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05/13/2013 - Small Business Bed & Breakfast Seminar 2013

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Brought to you by Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers of Galena

Is innkeeping for you? We will help you discover the answer.

When: Sunday & Monday, July 14th & 15th, 2013, beginning each day at 10 a.m.

Where: Galena, Illinois

The seminar includes lodging for one night at any of the participating inns, breakfast, tours of 5 different inns throughout Galena, an informative and entertaining trolley tour, and a panel of industry professionals, and innkeepers with over 100 years combined experience in the industry presenting sessions on

· The informed buyer
· Buying and financing a bed and breakfast business
· Insuring an inn
· Business records
· Marketing
· Creating a business plan
· Serving Breakfast
· Policies
· What do guests want
· Preparing an exit plan
· Other revenue opportunities

Your registration includes all the materials presented by the innkeepers and other professionals, innkeeping resources, vendor samples and more. The seminar concludes with a wine and cheese reception and question and answer session on Monday at 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon.

Full, 2 day seminar, lodging, breakfast, reception and materials........

First person…………………………………….…………$175.00

2^nd person same/potential B&B (sharing a room)….......$60.00

Add lodging Monday night.………......………………….$115.00

Make your reservation through any of the Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers of Galena.

www.bestofgalena.com

05/09/2013 - Mother's Day Events

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Asbury Eagles Club - Mother’s Day Breakfast Buffet, 8 am to noon, adults $7, Children $4 (10 and under), 563-588-4458

Bar X Supper Club - Mother’s Day Breakfast, 7 am to 2 pm, 2 eggs, Meat, Has browns & Toast, Moms Eat Free! 563-585-2279

Beckman Catholic Mother's Day Breakfast, at the High School, 8 am to 12 pm, Adults $8 Children $4 (5 to 10) preschool and under free.

Boy Scouts Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast, Eagle Point Park, 8 am to 1 pm, Adults $7.50, Children/Seniors, $5.50, (4 and under free)

Breitbach’s - Mother’s Day, 7:30 to 10:30 am, Breakfast, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Ham, Bacon, Potatoes, Biscuits/Gravy, French Toast, Rolls, Fruit, Juice, Coffee. Buffet, 10 am to 6:30 pm, Cod, Broasted Chicken, Shrimp, Ham, Beef Tips & Noodles, Potatoes/Gravy, Dressing, Vegetable, Salad Bar Dessert 563-552-2220

Caroline’s Restaurant- Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch, 10 am to 2 pm. Breakfast/Dinner Entrees, Adults $20.95, Children (5 and up) $10.95, Reservations 563-588-5595

Champps - Mother’s Day Brunch, 10 am to 2 pm, Breakfast items, Roast Beef, Ham, Chicken, Roast Pork, vegetables, salads, desserts and more, Adults $15.99, Children (4to 10) $7.99, 3 and under free, 563-690-2040

Country Heights Supper Club - Mother’s Day Specials, 4:30 to 8 pm, Broiled Cod $14, Deep Fried Cod $12.95, 16 oz-Ribeye $19.50, 608-748-4687

Dubuque River Rides - Mother’s Day Lunch Cruise, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, Reservations Required, 563-583-8093

Eichmann’s - Mother’s Day, 10 am to 2 pm, Chicken, Beef, Mashed Potatoes,/Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, Salad, Desserts, Adults $9.99, Children, $5.99, 5 and under free, Every Mother get a free $5 voucher. 563-552-2494

Epworth United Methodist Church, 102 E Main, Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast, 8 am to noon.

Fiesta Cancun - Mother’s Day Specials, Polla Norteno $10, El Malachite $14.99, 563-588-1350

Junction 21 - Mother’s Day Buffet, 8 am to 2 pm, Eggs, Sausage, Sweet Roll, Ham, Chicken, Pork Loin, Pizza, Soup, Fresh Fruit, Salad Bar, Potato, Soft Drink, Adults $12.95, Children $6.95, 6 and under free, Reservations 563-583-2100

Kalmes, St. Donatus - Mother’s Day Breakfast Buffet, 8 to 11 am, Sausage, Ham, Bacon, French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Hashbrowns, Fresh Fruit, Rolls, Coffee or Juice, Adutls $8.99, Children (3-10) $4.50, Dinner Buffet, 11:30 am to 2 pm, 3 different Meats, Potatoes/Gravy, Vegetables, Salads and Dessert, Adults $12.99 Children (3-10) $5.50, 773-2480

Kalmes Hilltop - Mother’s Day Buffet, 11 am to 2 pm, Roast Beef, Ham, Broasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy, Corn, Salad Bar & Dessert, Reservations 815-747-3920

Los Azetcas - 15% off purchase, live music 5 pm to close (Asbury)

Off Shore - Mother’s Day Specials, 10 am, Chicken & Ham Meals with vegetable, potato, soup or salad, $12.99 Reservations 563-872-5800

Point Café - Mother’s Day Buffet, 11 am to 8 pm, Ribs, Chicken, Beef, Ham, Mashed Potatoes/Gravy, Dressing, Soup, Salad Bar, Drink included, Adults $13.99, Children (4 to 12), $6.99, No reservations accepted

Shamrock Shack - Bernard, Mother’s Day Brunch, 10 am to 2 pm, Adults $9, Children $5 (5 & under free), 563-879-3686

Silver Eagle Event Center, Mother’s Day Brunch, Reservations 815-747-2454

Texas Roadhouse - Mother’s Day, Thursday - Sunday, Legendary Value for 2, Share an Appetizer, Cheese Fries, Cactus Blossom or Fried Pickles, Choose two Entrees, BBQ Chicken & Ribs Combo, 8 oz. Sirloin & Grilled Shrimp Combo, 6 oz. Sirloin & BBQ Chicken Combo, 2 sides, $39.99, 563-582-0760

The Barn - Mother’s Day Buffet, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, Fried Chicken, Honey Ham, Battered Cod, Beef Tips/Noodles, and all the trimmings, Soup & Salad Bar, Dessert, $12.95 563-552-2353

The Bridge - Mother’s Day Breakfast, 8 am to 1 pm, Breakfast Buffet, Eggs, Corned Beef Hash, Bacon, Sausage, Potatoes, French Toast, Biscuits/Gravy, Fruit, Danish, Muffins & More, $6.99, 563-557-7280

The Kitchen Buffet - Mother’s Day Brunch, 10 am to 3 pm, Featuring carved prime rib in addition to all your brunch favorites, $14.95 All mothers receive a carnation. Must be 21 to enter.

West Dubuque Tap - 8 am to noon, Steak and Egg Breakfast, Ribeye, hash browns, eggs, toast, coffee, $8, 563-556-9647

Grand River Center, Mother's Day Brunch, 10 am - 2 pm. Call 563-690-4500 to make reservations.

Jumpin' Jane's, 12 pm to 5 pm. Enjoy a day of fun filled memories with your child(ren) at Jumpin Jane's. The staff will have crafts for your child to make a personal Mother's Day Gift. As always... mom's are free.

Mid-Town Marina's Sunday Breakfast Buffet is back! Join us on MOTHER" S DAY, May 12th 9 a.m-1 p.m. Breakfast Buffet with all the fixin's. Reservations Appreciated
(815)747-310.

Pizza Factory - Mother's Day Brunch, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, Shaved Prime Rib, Broasted Chicken, our famous breakfast items, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Adults $10.99, Seniors $9.29, Children (6-12) $4.49, 5 & under $1.99

04/26/2013 - TSNO's Taylor Swift Bus Trip

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:00:00 GMT

TriStatesNightOut.com has done it again! This time, we're inviting the Tri-States to take a trip with us to a Taylor Swift concert on August 1st. We're offering a limited number of tickets to the sold out concert. Once gone, they're gone! Call us at 563-513-7314 to get your tickets fast! We accept cash, check, or credit card ($5 fee). The price is $160 per person (that does not include gratuity for the driver). You will receive your concert tickets on the bus for the lower level sections 114 and 115. The concert should will go on rain or shine; however, if the concert is cancelled, Wells Fargo Arena ticketing policy is in effect.

The trip includes deluxe motor coach transportation to and from the concert. The only thing we ask is that you follow the six simple rules of the bus:

No smoking on the bus.
No Refunds; however, tickets are transferrable. Contact 563-513-7314 or email info@TriStatesNightOut.com for name changes.
No large coolers on the bus (it must fit under your seat). Large coolers can be stored under the bus and can be accessed during stops. We will stop once on the way up and on the way back.
No glass containers, please.
If you are under 18, you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
All passengers must follow the instructions of the trip host or they will be asked to leave the bus and find their own way home.

At 2 pm, the Bus will depart from K-Mart parking lot on HWY 20. The concert will start at 7:00 pm. The bus will leave 45 minutes after the concert. Feel free to call 563-513-7314 or email info@TriStatesNightOut.com with any questions. See you there!

04/14/2013 - Aldritch Guest House, April 2013

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Greetings!

We love this time of year when we spring clean, sprucing up the guest rooms and bringing out the porch and garden furniture.

Two weeks ago we were visited by an independent film crew looking for an 1800's period home to film background for an animated version of a children's book. We're keeping our fingers crossed that they decide we are just what they were looking for!

Spring break brought some wonderful guests including visitors from Asia and India, an alternate for the Olympic cycling team and a delightful lady whose name was Fran and her husband was Brian! You just never know who you'll meet over breakfast.

Our newest packages, City Mouse/Country Mouse and Free Tuesdays have been going over really well. Both give you time to explore and take in scenic views of the city and the rolling hills in the "country". Read more.....

We are very excited to be partnering with UnPosed Photography to bring you a special Mother's Day event. Make lasting memories of you and the special woman in your life with a private session with the inn or the garden for your setting. Read more....

Galena is also getting ready for the busy season, new shops and restaurants are opening soon, the newest being Chef Ivo's Place on Main St. above Galena Cellars Winery. Some of the shops have also done what we call the "spring shuffle", moving their shops to different locations. Time to take a walk down Main and see where they all ended up!

April's biggest event is President Grant's Birthday weekend, April 19th - 21st. With pie auctions, spy chases down Main St., birthday dinner, free admission to the Museum plus lamplight tours of Grant's home, there is definitely something for everyone.

So dust off winter and come on out to Galena! Get the two wheelers out (plenty of level parking for motorcycles & bikes, or garage parking) and explore the back roads and hills. See you soon!

In honor of President Grant's birthday, this month's recipe is his favorite dessert, rice pudding.

See you soon at the Aldrich Guest House Bed & Breakfast!

Brian & Fran Onak

Proprietors

911 Third Street

Galena, Illinois 61036

Our Website

Email Us

(815) 777-3323

Recipe Corner

President Grant's Rice Pudding

Servings: Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 cups hot cooked rice
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar

2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation
Stir butter into rice. Beat yolks in large bowl; add sugar, lemon peel, salt, half and half, milk and vanilla. Fold in egg whites which have been beaten until stiff but not dry. Turn into greased shallow 2-1/2-quart baking dish. Place in large pan containing hot water 1 inch deep. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Serve warm with Lemon Sauce.

Lemon Sauce: Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan. Stir in water gradually. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Blend in butter, lemon peel and lemon juice.

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups half and half

04/07/2013 - JT Paintings by Kevin Beck (contributor)

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Greetings Friends,

I hope the onset of spring finds you happy, healthy and inspired. Since October, I have found joy and inspiration in both the high country of North Carolina and the high deserts of California - where Judi and I spent an idyllic month.

I begin with a few small on-location paintings. Frequently these serve as "studies" for larger studio paintings.

Winter Moment 16X20 oil on birch

From Beacon Heights 20X16 oil on birch

Snowy Walk 12X16 oil on birch

And here are three larger studio paintings that were based on smaller field studies. All of these are 24X30 inches (unframed). Oil on linen.

AM Shadows

Holloway in Pink & Blue

Sentinels

and a winter sunrise from the same location as "Sentinels" above.

Winter Sunrise - oil on linen 18X36 inches

I spent a month painting in the Joshua Tree National Park. Located in SE California, the JT Park contains both Mohave and Sonoran deserts. Elevation differences distinguish the two and result in different rock formations, wildlife and vegetation. JT has a rich history of mining, ranching, cattle rustling and music (Gram Parsons, Eric Burdon, U2). Over the years, the high desert has grown on me.

Homestead 12X12 inch oil on birch

San Andreas Fault 12X12 inch oil on birch

Hidden Valley 12X9 oil on birch

You can check out all of the JT paintings at my website www.kevinbeck.com; click on the Paintings tab, then click on Joshua Tree.

