Topics in this series are bees, area
photography, the Lincoln Home, Ku Klux Klan, Atlanta-related film,
John Dowdy, Illinois tourism, bicycles and a 1930s murder mystery.
The Friday dinners begin at 5:30 p.m.,
and the evening's program or activity starts at 7. The Palms Grill
is at 110 SW Arch St., on Old Route 66.
Reservations are required and
limited to 50 people. To make a reservation, phone 217-648-5077
between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, or at other times leave a
voice message with your phone number.
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This year's dinner programs at the
Palms Grill:
Friday, Nov. 8
"About Bees: The Story of an Apiarist"
Joe Sibley, owner of Sibley
Apiaries, will discusses how he became an apiarist, the importance
of honeybees, the challenges beekeepers face, and the time and cost
to get started. Sibley lives in Normal, where he tends his 12 bee
colonies, and he provides a 24/7 removal service of honeybee swarms
and established colonies in McLean and surrounding counties.
Friday, Nov. 15
"Through the Lens: The Photography of Mike Johnson"
Join a visual journey of Atlanta
and its surrounding environs as local photographer Mike Johnson
shares his photos of area barns, old farm equipment, flowers and
downtown Atlanta. Johnson promises an evening of fun, including a
door prize drawing for a free framed photo.
Friday, Dec. 6
"Here I Have Lived: The History of the Lincoln Home and
Neighborhood"
Tim Townsend, a National Park
Service historian, presents the story of the Lincoln Home, family
and neighborhood. Townsend will focus on the history of the Lincoln
Home from the time of its construction in 1839, through Robert Todd
Lincoln's donation of the home to the state of Illinois in 1887, to
today. Townsend will also discuss the history of the Lincoln
neighborhood from the time the Lincolns left for Washington, through
its evolution to a modern urban residential and commercial area, to
the ongoing restoration efforts by the National Park Service.
Friday, Dec. 13
"It's a Mystery to Me: Atlanta & the KKK"
The Atlanta Historic Commission and
the Atlanta Museum ask you to consider Atlanta's involvement with
the Ku Klux Klan in the mid-1920s. Artifacts, documentation, photos
and period newspaper accounts will be presented and examined with
the goal of having those in attendance decide what the "history" of
Atlanta and the KKK was.
Friday, Jan. 17
"Movie Magic in Atlanta"
Christopher Myers and Cory Bernstein,
of Bloomington-Normal, will share how they became the winners of the
2011 Normal Theatre Short Film Festival. The audience will view
their 2011 winning entry, plus learn about and watch their newest
movie project, including a number of scenes filmed in downtown
Atlanta.
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Friday, Jan. 24
"Foundations of Atlanta: The John Dowdy Story"
The Atlanta Historic Commission and
the Atlanta Museum will tell the story of John Dowdy, a man whose
lifelong work can be found underfoot throughout most of the
community, in the form of the sidewalks everyone treads upon, as
well as beneath many of Atlanta's older homes, in the form of their
concrete block foundations. In addition, the audience will learn
about a library program in which a group of Atlantans have teamed up
with students from Olympia South Elementary School in a project to
re-create the purple martin houses Mr. Dowdy used to build and
maintain in downtown Atlanta.
Friday, Feb. 7
"Illinois Office of Tourism Update"
Ms. Jen Hoelzle, director of the
Illinois Office of Tourism, leads the state's tourism industry
marketing and development efforts. Before joining the Office of
Tourism in October 2012, she served as the director of external
engagement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and in
several capacities for the state of Illinois. Hoelzle has brought
fresh ideas for statewide tourism strategies and pushed for heavy
social media engagement designed to drive new visitors to Illinois.
She'll give an update on the current state of tourism in Illinois.
Friday, Feb. 21
"Wheels of Change: The History of Bicycles in Atlanta"
The Atlanta Historic Commission and
Atlanta Museum team up again to present a concise history of the
bicycle in Atlanta. The program will examine the social implications
of the invention that hit the streets (and railroads) of early
Atlanta through the present day. Of course, one cannot study the
bicycle without coming across the name of the infamous George
"Sonny" McIntyre, one of Atlanta's most eccentric citizens and the
builder of many of the town's bicycles for close to 50 years. Come
learn about Mr. McIntyre, share your stories and speculate about the
future of bicycles in the town.
Friday, Feb. 28
"It's a Mystery to Me: The Bucket of Blood"
Sometime in the early afternoon on
Tuesday, April 2, 1935, a murder/suicide happened involving Joseph
and Verna Rehrman, owners of the Popular Inn, a roadhouse on Route
66 just north of Atlanta. The mystery of exactly what transpired
that fateful day will be recounted in a new narrative written by
Terri Ryburn, based upon research conducted by the Atlanta Museum
and the Atlanta Historic Commission. Come learn about this tragedy,
as well as share stories you may have heard growing up, as those
attending examine the mystery of "The Bucket of Blood." |