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 Around the Valley
History in our Illinois Valley
lst on illinois riverRecently on Memorial Day my wife and I went to the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles. This together with the 65th anniversary of D-Day I thought it might be interesting to revisit our area's amazing contributions. 
I just recently finished Winston Churchill's 5000 page memoir of the history of WWII. In it he consistently refers to the lack of LSTs (Landing Ship Tanks). This LST is an amphibious vessel designed to land battle-ready tanks, troops and supplies directly onto enemy shores. The shortage throughout the war was the single biggest deterrent to the allies taking the offensive. It was very interesting to read how the effort made locally had such a profound impact.  
These LSTs were made right here in Seneca, by 11,000 workers who produced 157 of these invasion craft.  After they were built they were sailed down the Illinois River to the Mississippi and out into the Gulf where they made the trek to the European and Pacific theaters.-- Ray
 Things to do.....Around the Valley
Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run
memorial wall

While visiting the wall in Marseilles we also found out about the Freedom Run. Locals told us about this event and that as many as 30,000 people and 10,000 motorcycles attended last year. Sounds like quite an event. This year's event takes place on Saturday, June 20th and provides food, refreshments and live music.
On June 19th, 2004 in Marseilles a Granite Memorial Wall was dedicated commemorating the servicemen and women who have lost their lives in worldwide conflicts since 1979. The project was conceived by Founders Jerry Kuczera and Tony Cutrano, and built by local labor and volunteers through donations. The names on the wall represent the fallen heroes from such diverse locations as Panama, Lebanon, the Balkans, Grenada, Somalia, Haiti and the Middle East.
The Purpose of the Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run is to show Our Brave Servicemen and Women, and their Families, that we support them, and to Honor Fallen Heroes. The ride to the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles starts at the Grundy County Fairgrounds in Morris. The route is lined with Americans waving American Flags and paying tribute. In the past they have had 10's of thousands of participants. The money raised through generous donations is used to update and maintain the Memorial, and to put this wonderful event together. The first Memorial erected was in the small town of St Anne Illinois. the hometown of Capt. Ryan A. Beaupre, one of Illinois first casualties in the war against terror. Memorials have been donated to all of the Veteran Homes and Hospitals in The State of Illinois in Honor of all our Veterans, Past and Present. Many of our Fallen Heroes Children have been assisted with funds for their education, in hopes that through education, they will learn to diplomatically resolve their problems.- Ray
Behind the Bar
Celebrating the Gibson
gibsonIn the late 1800's the place to find a Gibson was San Francisco, The closer you got to Europe in those days, the more vermouth you got in a Martini. To get the driest possible drink, you had to head west. In the "bleak, stylish bars of San Francisco's Montgomery Street," you would be served a Gibson, a more or less western and much ginnier version of the dry Martini, a cocktail with almost nothing in it but cold gin, with an onion instead of an olive.
Gibson was a member of San Francisco's Bohemian Club; sometime in the 1890's his way of drinking a Martini came to be called a "Gibson" by the club's bartender. The drink became popular with club members first and then with the rest of San Francisco's ritzier types.
The greatest Gibson moment in all of popular culture is found in Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" (1959). When ad executive Cary Grant is in New York, his drink of choice is what you would expect of a man so faultlessly tailored-Martinis at the Oak Bar. But when he is fleeing the city on the 20th Century Limited, he heads to the Pullman car and finds himself seated across from the exquisite Eva Marie Saint. The drink he orders? A Gibson-the perfect quaff for someone hurtling in a Northwesterly direction.  Like the city from which the drink hails, the Gibson is sophisticated and quirky in equal measure. --Kris
Gibson....2 oz gin, � oz dry vermouth Stir with plenty of ice and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish... pickled onion.
UPtown's UPcoming Events
Playlist Theater
June 25th, Bill Kirchen
Sept. 18th, Paul Cebar
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June 10, 2009
In This Issue
Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run
Celebrating the Gibson
On special, Seared Tuna Wrap
Playlist Theater, Bill Kirchen
 On Our Specials List
  • Indian Creek Oysters
  • Oysters Rockefeller
  • Fried Chicken Salad
  • Seared Tuna Wrap
  • Soft Shell Crabs
  • Roasted Duck Breast with Blueberry Port Wine Glaze
  • Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass, Chile and Basil
  • Stuffed Chicken with Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Garlic and Tomato
  • Steamed Broccoli with Tillamook Cheddar
 On Special Now
Seared Tuna Wrap
tuna wrap
A new healthy lunch option that we recently added to our specials is the Seared Tuna Wrap. Medium-rare sushi grade tuna, sushi rice, freshly fried wontons, avocado, romaine lettuce, pickled ginger, chive, cilantro and capers with a soy wasabi vinaigrette all wrapped in a Lavosh wrapper. It is served with freshly fried homemade shoestring french fries. It has been very well received and we hope to add it as a menu item soon.
 Playlist Theater
Rolling Stone Magazine Names "Deep in the Heart of Texas" one of 100 best albums of all time.
Bill Kirchen
June 25th
commander cody
   Bill Kirchen was the guitarist that lead   One of Commander Cody's albums ("Live From Deep In the Heart of Texas") to be voted one of the 100 best albums of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. At only $15 a ticket you don't want to miss this show, the guitar work alone will amaze you.
Listen to "Deep in the Heart of Texas"
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