Please visit my galleries (see my website for locations) and when you are in Boone, stop by the studio at 1590 Shulls Mill Rd.

And please don't hesitate to make an appointment if you're uncertain about my hours. 828-963-1181.

CHEERS!

Kevin

03/29/2013 - Submissions

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Basically, we're looking for either writing or videos to be published on Tri-States Night Out. We're interested in your work as long as it relates to restaurants, bars, art, entertainment, music, accommodations or anything on night-life in general. We'll also accept stories and other creative submissions as long as it somehow relates to the main theme of the website, Tri-States Night Life.

What To Do

E-mail your article to james@tristatesnightout.com.
Previously published work is okay but let us know where it was published.
Please send a short bio along with your article so we can tell people who it is that is speaking.
Submit as much as you want. No limit!
Currently, no payment is available for submitted material but your name will go in our list of contributors and people will think that you're cool. Ongoing contributors may receive perks such as a press pass that will get you into places, free tickets, TSNO apparel, and the ability to hang out with us at events.
You will retain the right to your work, but we reserve the right to keep the article archived unless you ask us to remove it.
Do not send us any videos of pandas or penguins unless they are wearing sunglasses.

03/29/2013 - About Us

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Aaron Rainey is the owner and the mastermind behind TriStatesNightOut.com. Since the age of 15, he's been part of the entertainment industry in Dubuque as both a wedding and club DJ and, later, a popular local radio personality. Aaron has since become one of the three primary entertainment managers in the Tri-state area by bringing in many of the musical acts, concerts, and events we’ve come to enjoy. He created
TriStatesNightOut.com in 2010 to create a one-stop shop for everyone’s entertainment needs. His goal is to restore a sense of pride to where we live by drawing attention to its many amazing sights and locations - some that often go unnoticed by many. Any questions concerning this mysterious figure should be directed to Aaron@tristatesnightout.com.

Ann Husemann has been our Account Executive since early 2012. Her expertise in financing, marketing, and advertising are the key to achieving her goals to help area businesses grow. She has been integral to the success of TriStatesNightOut.com, and her knowledge and connections to the area's night-life have helped us tremendously in many respects. She remains dedicated to providing these services to the entire Tri-State area. Contact Ann@tristatesnightout.com with advertising questions.

Life-long Dubuque resident and local radio personality Chris Farber has been working at TristatesNightOut.com for over a year. His great knowledge of the Tri-state area makes him a great asset to both advertising customers and users of TriStatesNightOut.com. Chris was drawn to the TSNO website because it is locally owned and operated. Let Chris show you what impact less than one dollar a day can do to help promote your business. Call him at
563-542-9939 or email Chris@tristatesnightout.com.

Linda Neuman is our events manager, but we like to call her the Oracle. No milestone or occasion no matter how discrete escapes her ever watchful attention. Without her, no one would know what the heck is going on in the world, so she's essentially the most important person working on the website. When she's not clacking away at the computer, she enjoys spending time with her grandkids (4 of them are pictured left but she has 5, all equally adorable). If you have an event you would like to have listed on our calendar of events, the easiest way to do that is to e-mail Linda@tristatesnightout.com.

Meet the Interns

For the past eight years, writing has been an important aspect of Ryan Tackitt’s life. Ever since he wrote his first article for the school newspaper in his freshman year of high school he’s been hooked. Over the years, he’s written many different papers, on many different subjects, and has held many different roles. At Oswego High School, he was editor-in-chief of the school paper his senior year, and he has written for The Belltower at the University of Dubuque for the last two years. His drive for writing is rooted in his passion for entertainment (specifically movies, music, and sports.) For 16 years, he has been building his experience in baseball and has become a self-appointed expert not only in sports, but also, in high school, he became engaged in both film and popular music. His sports and music passions have led him to create two blogs, 2Birds1Bat (a St. Louis Cardinals blog) and Tack It to the Wall Rap Reviews. He hopes to graduate from UD at the end of the 2013 school year. Afterwards, he plans on either examining the job market in journalism or continuing on in a graduate program. When he’s not attending UD, he resides in Montgomery, IL, where he was born and raised. He lives with his father Darrin, his mother Kelly, and his sister, Rachael. At Tri-States Night Out, he holds the position of newsletter editor. That means he organizes, writes stories for, and handles the layout of our monthly newsletter. If you would like to feature a local business in the newsletter or know of an individual we should spotlight, contact him at Ryan@tristatesnightout.com.

James Dye is a senior undergraduate in English language & literature at the University of Dubuque. He holds a degree in Art & Humanity and is a contributor for many journals, such as the Ampersand Review, and has written for many poetry & short story anthologies such as Winter Canons and Soft Corners. At Tri-States Night Out, he functions as a staff writer and makes his editorial debut as the website editor. If you would like to feature a local business on the website or know of an individual we should spotlight, contact him at James@tristatesnightout.com.

03/22/2013 - Spring Break Drink Recipes

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

For many of you Spring Break has finally arrived. So to congratulate you on a wonderful quarter or half of a semester here are some more spring break themed drinks to try! Enjoy!

Tequila Sunrise

Spending Spring Break celebrating college-style in Mexico? If youʼre like me, you just wish you were! Never fear - this Tequila Sunrise will make you feel like youʼre waking up in Cancun, so you may want to grab the tanning lotion and a side of nachos…

•1.5 oz Tequila

•3/4 cup Orange Juice

•a splash of Grenadine (just add to drink, do not stir)

•1 Orange slice (for Garnish)

•2-3 Maraschino cherries for garnish

Blue Kamikaze

Longing for an island getaway? I know, me too! Dress up in your favorite swimsuit and mix up this tropical escape; the drinkʼs fun blue color will remind you of the ocean!

•1 oz. vodka

•1 oz. Blue Curacao Liqueur

•1 oz. lime juice

Long Island Iced Tea

If youʼd rather have a casual and easygoing Spring Break, try this Long Island Iced Tea. Simple and classic, itʼs a perfect way to unwind and cool off from the warmer weather. Enjoy this Spring Break classic with a fresh lemon wedge on the side - youʼll love the added taste and will be ready to welcome spring with open arms!

•1.5 oz. Vodka

•1.5 oz. Gin

•1.5 oz. Rum

•1.5 oz Triple Sec

•1 tsp. Tequila

•2 tsp. orange juice

•2 oz. Coke or Pepsi

•1 Lemon Wedge (garnish)

Night Out Inc.

03/19/2013 - Party Bus to Wrigley Field with TSNO

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

TriStatesNightOut.com is inviting the Tri-States to take a trip with us to see Wrigley Field, the home field of the Chicago Cubs. On April 8th, we saw them play the Brewers on opening day. For our second trip, we’re heading back up to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play the White Sox on Thursday, May 30th.

The trip includes deluxe motor coach transportation to and from the game. Call us at 563-513-7314 to get your tickets fast because both trips sold out last year! We accept cash, check, or credit card ($5 fee). The price is $99 per person (that does not include gratuity for the driver). The game tickets will be for reserved seats on the upper level. You will receive your tickets on the bus. The game will occur rain or shine, but if the game is canceled for some reason, Chicago Cubs ticketing policy is in effect.

The only thing we ask is that you follow the six simple rules of the bus:

No smoking on the bus.
No Refunds; however, tickets are transferrable.
No large coolers on the bus (it must fit under your seat). Large coolers can be stored under the bus and can be accessed during stops. We will stop once at Belvidere Oasis on the way up and on the way back.
No glass containers, please.
If you are under 18, you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
All passengers must follow the instructions of the trip host or they will be asked to leave the bus and find their own way home.

The bus will depart from K-Mart parking lot on HWY 20 at 8 am. At 8:15 am, Galena Pick-up is at the Wal-Mart parking lot. We’ll arrive at Wrigley Field at approximately 12:00 pm. Game Time will start at 1:20 pm. The bus will leave 45 minutes after the game. Feel free to call 563-513-7314 or email info@tristatesnightout.com with any questions. See you there!

03/18/2013 - Forget Your Problems with Mind Eraser!

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Spring Break is one of my favorite times of the year - no class, no stress, no worries! Plus it means warm weather and sunshine are right around the corner. Whether or not youʼre able to take some time for yourself, take a break at some point to whip up one of these classic (and tempting!) Spring Break drinks - youʼll instantly feel relaxed (besides, if you drink enough, you may even end up thinking you are on break!).

Mind Eraser

Trying to forget about that last stressful ﬁnal, or that annoying colleague at work who wonʼt stop emailing you even though itʼs Saturday? Try turning off your phone, grabbing your iPod and some headphones, and take a sip of the Mind Eraser - your worries will fade right away!

•1 oz. vodka

•1 oz. coffee liqueur

•1 oz. soda water

•1 lime wedge for garnish

Perfect start to your Night Out!

03/16/2013 - Tri-States Does the Harlem Shake

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Think you can do better? Send your Harlem Shake videos to info@tristatesnightout.com!

03/15/2013 - Love Me Tender

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Why not celebrate love and yummy cocktails for an entire week? If you’re feeling up for a glass of sweet strawberry bubbly don’t miss out on todays drink recipe!

What you need:

Strawberry puree Grenadine Champagne

How to:

Place 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree and 1 tablespoon in a champagne flute. Add champagne and stir.

03/15/2013 - Event Links

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Tri-State Happenings

The Dubuque County Fair

The Dubuque Museum of Art

Julien's Journal
Dubuque Chamber of Commerce
Arthur House
Mines of Spain Calendar
Grand River Center

03/15/2013 - Blushing Fizz

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

What you need:

3 strawberries
2 slices of cucumber
1 sprig of mint
1 1/2 oz. Cointreau
3/4 oz. Hendrick’s gin 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice Top with club soda

How to:

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, muddle cucumber, strawberries, and mint, shake with ice. Strain over fresh ice through a fine mesh strainer. Garnish with a cucumber slice and a sprig of mint. Top with club soda.

Recipe from Saltbox.

03/15/2013 - Classic Cocktail Recipes

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Bloody Mary: In a cocktail shaker, combine ice cubes, 1/3 cup chilled tomato juice, 3 tablespoons vodka, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, dash Worcestershire sauce, dash celery salt, and dash pepper or bottled hot pepper sauce. Shake well to mix. Pour into a chilled glass; add ice cubes, if desired. Garnish with a celery stalk. Makes 1 serving. (Note: You may prefer to make Bloody Marys ahead and chill for flavors to blend. Stir before serving.)

Bourbon Sour: In a cocktail shaker, combine ice cubes; 1/4 cup bourbon, Scotch whisky, or rye whiskey; 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice; and 2 teaspoons powdered sugar. Shake well to mix. Strain into a chilled glass. Pour 2 tablespoons chilled grapefruit carbonated beverage down the side of the glass; stir gently to mix. Add ice cubes, if desired. Garnish with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry on a skewer. Makes 1 serving.

Vodka Sour: Prepare Bourbon Sour as directed, except substitute 1/4 cup vodka for the bourbon.

Daiquiri: In a cocktail shaker, combine cracked ice, 3 tablespoons light rum, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon orange liqueur. Shake well to mix. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Makes 1 serving.

Frozen Daiquiris: In a blender container, combine one 6-ounce can frozen limeade or lemonade concentrate and 2/3 cup rum. Cover and blend until smooth. With blender running, add 2 1/2 to 3 cups ice cubes, 1 at a time, through opening in lid. Blend until slushy. Makes 6 servings (about 4 ounces each).

Raspberry or Strawberry Daiquiris: Prepare Daiquiris as directed, except use half of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) frozen limeade or lemonade concentrate. Add one 10-ounce package frozen red raspberries or sliced strawberries and, if desired, 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar. Makes 7 (4-ounce) servings.

Peach Daiquiris: Prepare Daiquiris as directed, except use half of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) frozen limeade or lemonade concentrate. Add 3 ripe medium peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut up (1 1/2 cups) or 1 1/2 cups frozen unsweetened peach slices. If desired, add 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar. Makes 8 servings (about 4 ounces each).

Gimlet: In a cocktail shaker, combine ice cubes, 3 tablespoons gin or vodka, and 1 tablespoon bottled sweetened lime juice. Shake well to mix. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Makes 1 serving.

Gin and Tonic: Place ice cubes in a glass. Add 1/4 cup gin. Pour 1/2 cup chilled tonic water (quinine water) down the side. Squeeze a lime wedge into glass; stir gently. Add wedge to drink. Makes 1 serving.

