Reagan Trail Days Updated Schedule for August 6-11

Tuesday, August 6 – Cowboy Randy Show on the Riverfront

Come enjoy an evening on the downtown Riverfront with the Cowboy Randy Show featuring trick roping, yodeling, cowboy stories and much more. Cowboy Randy has done voice work for Disney's Home on the Range, performances at The Library of Congress, Carnegie Hall , Queen Elizabeth Hall, The New Orleans Jazz Festival, The Seattle International Children's Festival, The Ravinia Festival, as The Artist in Residence at Grand Canyon, and at night clubs and folk festivals all over Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.   A great family-friendly event to kick-off Reagan Trail Days week! Show starts at 7 p.m. Free admission. Sponsored by the Dixon Public Library.

Wednesday, August 7 – Ice Cream Social on the Riverfront

Ice Cream Social on the Riverfront in Downtown Dixon from 6-8 p.m. featuring FREE Culver's custard and live music by Lowell Harp and Friends.

Thursday, August 8 – Community Picnic at Lowell Park

Community Picnic at Lowell Park, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m..  A perfect setting for an old-fashioned community picnic at Lowell Park, where Reagan once saved 77 lives as a lifeguard. Come enjoy FREE pontoon boat rides, and music by Wade Buzzard.  Enjoy a Community Cookout with Mama Ciminos cooking out. Dinner donation is just $3 for adults and kids 18 and under eat FREE!

Friday, August 9 –

Musical Fridays on the Riverfront @ Noon. Free concert sponsored by Community State Bank.

GALA in the PARK -- Friday, August 9 –  6 p.m. - 10 p.m. -- The Annual Ronald Reagan Gala in the Park at the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home. This year, the annual wine tasting reception and the Gala are joined for one big event at the Boyhood Home. Featuring music by Chameleon and Jimmy Jack Whitaker, elegant food by Basil Tree, and wine tastings by the Crystal Cork. Come sample the Dixon Welcome Center's Petunia Wine! The evening will feature the annual awards ceremony as we honor State Senator Tim Bivins, Courtney Fassler, and Peter Nichols.  The wonderful evening, celebrates Ronald Reagan and Dixonites that have gone on to do great things just as Ronald Reagan did, and is emceed by Tom Wadsworth. A can’t-miss event! Tickets are $35 per person and includes a commemorative wine glass and two wine tasting tickets. Tickets available at the Boyhood Home Visitor's Center or online at www.reaganhome.com.

Saturday, August 10 –

The Alzheimer's Association annual Duck Races on the Rock River -- 10 a.m. -- Come down to the Riverfront and watch hundreds of rubber duckies race along the Rock River. Join the fundraising effort by sponsoring a duck for just $5. Tickets are available at the Alzheimer's Association office at 93 S. Hennepin Ave. or call 285-1100.

Beanblossom Music Festival -- Downtown Dixon will play host to a new music and food festival on Saturday, August 10 at the Beanblossom Music Festival in downtown Dixon. Featuring JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, Gina Venier & the Gentlemen, and many more great musicians, this all-ages music festival will run from 5 p.m. - 1 a.m. at the Beanblossom Parking Lot in the heart of downtown Dixon. Along with the great music, the event will feature fantastic food by local restaurants Orom and Mama Ciminos. JC Brooks and the Uptown sound are currently touring to support their latest album Howl. Fresh off a performance at Milwaukee's Summerfest, the band continues to tour throughout the Midwest.  Gina Venier & the Gentlemen rocked the Riverfront Stage during Dixon's annual Petunia Festival on July 5. With a crowd of 3,000 people, Gina showed her hometown crowd what she has been up to while playing gigs throughout the Chicagoland area. Nate Gordon will open the festival with his acoustic blues/rock sound. Gordon has been playing locally at Rosbrook Studio, Books on First, and Musical Fridays. He has also been touring throughout Illinois and Iowa this summer. Advance tickets are just $5 at Venier's Jewelry in downtown Dixon, by calling 815-288-2308. For more information, call 815-288-2308 or online at www.dixonmainstreet.com

Second Saturdays Art Happenings -- 6-8 p.m. -- at various locations throughout the downtown. Maps will be available at the event or online at www.secondsaturdays.com

Sunday, August 11 --

RTD Dixon Municipal Band Concert -- 2 p.m. at the Page Park Band Shell. This year's program will feature "Music for Presidents", highlighted by "George Washington BiCentennial March"-John Philip Sousa, "Elegy for a Young American"-Ronald Lo Presti (in honor of JFK), "Lincoln Portrait"-Aaron Copland (Paul Katner-narrator), "Selections from Porgy and Bess"-George and Ira Gershwin (Dwight Eisenhower's favorite operetta), "Heartbreak Hotel"-Elvis Presley (Bill Clinton's favorite song to play tenor sax too), and "Reagan of Illinois Part 1"-David Holsinger (Paul Katner-narrator).