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May 2014 • www.saukvalleysun.com • Sauk Valley Sun

Community Brad’s Beat

Brad Monson While many of us may be skeptics, please do not be skeptical about this opportunity: Hillcrest Farm

just outside of Dixon is offering FREE GARDEN PLOTS for Veterans! There are no strings, no hidden agenda and it really is true! Jerry Stuff and his family have 100 acres. They will start digging and dividing ground into 5 x 10 ft plots next week. They are even providing free water. Jerry and his family’s dream is that EVERY VETERAN who wants a garden has a garden. If you are a veteran or know a veteran who wants to garden, call

Jerry at 800-578-5123 or 317-796-6198 (cell/text) or e-mail: wstuff@iupui.edu. You don’t want to miss out. You have nothing to lose and a garden to gain. Motorcycles, classic cars, budding bushes…it must be spring….finally! So, we’ll need to be doing that “spring stuff”…..just to be sure the AC is working right give a call to Farley’s Appliances, Dixon. They have 7/24 hour service available. They also have an amazing staff of appli-

$50 in Free Accessories with Purchase of a new Trek Bike Some restrictions may apply. Sale ends May 17th.

ance professionals who can help you make good appliance decisions. We love that they “service what they sell.” If you ever crave guacamole, run to La Familia, Rock Falls, and treat yourself to their “chunky guacamole”. Each order will serve at least two persons. The avocados are chunky, the seasonings perfect and the chips that accompany amongst the best we’ve tasted. David and his staff welcome customers as their extended family. David says, “Join our family.” In our opinion, La Familia is one of the culinary gems in Rock Falls.

Sauk Commons, right across the street from Sauk Valley Community College, has apartments for students with almost everything a student needs…including a TV in every unit. After reading the list of items and services provided, I thought about the fortunate students and their parents. A modest rental fee seems a smarter solution than purchasing all of the “stuff” a person needs for an apartment. Students and parents of students: You need to check out Sauk Commons! Applause! Applause! Dixon’s Stage Left premier performance last weekend was a huge success in so many

ways. The ambiance is just what proprietor Tim Boles wanted: intimate, comfortable and unique. For the “Vanities” performance, the thrust stage had attendees as little as three feet from the performers. Those in the back of the theatre were no more than 25 ft. from the stage. Tim made arrangements with Crystal Cork to provide beverages and Orum Restaurant, conveniently located downstairs, sent everyone complimentary dishes of a creamy pudding-like dessert. It was just the right sweet note to a lovely evening of theatre. Keep those cards and letters coming…..Brad

SVCC to host free family learning night and dinner May 22nd Sauk Valley Community College is hosting its Family Learning Night May 22, 2014. At no cost to guests, the night begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner, continues on through presentations and raffle prizes and wraps up with the

Adult Education Graduation Ceremony from 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.. Presentation topics will include Parenting 101, Wellness for Teens and Children, Substance Abuse Impact on My Family and CoDependency, Stress and

Anger Management Tools for Adults, Tips for Parents of Children with Special Needs, and Adverse Childhood Effects. For more information, please contact the Adult Education office at (815) 835-6310.

Spring garage sale days in Rock Falls May 9-11th A spring all-city garage sale sponsored by the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce will have sellers listing their own dates and times on a map that will be distributed at area gas stations. SELLERS

414 Locust St. Sterling, IL 815-626-4601 www.meadsbikeshop.com

All sellers are strongly encouraged to register their sale. Registration is $15 and is available until 4 pm Monday May 5th at the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce. The registration includes 2 free Garage Sale signs, helpful tips, en-

As we so intensely enjoy these early days of spring, it seems as if memories of that Big Bad Winter we just survived are truly history. No more blizzards to imprison us. No more icy roads. Can you hear the collective sigh of our 55,000+ plus population as we all internalize our restored freedoms? Freedom to shop may culminate on the Shop Local Shop Small Saturday. On May 31 our area merchants offer us their

best samplings of the season, bargains to please our budgets and gratitude that we chose to be a customer season in and season out. Spring gives us freedom to nurture our souls and our environment as we start digging in the soil to plant that which we love. Our local growers battled the same winter we did. We are blessed to have local nurseries. We h o p e t h a t m o r e churches and spiritual organizations will honor their cherished freedoms by communicating with us about what they are doing to enrich our communities. Pas-

TO REGISTER

DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM:

Visit the Rock Falls Chamb e r We b s i t e a t w w w. r o c k f a l l s c h a m b e r. c o m and click “Events” or call 815.625.4500. SHOPPERS

Maps will be available (FREE) at Schreiner’s Mobil (1st Ave/Rock Falls) & Shell Stations in both Rock Falls and Sterling on Thursday, May 8th after 12 pm/noon. Maps will also be posted online and can be printed from your home computer.

Petunia Festival Bingo meets Cinco de Mayo on May 5th

Publisher’s Note Judy Bell Publisher

sures that the sale address will be placed on 3,000+ printed maps distributed locally as well as on maps available for download online. Feature ads are available on the back of the maps for an extra $10. Feature ads help highlight the types of items available and will strongly encourage more shoppers. A limited number of feature ads are available.

tor and other leaders of these organizations….we are here to serve you and your flocks. The service organizations, clubs and cause-related groups need us now. They need us to buy tickets for their raffles, attend their events, volunteer to help, spread the news about their good works. Our Tri-Cities would be “poor” without the contributions of all of our non-profit organizations. Each one is encouraged to be in contact with us through our website: www.saukvalleysun.com. Through our website you can tell our 55,000+ population what you are doing,

what you need, how they can help. On Facebook (please “Like” us) we help keep people informed with frequent postings. Anyone and everyone is welcome to contact me directly by e-mail: publisher@saukvalleysun.com. We want to be sure that we know about everything you are doing. We want to help your organization reach its fullest potential. Our mission is to serve our Tri-Cities. We are the community’s newspaper! Most kindly, Judy Bell Publisher

The Dixon Elks Club will host their regular Monday night Bingo games on Monday, May 5, with some added fun provided by the Dixon Petunia Festival. The Petunia Festival is celebrating their 50th anniversary year in 2014. They have partnered with the Dixon Elks Club for this festival fundraising event. Everyone will receive a ticket for Petunia Festival giveaways during the rounds of Bingo play. In addition to monetary payouts to Bingo winners, there will be random drawings throughout the evening for Petunia Festival items. The 2014 Petunia Festival Royalty Court will be introduced.

The 2014 Harley Davidson Street Glide Special, the festival fundraiser, will be on display and tickets available. The Dixon Elks kitchen will be open with menu items to include tacos, taco salads, various sandwiches, nachos, snacks, desserts, and soft drinks. The bar will also be open for the evening. Doors will open at 4:00 p.m., with Bingo paper sales and the kitchen to open at 5:00 p.m. Bingo will begin at 6:30 p.m. The Dixon Elks Club is located at 1279 Franklin Grove Road. Hope to see you on Monday, May 5th, for Bingo – Great Food – Cinco de Mayo – and Petunia Festival Spirit!