Kir: Pour 3/4 cup chilled dry white wine into a chilled wine glass. Add 1 tablespoon creme de cassis; stir gently to mix. If desired, add ice cubes. Garnish with a lemon twist, if desired. Makes 1 serving.

Manhattan: In a cocktail shaker, combine cracked ice, 3 tablespoons blended whiskey, 1 tablespoon sweet vermouth, and dash aromatic bitters. Shake well to mix. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry. Makes 1 serving.

Dry Manhattan: Prepare Manhattan as directed, except substitute dry vermouth for the sweet vermouth. Garnish with a green olive.

Margarita: In a cocktail shaker, combine ice cubes, 3 tablespoons tequila, 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Shake well to mix. For a salt-rimmed glass, rub the rim of a chilled cocktail glass with a lime wedge; invert into a dish of coarse salt. Strain drink into glass. Makes 1 serving.

Frozen Margaritas: In a blender container, combine one 6-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate, 2/3 cup tequila, and 1/2 cup orange liqueur. Cover and blend until smooth. With blender running, add 4 cups ice cubes, 1 at a time, through opening in lid. Blend until slushy. Serve in salt-rimmed glasses. Garnish with lime slices, if desired. Makes 8 (4-ounce) servings.

Martini (classic): In a cocktail shaker, combine cracked ice, 1/4 cup gin, and 1 tablespoon dry vermouth. Shake well to mix. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a green olive or a lemon twist. Makes 1 serving.

Old-Fashioned: Pour 1 tablespoon Simple Syrup (see recipe below) into an old-fashioned glass. Stir in dash aromatic bitters. Add ice cubes and 3 tablespoons bourbon, brandy, Scotch whisky, or Southern Comfort. Pour in 3 tablespoons chilled carbonated water; stir gently to mix. Garnish with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry on a skewer. Makes 1 serving.

Orange Champagne: Thinly peel 1/2 of a medium orange into a spiral of peel about 12 inches long; place in a chilled champagne glass. Add 2 teaspoons orange liqueur; pour in 1/2 cup chilled champagne. Stir gently to mix. Makes 1 serving.

Rusty Nail: Place 2 ice cubes in a cocktail glass. Pour in 1/4 cup Scotch whisky and 2 tablespoons Drambuie; stir to mix. Makes 1 serving.

Screwdriver: Place 3 or 4 ice cubes in a tall glass. Add 3 tablespoons vodka and, if desired, 1 tablespoon orange liqueur. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup orange juice to fill the glass; stir to mix. Makes 1 serving.

Whiskey Sour: In a cocktail shaker, combine cracked ice, 3 tablespoons bourbon or blended whiskey, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons Simple Syrup (see recipe below). Shake well to mix. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If desired, add cracked ice. Garnish with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry on a skewer. Makes 1 serving.

Wine Spritzer: Combine 3/4 cup chilled dry white, red, or rose wine with 1/4 cup chilled club soda or lemon-lime carbonated beverage. Serve over ice. Makes 1 (8-ounce) serving.

Simple Syrup: Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 cup sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Chill in the refrigerator before using; store in the refrigerator.

Lime and Tonic: Place ice cubes in a tall glass. Add 2 teaspoons lime juice. Pour 1 cup chilled tonic water (quinine water) down the side of the glass; stir gently with an up-and-down motion to mix. Garnish with a lime wedge. Makes 1 serving.

03/15/2013 - TSNO's St. Patrick's Day Extravaganza

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Oh, the music in the air!

An' the joy that's ivrywhere -

Shure, the whole blue vault of heaven is wan grand triumphal arch,

An' the earth below is gay

Wid its tender green th'-day,

Fur the whole world is Irish on the Seventeenth o' March! ~Thomas Augustin Daly

Today, St. Patrick's Day is being celebrated throughout the Tri-States. It is mainly seen as a celebration of our vast Irish history and culture, but more often it is a great excuse to wear green and get drunk with your friends and because of that we are grateful to the Irish; for your convenience, we have put together the following list of parties, parades, and music venues if you'd like to help us celebrate. May the luck of the Irish smile on you!

St. Patrick's Weekend in Galena

Get ready for a fun weekend celebrating all things Irish in Galena, Illinois. It all kicks off Friday, March 15 with the St. Patty's Pub Crawl. Join Miss Kitty and friends as you work your way down Main Street with green beads, great drinks and lots of green! Then be sure to catch Galena's St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 17 at 5:30 pm. St. Patty's Pub Crawl - March 15 @ 6:00pm St. Patrick's Day Parade - March 17 @ 5:30pm

Jumpers Sports Bar & Grill's bus to Dyersville for the parade!

The O'Jumpers Express rides again! Buses heading out to Dyersville starting at 11am, parade at 1:30 pm! $5 one-way (that's $10 round-trip) get you out there and back safe, secure and in style! Drink specials all day long including Guinness, Harp and Smithwick's for $2.50 and $5 Irish car bombs from 10-6, and $3 aluminum pints of Coors Light and Bud Light all day and night! Make sure you grab one of our St. Patty's Day shirts for $10! Then Jabberbox rocks your shillelagh off starting at 6pm until close for NO COVER!! Cead mile failte - a hundred thousand welcomes!

Club Heat Presents St. Patrick's Day Weekend Party

We start this weekend off Thurdsay night with Dj Jevity in the house bringing the madness on the decks playing the HOTTEST club music on Thursdays, hands down. Obviously, $1 drinks will be consumed. $1 Rum and Cokes!! 10pm-2am Dj Jevity Unleashing the Housemusic! Friday night, Club Heat has Dj Shawnshady turnin' and burnin' records sure to keep the dance floor pumpin' ALL NIGHT! Why go anywhere else, Heat has everything you need... $3-Bomb shots $2-Domestic beers! $1-Rum and cokes!! 10pm-2am Dj Shawnshady Giving you a turntable beatdown!

SATURDAY, the FINALE sure to get your ass HUNG OVER for your Sunday only @ Club Heat! Festivities kick off @ NOON 1pm- Dart tourney 1:30- 9 Ball tourney 9pm- GreenBeer flippycup 10pm- Beer Pong tourney UNBEATABLE Drink Specials $8- 50 oz LONG ISLANDS!! (That a damn PITCHER!!) $3- BombShots $1- misc shots(apple pie, jello shots, many others) $6- GreenBeer Pitchers $5- Irish Car Bombs 10pm-2am- Dj Shawnshady Making you WORK it out on the dance floor!

There will be leprechauns EVERYWHERE! All the fun of St. Patty's Day goodies.. STATE OF THE ART Sound system and light show Dance cage and frikkin' LAZERBEAMS. Top-notch Djs will be rockin' the spot ALL WEEKEND!! Yeah, you KNOW where everyone will be this weekend..See ya'll there.. This Thursday-Saturday!!

Club Heat
17th & Central Ave.
Dubuque, IA

St. Patty's at the Galena Brewing Company

Come celebrate St. Pat's Day at the Galena Brewing Co. FRIDAY / SATURDAY / SUNDAY specials: $3 Irish Coffee $4 Mini Car Bomb $3 Jameson Shot $6 Appletini. $10.95 Corned Beef, Cabbage, Red Roasted Potatoes & Soup or Salad "May the Irish hills caress you, May her lakes and rivers bless you, May the luck of the Irish enfold you, May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you."

St. Patrick's Day Party w/ The Hooten Hallers!

The Lift - 9 pm

Seeing The Hooten Hallers perform can be a life-changing experience. Their shows are fun, fascinating and a little bit scary. It is like being on a rickety, broken-down roller coaster. You are barreling down the track, not quite strapped in, with the wheels creaking from the strain. The whole train is shaking to pieces, and there is nothing ahead but more uncertainty. You don't know what's around the next curve, but you know there is a chance that it could shake you to your very soul.

Their music is an amalgamation of classic American styles and more modern rock n' roll: rifling through and mixing blues, punk, country, and even gospel in turn. We'll just say "Rock n' Roll & Hillbilly Soul". The Hooten Hallers were formed in Columbia, MO in 2006: playing open mics and house parties until they developed a local following. For the next four years, they branched out and played as many shows around the midwest as they could, including several small festivals and short tours. However, it wasn't until early 2011 that The Hooten Hallers began touring nationally. Since then, they have been on the road almost full time.

2012 will likely bring an even busier tour schedule, with a route encompassing most of the United States. To date, The Hooten Hallers have released a number of live and radio bootlegs, two full length studio albums ["We Have Friends"(2008), "The Epic Battle of Good and Evil"(2009)] and one live album ["LIVE at Widow's Peak"(2010)]. February 2012 saw the release of their latest studio album, "Greetings from Welp City". This album was recorded entirely live in studio, and finally combines the energy of their live set with the fidelity of a studio recording. ...The Hooten Hallers.

They're coming, and you can't stop them!

Irish Cottage - St. Patrick’s Weekend Celebration

Join us for our St. Patrick's Weekend Celebration - an entire weekend celebration filled with entertainment, music, specialty drinks and Irish food!

Traditional Hot Irish Breakfast

Served both Saturday and Sunday complete with meats (bangers, rashers and black pudding) imported from Ireland, eggs, American sausage, mushrooms, oven-roasted tomatoes, cereal, toast, bagels, muffins, yogurt, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, milk and juice.

Live Entertainment

Friday, March 15

Kicking off the weekend with a rousing performance
of traditional Irish songs is TONY LEONARD.

Saturday, March 16

Beginning at Noon on Saturday, 12 hours of live entertainment including live music, Irish dancers and bag pipers.

Musicians TONY LEONARD & ANDREAS TRANSO!

Sunday, March 17

From 2:00 until 8:00 p.m., musician ANDREAS TRANSO!

Random Acts of Piping and Drumming

The Dubuque Fire Pipes and Drums will be “out and about” Downtown Dubuque on Friday, March 15. Weekend performances continue on Saturday, March 16 in Dyersville, IA, and at the Dubuqueland Irish Family Party, and end with the Galena, IL, St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 17. They say, "Don't forget to see us this fine St. Patrick's Day weekend. Tonight we'll kick off at Murph's South End playing at random Dubuque pubs. Saturday day the Dyersville Parade, Saturday night the Dubuque Fairgrounds, finishing the weekend at the Galena Parade on Sunday. See you soon!!!!!" For more information, contact Dennis Bradley at (563) 599-4129 or drbffemtp@aol.com.

Gaelic Gallop

With check-in from 8:15-9:30 p.m. at the St. Francis Xavier school gymnasium, 203 2nd. St. SW, Dyersville, IA, the event features an 8K road race, two-mile fun run, and kids’ leprechaun leap race. For more information, contact Total Fitness Recreation Center at (563) 875-2727 or visit www.totalfitnessdyersville.com.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Beginning at 1:30 p.m. from the St. Francis Xavier parking lot, 104 3rd St SW, Dyersville, IA, the Ancient Order of Hibernians will sponsor the parade. Anyone can enter and there is no entry fee. Prizes are given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place floats and costumes. To sign-up, contact the Dyersville Chamber of Commerce office at (563) 875-2311.

St. Patrick's Day Party

Make sure to come and join us on Saturday, Mar. 16th from 8 pm to 2 am for our St. Patrick's Day Party. Rock your shamrocks off, too many drink special to mention.

Exxtreme Pub

1701 Central Ave

Dubuque, IA 52001

563-582-6334

Irish Breakfast & Mass

Come and join us on Sunday, Mar. 17th, at St. Patrick's Garryowen in Bernard for our Irish Breakfast and Mass. We will begin at 9:30 am with mass at 10 am.

You can enjoy an old fashioned breakfast of Country Ham, Link and Patty Sausage, Hash Browns, Eggs and Cheese Sauce, Homemade Rolls, Muffins and Breads along with all the Trimmings from 7:30 am till Noon. Cost is $7 for Adults, $4 for kids 12 and under, and Preschool Free.

St. Patrick's Day Party at Easy Street

Who's ready for St. Patty's Day?!

Easy Street will be celebrating Saturday (10am-Close) and Sunday (Noon-Close) with $3 25oz Green PBRs, $2 Guinness, $3.50 Irish Car Bombs, and $1 Green Test Tube Shots!

Need something green to wear too? Easy Street has St. Patty's Day Tshirts at the bar for $10!

