financially to get through his final year of college, and that fact weighed heavily on Ron.

Nelle had always told Ronald that “the Lord’s share was a tenth.” So, Ron consulted with a local minister, asking, “Would the Lord consider His share as being His, if I gave it to my brother to help him through school?” The minister said yes. So, Dutch gave ten dollars a month to Moon, which was just enough to help Moon finish his last year of college.

Ron’s support of Neil continued into the next critical phase of Neil’s life. In 1933, Neil graduated from Eureka College with a degree in economics and sociology, the same degree that Ron earned the year before. But by 1933, the Depression was at its worst. One-fourth of the U.S. workforce was unemployed, and household incomes had plummeted over the previous four years. Back home in Dixon, the cement plant had closed its doors, putting hundreds out of work.

Neil planned to go to law school at Northwestern University in the fall, a strategy that would keep him in the insulated environment of academia. But in the summer of 1933, Ronald called him and asked him to drive Ron’s new Nash convertible from the dealership in central Illinois to Des Moines.

Ron also urged Moon to stay for two or three days and see the 50,000-watt radio station (WHO) where Ron now worked. Neil had never been in a radio station, so he accepted and made the journey to Des Moines. He didn’t realize that the trip would change his life in several ways.

As Ron was showing Neil around the station, they walked by the booth where potential sports announcers were auditioning. When audition number 12 finished, Ron presented Neil to the program director, saying “This is my brother, Moon.”

The manager then suggested that Moon give it a try. Dutch said, “Sure, why not?”

Neil was then asked to read the script for a commercial and describe three or four plays of an imaginary live Big Ten college football game. Since he was a big sports fan and knew all the players, he had no problem delivering this make-believe play-by-play broadcast.

The program director liked what he heard, and he offered Neil a job on the spot. “What does it pay?” asked Neil. The station could pay thirty dollars a week, which was about the same as his salary at the cement plant four years ago.

Ron interjected, “Look, don’t worry about it now. You can live in my apartment; that won’t cost you anything. We’ll get by.”

Neil replied, “OK, I’ll forget about the idea of law school.”