2013-14 dinner program schedule at Palms Grill

[October 12, 2013]  ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Public Library and Museum are once again presenting a free series of dinner programs at the Palms Grill Café in downtown Atlanta. The programs run from November 2013 through February 2014 and feature area speakers who present 45- to 60-minute programs or activities following dinner at the Palms Grill.

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 [phone] 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.

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."