St. Patty's Day Bash With Hot Mess

Come join Hot Mess and the Petersburg Community Center/Harter Hall for the St. Patty's Bash. Hot Mess is a local top 40/Country party band in the tri-state area playing all your favorites from Joan Jett, Trick Pony, Brian Adams, Motley Crue, AC/DC, Gretchen Wilson, and many many more.It is sure to be a good time!!!

Petersburg Community Center/Harter Hall

3031 160th Street

Dyersville, Iowa 52040

563-599-2564

St. Patrick's Day Dinner at Caroline's

Join us for an Irish dinner at Caroline’s Restaurant.

Irish Corned Beef, Braised Cabbage, Roasted and Butter Red Potatoes.

The Bluesniks

From 7:30-11:00 p.m. at Galena Brewing Company, 227 N. Main St. Galena, IL, join the Bluesniks for a St. Patty’s Day celebration of blues, R&B, and funk. Come and join us tonight for a unique blend of Chicago Rythym and Blues, Memphis Soul, West Coast Swing and Funky Grooves with Bluesniks at 7:30 pm.

This show brings the best of every taste from the barrelhouse piano, to the rockin' guitar licks, the lively Hammond organ, a funky rythym section, the soulful horn sectionm, and an accent of expert blues harp. The Bluesniks are sure to get you off your seats and get their tails a shakin!

Live Music from Buzz Berries

If you are looking to party tonight then make sure to come and join us for some great fun and music from Buzz Berries. A great, fun band that plays dance & party music for occasions such as weddings, festivals, bar gigs, funerals, and the occasional Bar Mitzvah. Their song list consists mainly of 80's dance and party music with some 90's and current tunes thrown in as well. All chosen with loving care to enhance your Buzz Berries experience!!! Join the Buzz!

DAGWOOD'S PUB
231 1ST AV W

Cascade, IA 52033

563-852-3378

Live Music from Massey Road

Get ready to party tonight with us. Get your friends together and come join us for some great music and a whole lot of fun with Massey Road from 9 pm to 1 am.

Budde's
10638 Key West Dr

Dubuque, IA 52003

563-582-0069

Live Music from Laura & the Longhairs and Boomtangle

Make sure to come on down to Northside and join us for our Annual St. Patty's Bash on Saturday, Mar. 16th. You will be able to enjoy music all day with Laura & the Longhairs from 3 to 7 pm, and then stick around for Boomtangle from 9 pm to 1 am. You can enjoy food, prizes and drink special so hope to see you there.

Northside Bar
2776 Jackson St
Dubuque, IA 52001

563-583-3039

Live Music from Rosalie Morgan

Make sure to come out and join us tonight for some great music from Rosalie Morgan. What a better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Enjoy our ST. PATTY'S SPECIALS!! $3.00 Bottles of Guiness and many other drink specials available. Get your friends together for some Irish Car Bombs! Who can chug the fastest? Don't forget to wear Green :

Mystique Casino
1855 Greyhound Park Drive
Dubuque, IA 52004

563-582-3647

Live Music from The Legends

Get your dancing shoes on and come join us on Saturday, Mar. 16th for a great night of fun with The Legends from 7 to 11 pm.

Bojangles returns with a performance by the Legends. The Legends perform a wide variety of favorites from the 50's and 60's. Prizes will be awarded to the best dancers of the night!

Amateur Dance Competition
1st Place - $100
2nd Place - $75
3rd Place - $50
4th Place - $25

Mystique Casino
1855 Greyhound Park Drive
Dubuque, IA 52004

563-582-3647

Live Music from Brown Bottle Bandits

Why not make your way to Zwingle and join us for some fun along with Great Music from Brown Bottle Bandits tonight from 9 pm to 1 am.

County Line
10023 Washington Mills
Zwingle, IA 52079
563-773-2389

Live Music from Steady At The Wheel

Getting ready to go out tonight, then make sure to stop in and join us for a fun night with great music from Steady At The Wheel at 9 pm. Steady At The Wheel is; Matt McPherson, guitar & vocals. Trent Sieverding, drums & vocals. Mark Theisen, bass & vocals. D. Parker, guitar, mandolin & vocals. They play high-energy country music, mixing TOP 40 with all-time classics.

Bronco Inn
130 N Riverview Street
Bellevue, IA 52031

563-872-4529

Live Music from Taste Like Chicken

Get your friends together and come party with us tonight as we will be having some fun with Taste Like Chicken from 9 pm to 1 am.

Denny's Lux Club
3050 Asbury Road
Dubuque, IA 52002

563-557-0880

Live Music from Crystal Leather

Ok everyone are you ready to party! Make sure to bring you friends along and join us tonight for a awesome night of fun and a blend Funk, Rock, and Indie with Crystal Leather at 9:30 pm.

My Brothers Place
1850 Central Avenue

Dubuque, IA 52001

563-845-0795

Live Music from Half-Fast / Zero 2 Sixty

Come out and party with us tonight, where you will enjoy some great fun along with great music from Half-Fast from 3 to 7 pm. Then make sure to stick around to party with Zero 2 Sixty from 7 to 11 pm.

Piranha Johns
114 3rd St NE
Dyersville, IA 52040

563-875-8400

Live Music from Full Code

Make sure to come out tonight and enjoy some great music from Full Code at 9 pm. Fullcode is a five piece classic rock cover band that has been playing local venues for the last three years

Kalmes Hilltop Food & Brew
16680 Us Highway 20 W
East Dubuque, IL 61025

815-747-3920

Live Music from Heartbeat

Make sure to come out and celebrate St. Patty's Day today with some great music from Heartbeat and have some fun with friends from 2 to 5 pm.

Airline Inn
10774 Highway 61 South

Dubuque, IA 52003

563-556-1678

Live Music from PashNBrew

Make sure to come out tonight and join us for our St. Patty's Day Party and Remembrance Bash for Taco McGinnis! PashNBrew will be rocking the house tonight. Awesome atmosphere, amazing people and a little of the bubbly to ease your ale-ments, baby!! Hope to see you there.

Shenanigans Pub
3201 Jackson St
Dubuque, IA 52001

563-513-4001

Live Music from Nate Jenkins

Get ready to party tonight and come out and join us for some fun and great music with Nate Jenkins from 8 to midnight.

“Nathan Jenkins everybody” is how he’s introduced by genuine country music singer Jim Burns of the Jim Burns Band from Hamilton, Ohio. Nathan Jenkins is not just the best looking beard in the room. He’s a home town renowned multi-instrumentalist noted for his slide guitar with a Bic lighter.

Nathan was raised by hippies. As a child, a nutritious after school snack consisted of "stems and seeds"... found on a tray on the living room table. He grew up with all of the rock and roll of the late 60s and 70s. It is rumored that his mom even dated Mick Jagger. Being raised by such an eclectic mix of adults, Nathan was encouraged to stay up late, listen to records and discuss everything from gospel music to government conspiracies.

Today Nathan shares the stage all across the United States playing outlaw country and gospel music with the Jim Burns Band. He’s an important part of his hometown church with a concentration in the music ministry and he continues to enter and win various beard contests while traveling. In a recent interview he claimed his beard has healing qualities.

Nathan dreams of one day bringing his love for Bluegrass, Blues, Gospel and Country music all around the world. He will not rest until his music ministry reaches the generation that was running around Amsterdam's Vondelpark in the Sixties naked and on acid. In the meantime, he will continue to bring smiles to the faces of ramblers across the Western Hemisphere and to spread the joy of the “good news”.

Cornerstone
125 N. Main St.
Galena, IL 61036

815-776-0700

Live Music from Missbehavin

Come and be part of our St. Patty's Day Bash Weekend by joining us tonight for the great music from Missbehavin at 9 pm. Hope to see everyone dressed in there Irish best.

Jimi B's Bar & Grill
Hill Drive
Cascade, IA

563-879-3779

The Spazmatics are at the Mississippi Moon Bar

Party your shamrocks off with the Spazmatics!

If you want to be sent back to the 80’s the only band to do it with is the Spazmatics. The band lends its geeky charm to the tune of theme songs and hits that shaped the decade of decadence. Their spastic show, complete with the style and dance moves of the 80’s, allows you to bring your guard down. They add a unique dimension to their performance, demonstrating the common ties between 80’s new wave and today’s popular music.

Jason Ray Brown at Grape Escape

The One Band returns to the stage!

He's been called "the hardest working musician in the Midwest".

Jason sings, plays electric guitar, harmonica and drums all at the same time.

Once you've seen him, you'll see what the buzz is about.

The Grape Escape
242 North Main Street
Galena,IL 61036

03/14/2013 - Eugene Smiles Project - East Dubuque - House Party - 3/13/2013

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Eugene Smiles Project plays live at a house show in East Dubuque, IL. Mixed and recorded by Dean Wellman.

03/14/2013 - Julien Dubuque International Film Festival Reveal Party 3/7/13

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

This is a short highlight video of the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival's reveal party that took place on March 7th, 2013 at the Hotel Julien's Grand Ballroom. Shout out for local film "ROUTER" written and directed by Tim Connery. Kimberly Busbee wasthrilled to see the community support. She is the producer director of Molly's Girl screening at the festival. Ms Busbee is director and co-founder of the Wild Rose Independent Film Festival, now in its 10th year in Des Moines.

03/14/2013 - Culture Cravers - Culture from Dubuque, IA.

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

This episode includes "Art On The River" - Mark Wahlert from The Dubuque Museum of Art - Painter Wendy Mulgrew. Produced by Chrissy Hogue, Dean Wellman and Jim Barefoot.

This episode of Culture Cravers features the Grand Opera House and an interview with Paul Hemmer. Also included, a movie trailer by Dean Wellman and a short film by Highway 11 Films.
This episode includes an interview with Chrissy Hogue and excerpts from her one woman play "The Stupid Economy."
This episode of Culture Cravers includes The Native Spirit Dancers performing live at the 5 Flags Theatre in Dubuque, IA.

03/13/2013 - Queensrÿche at Mississippi Moonbar Footage

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Thanks to Calvin Cooley for posting the videos.

02/11/2013 - TSNO Spotlight: Mark Dierker of Bear Dancer Studio

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Mark Dierker has done photography for about three decades. His passion for photography began when he was in Junior High. That’s when he says he began to discover the world, but he never considered photography seriously as a profession until the digital era. He said, “We’re not paying development fees or that kind of thing anymore, so that really gave me the freedom to start exploring photography more as an art and getting my stuff out at galleries and getting in competitions and that sort of thing.” He started Bear Dancer Studios in 2005 to help market his art work. The name of his studio comes from a splice between the names he, Stone Bear, and his girlfriend, Moondancer, were given when they became members of the Shawnee nation.

At Monk’s on Thursday, I met with him to discuss his two upcoming art exhibits that will be showcased, from March 21 to May 2, at Eronel, Rick Eagle’s new art/music venue on Main Street. Mark caught my attention on Facebook when one of my friends forwarded a link to his campaign fund on indigogo. He’s currently looking for campaign contributions to help to pay for the costs associated with putting on two art shows such as framing sixty different photos for display. The show will go on regardless, but if he reaches his goal of 3000 (he's currently at 1100), he won't have to go into debt funding the project, and you'll receive some cool artwork in exchange for your donation and an invitation to the receptions for the shows.

Here’s a video of Mark showing the perks you will receive in exchange for the different levels of contribution available:

Thanks for your consideration! Let's support our local artists!

Update: Thanks to everyone who contributed. See you on March 23rd for the opening reception at Eronel! (Written by James Dye)

02/03/2013 - TSNO Spotlight: The Mandolin Inn

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

There are four big mansions in Dubuque that operate as Bed and Breakfasts to choose from, the Red Stone Inn, the Hancock House, the Richards House, and The Mandolin Inn. The Mandolin Inn is the bed & breakfast hosted in the 10,000 sq ft Edwardian mansion at 199 Loras Blvd. When I entered the mansion, I was greeted by Amy Boynton and her two cats, Mokey and Cindy. She, along with the cats, led me from a great and powerful hall into a dining room, with a long table, where we sat next to an antique beveled china cabinet, and an Italian tiled fireplace covered with puzzling mosaics of woman performing what would have been considered, at the turn of the 20^th century, when it was built, masculine tasks like cartography.

