Get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s at The Dixon

Hello Sauk Valley and beyond!

It was almost 60 degrees last weekend and might hit 70 this week! Time to unpack the shorts. In Los Angeles, when it hits 60 degrees, people are pulling out their winter coats and complaining about the cold. Different worlds.

Thank you to everyone that came out to see “Spamilton!” What a magical night. The cast and crew were great! Although, they should let me teach the actors how to find the light and not sing in the dark. It was a great show.

The pre-show at the Post House was terrific. Jay Vonn from Rosbrook Studios gave us 90 minutes of great music. The Post House looked beautiful and there were snacks. A+ on the snacks! If you are looking for a beautiful venue to hold a birthday party, bar mitzvah, or rave, please check out the Post House. They are one of the great venues in our valley.

I’ve heard from a ton of people asking when “Spamilton” will be coming back because they’ve heard it was a great show. I don’t know if it will. We need to turn the Sauk Valley into thrill seekers. Don’t wait to hear about the show! Be a part of the action at The Dixon, even if it’s something new. It may surprise you.

For those who attended “Spamilton,” how easy was it to get a drink or a popcorn now? The lobby and balcony have been redesigned to get everyone their snacks and cocktails quicker. We have to thank all of our volunteers that are now certified in the state of Illinois to serve alcohol that will be running all four bar locations. We also have video menus! It’s so easy to see what we have in stock. Again, let’s get that drink to you faster so you can come back for another one. I would love to see the original architects see this theater now. Modern class.

I attended the Rotary Club’s Shrimp Boil and Chili Fundraiser. The food was great and it was packed! I thought I was going to run them out of shrimp but they still had to-go bags for sale at the end of the night. The raffle prizes were top notch. I didn’t win so I’m calling for a recount! Although I did yell Bingo, I still didn’t win anything. Congrats to everyone that made that event a success.

Are you ready for St. Patrick’s Day Weekend? How about starting it with us on Friday night, March 14? Classical Blast in Kilts is coming to us on tour! Classic rock mixed with traditional Irish music! Green beer, necklaces, great times! We have a four-piece opening music act from Rosbrook Studios that has an exciting announcement which they will reveal at intermission! We have our signature cocktails for the concert: The Irish Buck and Leprechaun Juice. We know that Dixon High School is opening “Grease” and from everyone here at The Dixon, break legs! But we will see it after Friday night because the party is at our place. Start your weekend off with Classical Blast in Kilts brought to you by WLLT 94.3 FM!

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Saturday! Come cheer on the Dixon Kids Theater as Roary the Lion and the young actors take part in the parade, downtown Dixon at 2:30 p.m. There will be candy.

Have you heard of the local business that’s taking off, PherDal Fertility Science, Inc.? It’s been nominated nationally by SXSW as a top innovation business in the world! And it was conceived, pun intended, right here in Dixon! We are so proud of you, Dr. Jenn Hintzsche, Ph.D. Helping families and bringing national coverage to our community. This is a print High Five!

The Dixon Municipal Band is back at The Dixon and we are over the moon excited. They are bringing a world-renown flute beat boxer. What is that? Come find out! It’s going to be a blast. As always, free admission but hurry, we only have 915 seats. Saturday, March 22.

Our children’s theater is back to rehearsal with “Willy Wonka Jr.” and “Into the Woods Jr.” Both casts are completely full and starting to memorize their lines, music, and dance. Once again, Jan Fattizzi, Tori Highley, and Scott Shipp are taking our local kids to the next level with these awesome shows. Like I’ve said before, even if you don’t have a kid in the show, they are still worth seeing and supporting the program. The other area kids will love these shows so let’s pack the house! We have a lot of Sour Patch Kids to sell!

To our article fan who loves exclamation points, we received your gift and will be taking a picture with all of us wearing the exclamation point T-shirts! Ha! They are hilarious and awesome! Thank you from all of us!!!

I made a bet, with someone who will be revealed at a later date, that we can sell out opening night to “Pump Boys and Dinettes” on Friday, June 20. Here’s my big ask, when you buy a ticket to Classical Blast in Kilts, or Selena, or GIT Improv, or the Pink Floyd Tribute, etc., also buy a ticket to the opening night of “Pump Boys and Dinettes.” Help me win the bet and you will get a great Red Carpet Opening Gala Party to launch our summer stock season and experience a phenomenal show! Let’s show this guy that the Sauk Valley can fill The Dixon easily!

Food Review: I tried the new Chipotle Honey Chicken at Chipotle. Sweet and spicy. The honey caramelizes on the chicken and gives it a good grilled taste. It’s a thumbs up.

Where are you eating Friday night before Classical Blast in Kilts? I saw that the River City Ale House has a corned beef special weekend starting on Friday. I might have to check that out. Lil’ Smoked also has an amazing corned beef dinner that I had last year. Ally Loop has a killer Rueben.

Movie reviews

“Last Breath”: Based on the true story of an ocean dive that goes wrong just off the Scotland coast. The actual story is stunning and still has scientists baffled. The acting was passible and the story was written close to a documentary style. It’s pretty tense. If you want to be immersed in the ocean, go see it on the big screen.

“Mickey 17″: I love the director and the sci-fi genre, so I was super excited to see this one. My expectations were a little too high. I had hoped it would show more of the deaths that poor Mickey has to endure but it became a story about the 17th copy of Mickey and his lifespan. A little political at times. A little long in others. Not the director’s best work but the aliens were neat and his co-star was really good. It’s a streamer.

Speaking of movies, The Dixon has “The Sandlot” and “Wicked” coming at the end of the month. Don’t miss out on our Classics and Cocktails series. Bring the kids and they can enjoy The Dixon movies as much as we did when we were kids.

I’ll be telling my favorite Irish joke at Classical Blast in Kilts. Yet another reason not to miss out!

Thank you for reading all the way through and we’ll see you at The Dixon!

Darren Mangler is The Dixon: Historic Theatre’s executive director.