Amy is very well educated. She has degrees in English literature, anthropology, and sociology. Classical music created a peaceful ambience throughout her home as she spoke to me at length about various subjects, and there was never a dull moment. For instance, I learned the name "The Mandolin Inn" is derived from this stained and leaded picture glass window of Saint Cecilia by Louis Tiffany (pictured left). Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians hence the mandolin. She greets you in the building’s great hall, at the top of the first tress of a magnificent oaken flight of stairs. Amy told me it’s the only piece of stained and leaded glass in a private home in Dubuque. Interestingly, she has a “blessed error.” One of twelve pieces that make up the painting of her is upside down. Amy explained, “It’s a sign of humility like the Amish do with their quilts, the Navajo Indians do with their rugs, Persians with their carpets. It’s recognition that no one is perfect except for their God.”

Many of the pictures on the Mandolin Inn’s website, such as the dining room, the parlor, and the one of Saint Cecelia, were done by the famous Rolling Stone rock photographer Barry Breicheisen. The innkeeper explained, “Kevin Costner was staying here with his band when they were doing Netflix of 10 Great Movies in 10 Great Towns. Barry had started his career as a fine arts photographer, so he fell in love with the leather and the stained glass windows.” The house itself is strewn with paintings from local artists like George Lund and Alan Ford, the original blueprints of the house, antique furniture, mandolins, and other artifacts that make walking through the mansion similar to taking a tour of a museum. Every room has its own stories to tell about the people who lived in it before, and Amy has her own story too.

Amy worked for the McDonald Corporation for 22 years as Director of Labor Relations and International Human Resources. In this position, she was spending most of her time outside of the United States in places like Asia, the Middle-East, and Africa. She said, "I was protecting the brand from the Human Resource perspective and worked to get McDonald's into new countries... It was a fantastic company to work for.”

She was given a sabbatical every 10 years. When Amy was the head of Mid Atlantic States Human Resources, she was living in Philadelphia, so she rented a place “up in the Poconos on a lake” and took her wind surfer and a Tandy 2000. It was on this first sabbatical that she planned on putting her undergraduate degree in English literature to work by writing a novel. She said,

I was going to write a novel based on the fact that I’ve had to write a couple of theses in undergraduate school rather quickly. How hard can a novel be to knock off? But I didn’t give myself very much free time. I left myself two weeks, and the rest of the time [six weeks], I had family friends visiting me at this place, so I didn’t finish the novel, but I did see the Bob Newhart show when he owned an inn in New Hampshire, and I thought, “what an absolutely great way to put a roof over your head and pursue your artistic side.” I went back to McDonalds and put in a ten year notice which of course they laughed at because they were sure I didn’t mean it.

After working an additional ten years, she went on her second sabbatical as planned and returned to work for the required six months before retiring. Afterwards, she began to look for the perfect bed & breakfast. She said, “My mother and father were in Madison, Wisconsin, and I wanted to live nearer to them. I wanted to buy a bed and breakfast that was within three hours of Chicago and three hours of Madison, Wisconsin.” She wanted to be near Chicago to attract customers and near Madison in order to spend time with her parents. She said, “It turned out perfectly. My mother was a quadriplegic, so I made the house accessible, put a ramp in, and made the guest room accessible on the first floor. My father passed away in 2000, and my mother passed away in the summer of 2001, so I had about two and a half years to be with them, which was wonderful. And, I’ve just been very happy being in Dubuque.”

Amy told me about the mansion’s long history of ownership. Turns out, it was built in 1908 by the Schrup family, a family from the country Luxembourg in Western Europe. Back then, the Schrups owned the banks and insurance companies in the area. Nicholas J. Schrup was a State Senator, and he was knighted by the King of Belgium. Amy said it was probably because he put a lot of Belgian refugees to work. She told me they were a very prominent family back then when Dubuque had the largest per capita of millionaires.

The Schrup family lived there from 1908 until 1950. When Mr. and Mrs. Schrup passed away, their children donated the house to the Catholic Archdiocese who in turn gave it to the Blessed Virgin Mary Order of Nuns. Amy told me they used to be located diagonally across the street at what used to be St. Patrick’s school. The mansion became their convent and mother house for 22 years. Then, they sold it, and it became a halfway house for “juvenile delinquents” until a law firm purchased it. The law firm used the five public rooms for their law practice and divided the other 22 rooms into seven apartments and rented them to college students. The law firm still owned it, but eventually they moved the practice out, so it remained an unsupervised fraternity house until 1988. Despite this fact, the parlor we were sitting in appeared to be in perfect condition and the artistry on the wall of a fantasy forest setting was unblemished. I could not imagine the place full of college students doing keg-stands.

In 88, someone else bought it and restored it. Amy said, “[They] did a lovely job, but from what I understand, when they redecorated it, they thought it was a high Victorian house, and it’s a late Victorian house. The style is pretty different. In essence, it was frilly to the max which is how she decorated it. The next person to own it was a fabulous decorator and she ‘debrotheled’ the house, which means ‘toned it down.’ And, decorated it in a style that was more consistent with how it would’ve looked when it was a private home.” Amy finally bought the mansion 1998, and it officially became the Mandolin Inn, her home and business where she can apply her art. “McDonald's could not picture me way out here in the middle of nowhere, and they had bets going,” Amy said.

Amy was determined to go forward with her dream and proceeded to spend a whopping three-quarters of a million dollars to restore the exterior of the home. The front porch roof was leaking. Amy explained, “The college students and the half-way house kids would walk on the front porch roof and the Spanish clay tile, destroying it, and the first thing I did was restore the front porch. That’s all brand new custom-made Spanish clay tile and copper.” Then she had the rest of the roof rebuilt, and, because her mother needed a ramp, she had a ramp made out of concrete and dyed it a limestone color to match the foundation of the house. She turned what was previously the kitchen into a handicap accessible guest room. Amy continued, “Then I had new limestone put in on the front of the house in between the two front staircases; that’s all brand new, hard carved limestone from the side-walk up to and including the balustrades, and that came from the quarry that the original limestone came from. The exterior of the house should be good to go for another 100 years or so. [That’s] my gift and Ronald McDonald’s gift to the city of Dubuque.”

As a local of Dubuque, I had probably driven past the Mandolin Inn a thousand times, but I never had a chance to venture inside and meet the owner. When I went to the Mandolin Inn last week, I discovered that this is a great, romantic place for honeymooners, for small weddings, for business travelers, and for anyone who is passing through the Tri-State area who needs a place to stay. Contrary to what I thought before going, it is not more expensive than a corporate hotel (the price range is $85-$150).

However, if you show her a ticket stub from Sundown Mountain you’ll get a five percent discount. You may also receive a ten percent discount if you stay there for both weekend nights of Hog Fest, next Feb. 22.-23. Additionally, if you want a getaway with your significant other, she has a romance package that costs an additional $65 and comes with a dinner for two at L. May’s Eatery, an urban bistro on 11^th and Main, three blocks from the inn.

You’ll receive considerate service that is more personalized and memorable, and, in the morning, Amy makes gourmet food, which is infinitely better-quality to the buffet of bagels and waffle makers you can expect from a hotel. Amy’s mother was a gourmet cook and in her travels, all over the world, Amy was able to take cooking classes, and so, she is a gourmet cook too. You can find some of her easy-to-make recipes in Amy's Blog.

Any business traveler knows that once you’ve been to one corporate hotel, you’ve been to them all, and you probably won’t remember your stay as one similar memory runs into the next one, but if you stay at a bed and breakfast like the Mandolin Inn, you’ll have a unique experience, absorb some culture and history, and have some great, intelligent conversations with an Innkeeper like Amy Boynton. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the CEO of a hotel chain will never stop by to see how you’re doing or make your breakfast. That is only a few of the reasons places like the Mandolin Inn are superior in quality if you can forego a pool and fitness room.

(Written by James Dye)

Pictures via Amy's Facebook page and website with permission.

01/21/2013 - TSNO Spotlight: Jumpers

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Everyone knows Jumpers. Because it is conveniently located in Plaza 20, near the center of Dubuque, for me, it’s been a great place to saunter to get away from the crowded bar scene downtown, away from the traffic, and I like it because there’s always a convenient place to park in the plaza. But what I didn’t know was who are the owners and are they obsessed with frogs? So, I went over there for an interview with Hobie Wood last Sunday. Apparently, the name Jumpers comes from a previous owner who was a former paratrooper and apparently they all called each other “jumpers.” I think, at last, mystery solved, but I was really “hoping” it would have something to do with frogs.

I also learn, over a complimentary Budweiser, Hobie Wood, along with Julie Wood, and Tracey and Mark Ring, took over Jumpers in 2008. They have since turned what was already a good bar with a good reputation into one of the best spots for night-life in the Dubuque area, a great place for entire families to host events or to go for an excellent lunch or dinner, and an excellent spot for sports fans to watch a game on one of their thirteen big screen TVs.

They’re “home base” for Cyclones fans in Dubuque (Hobie is a Cyclones alumnus), and they also feature many games for Bears fans, Packers fans, and of course, my favorite, the Hawkeyes. Hobie, tells me, “We consider ourselves the Jumpers Family and that extends to our clientele. We take good care of our people.”After you have been there only a couple of times, their goal is to do a great job of making you feel welcome by remembering your name and making you feel you are part of the Jumpers Family.

In addition, they have pool tables, a ping-pong table, darts, touch-screen karaoke anytime (pictured left), tournaments, arcade games, daily specials, cool bartenders, tons of raffles with free prizes, and one of those claw machines that games me for my pocket change. Above all, Jumpers has a little bit of everything for everyone. Their menu has a huge variety of food, including salads, soups, burgers, and regular sandwiches. Their famous wings took first place in Unique Class, first place in Restaurant Class, and second place in People's Choice at the Wing Fest last year.

They’re also known for their specials throughout the week. They have Carmichaels every Monday and Tacos every Tuesday. Mark, their kitchen guru, will “whip up anything,” Wednesday through Friday, from Mark’s awesome barbeque, ribeye, to savory meatloaf, beginning every day at 11 am until 9 pm when the grill closes and the night-life party gets hopping.

The Jumpers aren’t kidding when they boast some of the best bartenders in town, and the longest happy hour (4-7 pm). They have Jarvis, Khi, Jeremy, Dunner, Goo, Apryl, Matt, Melissa, King, and Keith, (sadly, Jessica, (pictured right), moved away last week), and they are not only excellent bartenders, but also good people.

You should always check Jumpers every time if you’re looking for live music. They have great live music for sure every Saturday night from popular local bands like Jabberbox, Zero 2 Sixty, and Half-Fast. Sometimes, they also bring bands from out of town. For instance, they bring Joel Pingitore of the Playground Sound down from Madison, Wisconsin. A few weeks ago, they brought us the band Payback, which was pretty cool, I hear. Last Saturday, they had the band Zero 2 Sixty (pictured left). They describe their self as “an energetic band that plays dance & party rock music” and are a local favorite.

You should definitely check Jumpers out on the 26^thof this month for a very special engagement as well; they’ll have regional favorite The Mighty Short Bus, comprised of Frank Busch, Nic Adamany, Rob Junceau, and Dan Ryan. They describe their self as “original Rock, Americana, Southern, Country, Soul band based out of Madison, WI… one of the most well-known and successful independent acts in the Midwest.” You can check out their music at this page.

Jumpers are also cool because they help support community events such as Volleyball teams, but most importantly, to me, on February 12^th, on Fat Tuesday, they hold a big event where there’s free jambalaya. Hobie says, “I always loved New Orleans, zydeco music and Cajun food, so I whip up a big roaster full of Jambalaya. It’s on the house." He says, "Laissez les bon temps rouller,” which, roughly translated, means “let the good times roll.” I think we all can agree, free food, awesome. On top of the free-food, they will have free live music (there’s never a cover charge at Jumpers). Lonely Goats (Mike, Leo, Bob, and Jimmy) will be playing zydeco and “everything else in between” that day. St. Patrick’s Day is also pretty huge at Jumpers, and they’ll have Jabberbox all day that day.

(Written by James Dye)

01/19/2013 - TSNO Spotlight: All Things Sweet

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Since June of 2010, The All Things Sweet Shoppe Inc. has been a gourmet cupcake shop situated in the historic Cable Car Square at 441 Bluff Street in Dubuque, Iowa. They used to be located next door when they were All Things Pastry and Sandwich Shoppe, but, two and a half years ago, they decided to move next door and change their focus from food into specializing in gourmet sweets. Something tells me the owner’s daughter may have played a role in the decision making process. The place is every child’s fantasy; everything is sweet. They bake cupcakes from scratch using as many fresh, local ingredients as possible. The sole owner/baker says, “It’s all fresh and we use our local vendor as much as we can. We utilize the farmer’s market as much as we can.‘As much local as we can.’ allows us to keep our prices low.”

They currently hold 110 flavors of the most delicious cupcakes I have tasted, and they have anywhere from 8 to 10 different cupcake flavors on any given day. That’s enough to satisfy even the pickiest person’s palate, and it creates some suspense and surprise when you go into the shop to find out what cupcakes they have that day. They could have their chocolate salted caramel. The owner boasts it is “their #1 best seller.” She says, “That’s the chocolate cake with caramel through the center and a tad bit of sea salt on our All Things Sweet Butter Cream.” They could have the lemon raspberry too. I learned that’s made with a fresh lemon squeezed onto the cake, topped with a raspberry butter cream which the owner tells me is “fresh raspberry mixed up with our butter cream.” Another popular one is their Oh My Ganache. That’s a chocolate cake with their raspberry cream filling, “a homemade whipping cream with raspberry,” and they top it with ganache, a homemade chocolate. She had to explain to me that ganache is “a chocolate melt with homemade whipping cream.” The Wedding Day is really superb cupcake too. That’s an almond cake with almond butter cream, but their Wedding Day Supreme is even better. In this one, as she explains, "the Oh My Ganache goes in the center of the almond cake with the almond butter cream, so that kicks it up a bit more.” Last, but not least, my personal favorite is the Scotcharoo. She says, “That’s our butterscotch cake. It has a peanut filling and it’s topped with chocolate butter cream, and it has Rice Krispies on top."

However, if suspense and surprise isn’t your thing, you can find out their flavors of the day by going to their website or Facebook page. They take special requests on Facebook, so if I’m craving the Scotcharoo, I can message them on Facebook to make some for me, and they’ll have them the next day. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on their Facebook page for specials. If they’re having a slow day, they’ll put buy one get one free up on their Facebook page, and, twice a month, they do a promotion where the first person to come into the shop that says “It’s a Cupcakealicious day!” will get a dozen of their cupcakes for free.

The cupcakes are their main attraction, but they do gourmet cake, cookies, pies etc. They make cake dots which are balls of cake mixed with different flavors. The owner/baker explains, “If we do chocolate, it’s mixed with chocolate ganache. The funfetti would be made with sprinkles, our homemade butter cream, and premium white chocolate.” In addition, from May to October, they sell frozen yogurt. They make “pretty much anything else that we can think of that’s sweet. Anything that you can think of that’s sweet we can do. For picnics, and things like that, we can do brownies. We’ll give them to you in a pan. We do all sorts of things like that. We do everything like a regular bakery except breads. We don’t do your white or wheat or anything like that… If you want a pie or a cake, there is a 24 hour wait, so you would get that pie or cake the next day… We also offer our cookie dough to go. We offer our butter cream to go which is all special order."

Even though they no longer offer highly decorated cakes, they do offer nine inch specialty cakes. For instance, you can order Death by Chocolate, a two layer cake with a chocolate ganache through the middle, chocolate butter cream, and chocolate kisses, and if it is for a special occasion, they can write happy birthday or happy anniversary on it for you. Your taste buds will thank you, and you can rest assured knowing you shopped with a local, community oriented cupcakery. To feed the hungry, St. Pats goes to All Things Sweet and picks up unsold items every Wednesday. Furthermore, recently, during finals at college, they donated dozens of cupcakes to brain-weary college students like me.

They also offer 145 cookie cutters through the store, cupcake liners, and many different supplies for baking, including pans. The owner explains, “Basically, the Elmo pans you see in the store, if you have children and it’s their third birthday and they want an Elmo cake or turtle cake, you buy the pan for 15 dollars. You’ll use the pan once and then basically it just sits there and takes up space.” For this reason, they have 50 different pans you can rent from them for the holidays or any occasion. It’s a fifteen dollar fee, but you get 10 dollars back when you return the pan, so it’s really only 5 dollars to use one of their specialty pans and you get to keep them for three days. She says, “That saves you a lot of money and a lot of aggravation of where to put the pan in the cabinet when you’re done with it."

Finally, for Christmas time, and any time, they can bake undecorated cut out cookies. The owner explains, "You can take them home and decorate them with the kids. You can buy our butter cream and buy the cookies however you want and that’s a big seller because a lot of kids like to decorate but they don’t want to wait for the baking and wait for the cooling; they just want to decorate the cookies, so we will cut-out and bake cookies for you to decorate. Valentine’s Day is another day that’s big on that. Moms will decorate heart shaped cookies with their kids to take to school.” You can get all your sweet tooth necessities here, so make sure to stop by All Things Sweet, and see what all the fuss is about.

(Written by James Dye)

Pictures via their Facebook page and website.

01/02/2013 - TSNO Spotlight: Adam Beck

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

As a solo artist, from Simon & Garfunkel, Journey, REO, to Johnny Cash, Adam Beck plays a little bit of everything. He says, “I choose songs that speak to me personally. As a solo artist I don't really need to keep the crowd dancing so to speak. I usually have a crowd that wants to listen.”

Growing up in Maquoketa, Iowa, he started singing when he was 5, but he didn’t consider music seriously as a career until late in high school. Right out of high school, he joined the garage band, 1nite stand. He says, (in an interview I conducted on Facebook), “[Music] was the only thing I was good at, that I really enjoyed…” and he still moves forward with the belief “music is one of the strongest ways to influence the world.” Today, however, even though he lives to play music, his primary motivation is his family. He tells me, “Music takes me away from them, but it also allows me to be home with the kids during the day.”

In the late 90’s, he joined the Dingle-Berries. In 1997, he graduated from Clarke College with a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance. Towards the beginning of the new century, he formed the band Middletown with Steve Davis. Then, in 2004, he joined another band called The Shiz with Bobby Doyle, Steve Greenwood, and Daniel Anderson. By 2005, The Shiz had morphed into an off-shoot named The Center Stage Variety Band and lasted the next 5 years or so.

More recently, apart from his solo performances, you can find him performing with the classic rock band Street Talk, based out of Cedar Rapids Iowa. They have a show scheduled for the Yard Arm in Dubuque on June 15th.

For other aspiring musicians, Adam offers this advice, “Practice, stay true to yourself, grow thick skin, do what you do. By that I mean don't try to be anyone else; you'll only be an imitation. No one can be a better YOU. Find out who you are and stay with it.” Finally, to the people in the Tri-States, he says, “Thank you for supporting me for the past decade and a half. I've really enjoyed playing in the Tri-States.”

Adam has just begun to schedule gigs for the New Year. On the fourth and fifth of this month, beginning at 6 pm, you can find him performing his solo act at the Rhythm City Casino in Davenport. Keep an eye on this page for additional shows in our area and make a resolution to see at least one of his shows this year. I personally think the Tri-States could definitely use some more Adam Beck, so I definitely hope we get some more of his shows scheduled at venues in the Tri-States this year. You can get him for your venue or book a private show by e-mailing him at Adam@adambeckmusic.com.

(Written by James Dye)

12/12/2012 - TSNO Spotlight: Awesome Sauce

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

According to local mythology, on an unknown island, a lightning bolt struck a sacred volcano causing an eruption from deep within the bowels of the earth. What emerged was what we now know as the phenomenon Awesome Sauce. They were there when Luke Skywalker defeated Darth Vader and turned him from the dark side. They were there when Charlton Heston as Moses parted the Red Sea. More recently, they played their set-list on the moon and successfully warded off an alien invasion! It doesn’t get any more awesome than that!

Most kidding aside, at an interview at AJ’s Café, I asked them how they really got the band together, and the three members present, Bill, Steve, and Matt, relayed the story to me in detail while devouring a tasty pretzel. Matt, the most talkative member, tells me, “Rodney called us, and said, ‘Hey, I got this acoustic thing that I'm doing. Can you have your friend Steve come play.’ He asked if we could play a couple songs, and it was like two days later when we got there. Then, he said, ‘Can you maybe do a whole set?’ So, we started playing, and he said, ‘Let's do this again. It was really fun.' Then we decided 'Why we don’t start a band?' All we need is a bass player. Steve will play guitar, and I'll sing. That lasted for one practice.” Steve, a student of animation, who looks like a small leprechaun with his golden les Paul, continued, “Then I got home, and I got a message from Bill.

(This is Bill. He's upside down.)

He said, ‘Hey Steve, I'm looking to get out again. Do you know anyone who needs a bass player?’ Yeah, I do Bill. Come on over.” Then Matt chimed in, “We didn't even tell Rod, we just showed up to practice. That's how that got rolling and, a couple of drummers later, here we are. Currently we have Johnnie Fries on the drums. He's a music teacher in Maquoketa Valley."

(Meet Matt. He wears glasses, and he's funny... smellin'.)

Matt tells me, “We play, ‘if girls will dance to it music.' That’s the music we’re trying to play. I don’t care about anything else. We go from ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ to ACDC, to ‘Louie, Louie.’” They also take requests at their performances from the audience as long as it isn’t "Freebird" or anything from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon because that's depressing. Ok, they’ll maybe play "Freebird," maybe, but if they do, it means they’re exceptionally drunk and will need a ride home, just so you know. Matt also wanted me to relay to the Tri-States,“There are other songs besides 'Brown Eyed Girl!'” And Steve says, “that's our favorite song when we’re playing it... All three times in a night,” with a sigh.

(This is Steve. If caught, ask him about his lucky charms.)

They’re really a cool cover band of funny guys that want to entertain, and the hour I spent with them at AJ's was mostly chuckles. Matt says, “We just want to have a lot of fun with the audience and get everyone dancing. It's like we're in high school, and we invited all of our friends out for a house party, and we don't have to clean up afterwards. I stole that from Coldplay." He laughs. “I thought about this a lot because I knew we were going to meet with you and I thought of something clever to say, but I forgot what that was, but that's as simple as our message is. We want to have a lot of fun and we want you to have a lot of fun.”

Join them for the end of the world at the Sandy Hook Tavern on Friday the 21^stfrom 10 pm to 2 am, and, after their music saves the world again, rock with them at Jimi B's on New Year's Eve, and the Trackside Bar & Grill in Peosta, Feburary. If you’d like to book them for your bar, venue, or privately, contact Rod at 563-599-6249 or rod@verlodubuque.com. I mean, come on. They're literally Awesome Sauce. Charlton Heston approved.

(Written by James Dye)

12/01/2012 - TSNO Spotlight: Pinnacle Combat XI

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Pinnacle Combat XI was a historical night for the young MMA promotion. For the first time ever in Pinnacle’s abbreviated history, the promotion featured its first female fight. Also, on that same night, Brian Geraghty attempted to defend his lightweight title for a fourth time against challenger Eric Wisley. Both fights featured compelling storylines and finishes and were supported by other solid undercard fights. With the editions to those two fights, an entire night of amateur and pro contests at the Five Flags Center led to another successful evening for the Pinnacle Combat promotion.

The fans that congregated at Five Flags didn’t have to wait long to see some fireworks. As Kristen Balinski stepped into the cage against Maritza Reyes, the crowd may or may not have had an idea that they were about to see history. Balinski and Reyes represented the first two women to strap up the gloves in Pinnacle Combat history, and they delivered an opening show that didn’t disappoint. Merely seconds into the first round, Balinski and Reyes unleashed a whirlwind of strikes until Reyes connected. It was a shot to Balinski’s chin that sent her reeling to the canvas. And just like that, Reyes became forever etched in the Pinnacle Combat history books.

Several other amateur fights also proved exciting with comebacks and submissions abounding. Local 165-pounder Darnell Meekins completed a highlight finish coming back from bottom position to catch Ryan Castro in a triangle choke in the second round. When the fight card turned over to the pro fights, the momentum of well-matched fights continued. Eric Vo, another local fighter from Dubuque, lasted his way through an onslaught of punishment in his win. Surviving up-kicks from his downed opponent, Vo was able to gather himself for a submission via rear-naked choke.

However, the uncontested main event of the evening was the lightweight title fight between Geraghty and Wisley. The two former UFC vets put on a polished display of respect for five rounds. The energetic Wisley scored early and often with significant strikes, and several effective attacks on Geraghty’s front leg. As the fight wore on, the tides began to shift with the livelier Wisley. His constant pursuit of Geraghty led to a scoring slide that led him to a unanimous decision. Wisley moved to 20-8 on his career and took the Pinnacle lightweight belt home.

At the end of the night, Pinnacle XI had seen history made. With the first female fight, and a new lightweight champion crowned, the evening yielded some important contests. Look for this trend to continue at Pinnacle XII. Check www.pinnaclecombat.com for the event set to occur in January.

(Written by Ryan Tackitt)

11/30/2012 - TSNO Spotlight: Kevin Beck

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

(Joe Steil, Steve Roth, Kevin Beck, and Johnnie Walker)

Kevin Beck was influenced by his brother Bill who was always in a band when he was growing up. Kevin could sing, but he was afraid of singing in front of a live audience. So, instead, he became a DJ at Hudson's. At an interview at AJ's Café, he tells me, "That was a bar that used to be located where the bait shack is by the pool hall, Hammerhead’s." It wasn't until 1990, when his first glimpse of a karaoke machine, and Johnnie Walker, not only inspired him to decide to perform live music, but also, to open up his own karaoke business which he ran for 13 years. He found his courage to get up on stage one night when he was playing volleyball by the Moonlight Gardens. His friends dared him to walk on stage and sing karaoke with Johnnie Walker. He says, "Back then, they were called Singing Machines... it was on cassette tapes. You read the words out of a book.” He laughs. “It was the coolest thing I ever seen in my life." With his new found courage, he began performing a number of acoustic duos in our area. He was in Deuces Wild with Bruce Smith, and later, he did more local shows with Jodi Splinter in the duo Kevin and Jodi, but since June of 2001, he’s been performing shows with his close friend Johnnie Walker.

Anyone from the Tri-States in the 70's and 80's will remember Joe Steil and Johnnie Walker’s band Tussle whose local fame was comparable to Van Halen back then. Johnnie went on to play in Grandslam, and, in the 90's, he gave the Tri-States Johnnie Walker and the Singing Machines. Joe Steil took a different path and toured around the country and even in Europe, but, instead of becoming a rock star, he decided to settle down and get a degree. He took up the vocation of a music teacher.

In the last decade, Kevin and Johnnie have remained playing together at venues across the Tri-States with their acoustic duo, Kevin Beck and Johnnie Walker, and, six years ago, Kevin Beck, Mike Mason, Mike Lieb, and Johnnie Walker came together to bring us The Finger Lickin' Good Band. Now, Joe Steil replaced Mason on the bass and keyboard, Johnnie rocks the guitar, Kevin does the vocals, and harmonica, and Steve Roth replaced Lieb on drums. (Before Finger Lickin’ Good, Steve previously played in the band Madhouse, and, ironically, he came to them from the local band Tastes Like Chicken). Kevin tells me, "What we do is classic rock, country, and blues... stuff that we grew up with that has real staying power. I don’t know how many people 20 years from now are going to want to hear a lot of stuff that's out on the radio now, but they'll still listen to 'American Pie.'”

He offers advice for our local aspiring musicians, "Number one, keep it fun. Don't take it seriously unless you have a recording contract on the line. Number two, mix it up. Don't play one style of music. Play everything. Don't be painted with one brush and limit your audience. That's the best advice I could give." Finally, he expressed gratitude to everyone in the Tri-States. He says, "We're thankful and very fortunate to be able to do this so long [21 years] and still have people that come out and enjoy what we do. Thank you to all the people that come out to support us and support live music. Thank you to all the people in the Tri-States area."

You can catch Kevin Beck and Johnnie Walker on the 22nd and 31st of December at the Days Inn Spirits Bar and Grill from 9 pm until 1 am (Click here for their full gig schedule).These venues are great for everyone since what they focus on is timeless classics.

While Kevin enjoys spending more time with his family and prefers performing twice a month, Johnnie uses this time to work as a solo artist and is performing in the Tri-States weekly. This December you can find him playing beautiful melodies at these great locations (It's an understatement to say you can't miss this!):

· Doghouse Lounge on December 1st, from 9 to 1 am

· The Hotel Julien on December 4th from 7 to 10 pm

· Stone Cliff Winery on December 7th from 7 to 11 pm

· Timmerman's Supper Club on December 14th from 7 to 11 pm

· Off Shore Bar & Grill on December 28th from 7 to 11 pm

If you haven’t seen them, you’re missing some fun, talented people not far from your home, and time is passing. Mark your calendar, and stay tuned to tristatesnightout.com for more history, news, and events in the Tri-States.

(Written by James Dye)

11/30/2012 - TSNO Spotlight: Crust

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Benvenuti!

Food and travel is an attraction for many people, but unfortunately the cost is just too pricy. However, if you’re hungry for some Italian cuisine, and don't have a private jet to take you to Italy, you can still travel on down to the heart of Dubuque, at 299 Main St., where there is a little slice of Italy waiting to be munched on at Crust, an Italian inspired kitchen and bar that accommodates all ages and groups. They are kid friendly, have delivery, serve late at night, host private parties, and take reservations.

It wouldn’t be Italy without pizza, and Crust serves all kinds of pizza. Even if you are a vegan, no worries, Italy is open for you. Not only does Crust serve gluten-free, but they also serve various vegetarian and vegan pizzas.

Want pasta, but can’t decide on which kind? Crust allows you to create your own pasta, so you don’t miss a beat when it comes to your taste buds.

Rolled up Pizza Balls with a side of marinara sauce are served instead of boring bread. I know from personal experience you should try to limit yourself on the Pizza Ball Basket though because they are so delizioso you might not be able to eat your entrée.

However, if you are like me, then you only desire the sweet stuff. The desert menu is fabulous, and I recommend the flour-less chocolate torte; after eating it, I felt like I had died and landed in Italy.

Is all this food talk making your pants feel a little more tight ever since recovering from a Thanksgiving food coma? Well, don’t deny the experience because of the carbo-load of pizza and pasta; Crust has wonderful salads that are healthy and appetizing. Even better, they serve a lite Italian salad so you won’t leave feeling uncomfortable.

Upon arrival, you can expect to be greeted nicely and professionally. Experience fine dining with wine, beer on tap, friendly servers; your glass will always be filled. The waiters/waitresses know how to please their customers as I never had to ask for a refill. They know how to please and make an experience I want to do again soon.

So what will you choose: the savory Garlic Shrimp, the buttery Lobster Ravioli, the cheese-dripping Mozzarella Margherita Pizza, the lite classic salad with fresh green tomatoes, or a nice Gelato to clean the palate?

Luckily, for travelers venturing to Dubuque and doing their own journey or just passersby, Crust is located right across from the Iowa Welcome Center. Get the scoop of Iowa during a nice lunch, dinner, or dessert.

Don’t leave Dubuque without stopping by Crust as it may be your only chance to experience Italy.

(Written by Ashlea Higgins)

11/12/2012 - TSNO Spotlight: Aaron Hefel

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

I first met Aaron Hefel in ‘91 when I was in the 3^rd grade at Lincoln elementary. On my way passed his house on Nevada Street, he would always accost me with some new song that he recorded onto a cassette tape from the radio or some new obscure band that he recorded on VHS from MTV. For instance, one time, he brought me into his house to show me Green Jelly’s music video “The Three Little Pigs,” complete with a claymation of Rambo blowing away The Big Bad Wolf with an M16. He always had a penchant for the strange and anything that upset the normal expectations of society. My favorite childhood memory with him was blowing up our action figures in a grand final battle with firecrackers. Aaron lives for those who “challenge, entertain and destroy.” He says, “You challenge and destroy the norm, the mainstream, and try to do it in a way that is good and that you know people will dig.”

His father is a musician. As a result, Aaron grew up immersed in music. At an interview with him at the Busted Lift, he told me, “Also, I had MTV as that pseudo-babysitter. That was the good years when MTV was actually playing videos. It was definitely important to my upbringing.” Hefel began to tell me his story in a nostalgic, reminiscing tone, with jazz music and renovations playing in the background.

The beginning of his life’s journey into underground music began on April 5^th, 1994, when Kurt Cobain died. The death of Kurt caused in Aaron a kind of musical void that led to his endless search for new music. I remember I was walking home from school. He was sitting on the stairs in front of his house with his head dropped to the ground, and his arms were slumped to his sides. I remember it so specifically because he was the one to inform me of the bad news of Kurt’s suicide. When I brought this up at the interview, he related,

“Kurt was the guy making the tunes. Without someone like that, not just to me, but to everyone, having someone that important to you die…” He pauses. “That just opened doors to really discover what is under the surface, and what’s real, what kind of music is happening in different cities across the country. I really began rejecting the idea that everything that’s good is what is being played on the radio… we were all very vocal about ‘mainstream sucks’ and underground music is where it’s at. I took that idea and ran with it for a long time because it’s just so easy to turn on your television and hear Chris Brown, Rihanna, or Little Wayne. At that time [1994] it would have been Green Jelly, MC Hammer, and silly stuff like that.”

From there, he asked himself, “How far down can you go? How deep underground can you go to find music?” He began making journeys to record stores as far as Iowa City to scour for bands no one had heard of before. He began going to many of the underground punk shows in Dubuque. In 1994, Jeremy Isenhart and Joel Jackson brought some great music to Dubuque at the American Legion #6, three blocks from Aaron’s house on Nevada, and, in 1996, they rented the Great River Roadhouse in De Soto Wisconsin. They had Guzzard, A.R.M., and Moon Gadget in ’94, Mule, Crotoan, and God Bullies in ’95, and Thrall, Like Hell, and Beneath in ‘96. The underground music scene began to pick up in 1997 with bands with crazy names like Chokebore, Calvin Krime, Flux Capasator, Hammerhead, and Gnomes of Zurich. All of this had a profound effect on Aaron’s life. He says, “That’s where I got a real taste of what a rock show should be like.”

When it ended, Aaron arose to the occasion to keep the live music going. From attending shows around Dubuque and Iowa City, Aaron became friends with the people like Joel Jackson, Melanie Miller, and Ted Buechele. Doug Roberson acted as his mentor in Iowa City. Justin Duetmeyer introduced him to Boris the Sprinkler. He says, “Those are the people I had to listen to, and I would ask questions. I was probably like an annoying little kid, but I needed to be pointed in the right direction.” It was then Aaron began to realize the possibility of his dream,

“These were regular people, and all they were doing was calling people and asking them if they want to come and play. Like it was that easy… I was like if they can do that, I can do that, but instead of doing one every six months, let’s do one a month, then two a month, and see if we can start a scene.”

Aaron’s message goes to anyone wanting to make anything happen. The point of what he does is to inspire others. He says, “I’m only a celebrity in the way that I’m a person that does stuff. That’s how I do what I do. I realized that anyone could do this. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to book a show. Eventually you become good at it, but I had to teach myself everything, how to make a show. I had to teach myself to make posters. I didn’t even have an e-mail address when I first started. I had to get all of that stuff and figure it out.”

Aaron booked his first show in August of 1999. He brought together a couple of local bands, Duetmeyer's band Hot Carl, and Nat Love, which included Bob Bucko, Jon Roberts, Dan Cosley, and Steve Kray. Aaron brought us bands like The Locust, Lifter Puller, and William Elliot Whitmore. Most of these shows were set at One Flight Up until June of 2001 when Aaron became friends with John Hackett, the owner of CDs for Change. They began putting on shows in the basement, the back parking lot, and eventually moved them into the store. For two years, he brought the Tristates bands like Detachment Kit, and The Mountain Goats. Aaron says, “It was more like a rock venue than a rock club, but it was perfect for what we were doing.” He explains, “In Dubuque, you might see a show with 100 people, but 30-50 people is a good show.”

Once Aaron was old enough to walk into a bar, he simply walked into the Busted Lift, and said to John Finn, “I have this idea. You have a stage. I have this band.” It was that simple. John agreed to let him use his stage on Sundays. Shows on Sunday allowed Aaron to achieve his vision to have shows for all-ages. He wanted to allow kids who were once like him to have a show and be inspired. He says,

“It was very important to me to make sure that shows were for all ages. I always felt that was the most underexposed demographic to music. They need to hear what could be and what is possible out there. There’s no dressing room. The kids had to interact with the band, and it’s good for them to meet people from San Francisco, Austin Texas, Chicago Illinois, New York City, and Nashville Tennesse… and get that flavor and see how other people live.”

His all ages shows allowed the kids who attended to become excited about music again, and bands began to spring up all over at the local high schools. Aaron’s dream gave them the opportunity to play in front of a live audience.

By 2005, Aaron began to book all of the late shows for the Busted Lift. Andrew Board played there on three different occasions. Aaron says, “It was cool because while kids don’t get exposed to underground music, many adults don’t either… We kind of assume that the music we need to hear will filter to us through the radio, but it doesn’t always happen that way.”

When Monk’s opened up in 2008, it allowed Aaron another venue to get into a more modern setting. He explains, “Monk’s is an artsy and diverse setting, so you can get away with a little more.” In addition to the owner bringing us folk music, Monk’s allowed Aaron to bring us some of the stranger acts like one man bands and free jazz. All of the shows are free of charge, and you can go there to enjoy, as Aaron puts it, “coffee, beer, liquor, music, art, and healthy snacks.” Since 2010, Aaron has started to bring in jazz music out of Chicago into Monk’s with such figures as Dave Rempis, Frank Rosaly, and Fred Lonberg-Holm.

In 2007, Aaron joined the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society and took over management of the music at Dubuque Fest, a fine arts festival that takes place in Washington Park and the Town Clock Plaza. He says, “I kind of lucked into the opportunity into going into the next level which has proven to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.” The conflict mainly arose between his aesthetic sense for music and what was expected. “I realized that if I just listen to people – we’re all trying to attain the same goal – if I just shut my mouth and listen, we could all accomplish something that’s really cool.” Additionally, in 2008, Aaron helped set up Voices from the Warehouse in Dubuque’s Millwork district. They changed a condemned building into a gallery to showcase some really cool art and music. With Voices, he brought us Whitmore, Tortoise, and Murder by Death between 2008 and 2010.

In 2011, Aaron was offered a new venue to put on metal shows for all ages in Dubuque at Off-Minor at 920 Main Street. Aaron says, “We threw everything we could into that place: jazz, hip-hop, metal.” This year, in June, they moved Off-Minor to where Bootleggers used to be located on 17^th and Elm. Aaron says,

“It’s a much smaller room, but it’s kind of perfect. The whole place is 80 capacity, and as I said earlier, for shows in Dubuque, 30-50 people is a good show, so it’s kind of like this perfect little room again… like a house show. Personally, I love shows like that. I grew up going to shows like that in Dubuque.”

Aaron’s life tells us musicians have a profound impact on our lives. People like Aaron remain important because they bring the musicians to the places where we live and work, so we don’t have to travel out of town to have these positive experiences. Musicians not only entertain, but also, they give us purpose, and Aaron’s purpose became to show us a much wider world of music is out there waiting to be discovered. The scene that Aaron creates gives bands a chance to have an audience and it gives us, the audience, chances to hear music that may have gone unnoticed. In fact, many who played at his venues would later go on to become famous. Andrew Board fills theatres. William Elliot Whitmore is huge. Dave Rempis, Frank Rosaly, and Fred Lonberg-Holm are big international players who are still willing to play a small show in Dubuque and thanks to people like Aaron who reach out to artists and create an avenue for them to come to the Tristates to perform. With so many people in a tight space, you could say that nothing brings people closer together than live music.

(Written by James Dye)

11/12/2012 - TSNO Spotlight: Off-Minor

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Off-minor has a new location! They moved their concert venue from 920 Main Street to the corner of 17^th and Elm where Bootleggers Pub used to be located.

The name comes from one of the best hardcore punk bands based out of NYC, Off-Minor, but it appeared originally as the name of a tune by Thelonius Monk in 1963. Coincidentally, Off-Minor is Rick Monk’s place in Dubuque where Metal rules with its parent punk. If you haven’t been there, you’ll want to know this is a great place to have fun and watch live performances while drinking & rabble-rousing or playing Nintendo. Try not to break the place down, but breaking things is bound to happen.

Last year, they started off the New Year with Indy rock from The Glimmer Blinkken and Old Panther. This is the only place in Dubuque where you can get Mutilated by Zombies and like it! In January, they brought us Aseethe, The LMC's, Young Fantom featuring Leet Moteef, Bucket House Hooligans with Independent Progress, Casethejoint, and Legal Fingers, and Enabler Lines with Inside the Rose. In March, Backwoods Payback, Legal Fingers and The Glimmer Blinkken returned with Truman Peyote and Yohuna. In April, Inside the Rose returned with Upon Ruins Made of Men, Orwell, and Morality Crisis. Wizard Rifle played their hearts out. In June, they had Winterbeard. In July, Pilgrim, a local, post-sludge band, played their first show with Acoustic Guillotine, and Sinking Suns. Nachtmystium rocked, with Krieg, and Murmur. In August, it was Bull Dyke Rodeo and Deathtram, in September, the Mike Hard Show, Mutilated by Zombies, Amerik Inquisition, Kyle Miller and Matthew Crowe, Actual Wolf, Ed Gray & Co., and Feast of Mutton, The Infidels, and Letters from Earth, and in October, Bucket House Hooligans, Glimmer Blinkken, KEN Mode, Victory and Associates, Skamp, Remember Last Fall, and Lines. Not to mention their previous year’s lineup that included such sweet bands as Casket Robbery, Yob, Thrall, Mantaur, The Wellingtons, The Tapeworm Trend and Blizzard at Sea, Open Mic All Star Band, Hemlock, Police Teeth, Nervous Curtains, With Knives, Samuel Locke Ward, and Mose Giganticus. The other night, they had Fister, The Lion’s Daughter, The Tapeworm Trend, and Boar. If your head is now spinning with the amount of concerts nearby that you realize you’re missing, you’re not alone, but it’s not too late to catch the tunes.

On the 14^thof this month, (this Wednesday!) a hardcore punk band from NY, Two Man Advantage, is going to be playing with Civil Soldier at 9 PM. No need to buy tickets. Just show up before the place fills up as it only has a capacity for 80 souls. They have Drunk Bastard as the ringleader with incendiary vocals, Skate like a gremlin on the guitar, Snapshop on bass, and Amstel Fuhr on drums. They’ve been touring the country for over a decade, and recently survived the unfortunate carnage caused by hurricane Sandy. This will be their first performance in Dubuque, so Tristates Night Out is calling all hooligans, juvenile delinquents, kleptomaniacs, and fledgling criminals, or anyone, if you’re a punk at heart, or just enjoy live music, to slick up your hair, get amped up, put on your most unusual and socially unconventional outfits, and head over to Off-Minor, the night-club where you might actually get clubbed, on Wednesday for some discordant harmony.

If Wednesday doesn’t work for you, don’t worry! On December 7^th, they’ll have Poney with Northless, and Aseethe. And, if punk isn’t your thing, or if you’re nostalgic for some old-school classic metal like the glory days of Metallica, Slayer, and Iron-Maiden, and want to help keep the metal alive in you, I definitely recommend going to Off-Minor on Friday, December 14^th as well. Narrow Hearts will appear like the Raven on the bust of Pallus at 7 PM. At 9 PM, The Horde, Chances in Hell, and Dredge are coming to wreak havoc and let loose the sound of metal!

The Horde is a Viking inspired band from Rock Island Illinois. They have Ken“Wookie” Cook on vocals, Frank Romero on bass, Andy Van Dyke on guitar, and Travis Scudder is their new drummer. They began performing in 2008 with the debut of their album “From Empire to Ashes.” They describe it as, “epic, metal classics… a journey into the dark forbidden realms and all the way to the hallowed gates of Valhalla.” They say, “The Horde brings the perfect mix of head banging mosh-pit chaos, epic sword and sorcerer monster battles, and just the slightest touch of Doom.” They have a new album coming out in the fall of 2013 with Abyss Records which looks promising.

Chances in Hell are a more unconventional band. They describe their self as “Trash with a punk and hard rock foundation.” Their sound is “making brutal, yet catchy old school trash with slightly deathly vocals.” They seem to be influenced by movies of the undead variety and their dress is humorous: a star-trek captain, the devil, a metal head, and Jesus.

Dredge is a local, three man heavy metal band. They say their goal is to write “songs that challenge both the listeners and ourselves as musicians.” Their themes deal with life here in the Midwest. They say they “hope to give our listeners a different view of blue collar Midwest life” and describe their music as an“ever evolving combination of heavy grooves.”

This sounds like an interesting metal trio, and for only five or six dollars, you’ll be hard pressed to find this kind of spectacle anywhere else, and at Off-Minor you can also play Duck Hunt on Nintendo!

(Written by James Dye)

11/12/2012 - TSNO Spotlight: Copper Kettle

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

If you’re like me, you wake up on a Sunday and think to yourself, “I sure would like some Southern cooking, but I am in Iowa and the game is about to come on.” Bummer right? Well no time to fret! In good old Dubuque, down on 2987 Jackson, the restaurant famously known as The Copper Kettle has recently reopened with Southern cooking that is to die for. Not to mention, a sports game is always playing, and their bar is always serving an excellent assortment of mixed drinks. On Sundays, you can watch the game and order mouth-watering wings for only seventy-five cents each, and Bud Light draws are only a dollar fifty. I personally recommend ordering the Walnut honey crusted salmon with truffle fries.

The new restaurant is fit for all groups and ages. Whether you have a party of two or twenty, a family or a business meeting, the Copper Kettle will always accommodate its patrons to meet their needs.

The Copper Kettle provides a homey feel that restaurants often promote but don’t really execute in the way that they have with recent renovations. Its laid back vibe gives its patrons a feeling of absolute comfort, especially for those, like me, who are not from around the area. If you’re like me, whether you come from the East coast, West coast, or even different countries, and if you have a longing for a home-cooked meal and really thrive for feelings of belonging, then head over to The Copper Kettle and bring the family.

Keep in mind they have recently been reopened, and they are in the process of trying to get their feet on the ground, so they will really appreciate your business with a personal touch and care that you won’t find as much with big franchises. The wait to get a sandwich might take a little longer than more established restaurants, but their food is so delicious, it is definitely worth the extra wait. You have to realize that it takes time to enable good transitions for cooks, servers, bartenders, and hosts. If you have a tight schedule, you may want to eat somewhere else for now, but if you have time to relax, have a drink, watch the game, or have some interesting conversations with your friends or the staff, then the Copper Kettle is a great choice.

Their timing is perfect for me because I come from a more laid back perspective. I lived in Germany for nine years where the longer wait is perfectly normal. In America, we tend to be in more of a hurry and expect things to happen more quickly, but the wait didn’t bother me as it gave me time to converse with my friends, relax, and enjoy the meal. I personally believe a restaurant should not operate in a way that it becomes a sprint to bring you your food as quickly as possible. The extra time means the cook is making sure the food you receive is at its absolute best.

From my visit, I can tell The Copper Kettle is a well-run restaurant with a friendly staff that wants to make sure you experience a positive environment as well as enjoy your time. The manager, Chris Staver, always wanted to be in the restaurant business since the age of 19 and opening The Copper Kettle has been a milestone for him. I strongly recommend that you take some time in your schedule to eat a home-cooked meal, without having the worry of doing the dishes, at the Copper Kettle. Make sure you say hi to Chris when you stop down and congratulate and thank him for bringing CK back to Dubuque.

The Copper Kettle
2987 Jackson Street, Dubuque, IA
(563)-845-0567

(Written by Ashlea Higgins)

10/15/2010 - We Keep Growing!

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 08:00:00 GMT

TriStatesNightOut.com has grown and grown quickly in the first year of existence. We started day one and had six visitors to the site. With some great people working hard and spreading the word, we have grown to have thousands of hits per month!

We pride ourselves on constantly keeping you informed of what is happening with Tri-States Nightlife. We also wanted to provide a one stop source for you to find restaurants, bars, bands, and events.

When we began building the site we couldn't believe how much there was to do in the area! We have had some nights where there were literally 50 or 60 events going on.

I would like to thank everyone for all of the support we have received. We spend each day trying to make TriStatesNightOut.com the most comprehensive website in the Tri-States area!

If you see anything on the site that is not accurate, please let us know!

Thanks again for all your support!

06/26/2010 - OUR MISSION!!!!

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 08:00:00 GMT

We've all heard it...

"Dubuque sucks."

"Platteville sucks."

"There's nothing to do here."

"Galena is one of the worst cities to live in."

Well, guess what. We couldn't disagree more. The only thing we don't have in this area is pride. It's about time we change that. No more whining. No more excuses. No more "Rockbottom." The apathy ends NOW.

At Tristatesnightout.com, our goal is to revitalize the Tri-State's entertainment industry by providing the general public with a comprehensive, aesthetically pleasing, interactive, and easy-to-use resource for local nightlife and everyday entertainment.

Ultimately, our mission is to bring a sense of pride to an area with limitless potential and some of the best musicians, establishments, and attractions in the world. And Tristatesnightout.com is your complete guide.

Rock on, Tri-States!