YOUR SUPPORT * FALLING LEAVES MOON * PUMPKIN CAROLS * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 11 * Oct. 29, 2010

STORY OF BILL AND

THE COFFEESHOPS

WHAT'S the story of Bill? How did the coffeeshops get started? Those

are questions asked by many who have visited WILD BILL'S coffeeshop 

and Uptown Bill's, and by many others who have seen this Newsletter.

Now seems like a good time to retell the story of Bill and the

coffeeshop. Get a cup of coffee and pull up a chair.

Bill Sackter was a Minnesotan who spent his early years in a

tight-knit Jewish neighborhood in north Minneapolis. Diagnosed with a

mental disability, he spent nearly half a century in the state mental

hospital at Faribault.

During the 1960s, there was a movement to deinstitutionalize persons

with disabilities. Bill returned to Minneapolis and worked in several

jobs before ending up employed at the Minikhada Club, a country club

at the western edge of Minneapolis.

It was there that he met Barry Morrow, a student at the University of

Minnesota and a part-time musician. Barry and his wife, Bev, became

good friends of Bill.

When Barry accepted a job at the University of Iowa, Bill followed and

began a small coffee service in the school of social work. A cheerful

man of great goodwill who played the harmonica, Bill became a local

celebrity in Iowa City. In 1977, he was named Iowa's "Handicapped

person of the year." (Bill's life is chronicled in the book "The

Unlikely Celebrity" by Tom Walz, a retired UI social work professor.)

The coffeeshop became famous when Bill was featured in a television

movie about his life (and later a second movie). The first movie,

which received two Emmy awards, was called "Bill"(1981). Barry Morrow

received an Emmy as screenwriter; Mickey Rooney received an Emmy for

his portrayal of Bill. The sequel was called "Bill on his own" (1983).

Bill died in 1983, but the coffeeshop continued. Over the last 30

years, the coffeeshop has provided not only employment opportunities

for individuals with disabilities but also service learning

opportunities for students. Persons with disabilities who staff the

coffeeshop gain work skills and experience through their interactions

with students in a "real-life" work situation rather than as clients.

This supportive and respectful environment creates opportunities for

mutual exchange, in which all are teaching and learning together.

BILL'S Coffeeshop also serves as a center for diversity in the school

of social work, displaying a broad range of books, news articles,

newsletters, posters, art and educational materials about diversity

and various human rights issues. In recognition of these efforts, the

coffeeshop and its manager were honored with the 2002 Small Employer of

the Year award from the State of Iowa Commission on Persons with

Disabilities. In 2004, the University of Iowa presented its Hubbard

Human Rights award to the coffeeshop manager.

Uptown Bill's is an outgrowth of the original coffeeshop. Now located at

730 S. Dubuque, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other

businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. It's a separate organization from

the original coffeeshop, but the two work together to promote the legacy

and spirit of Bill Sackter. 

    -- Tom Gilsenan

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT

THESE COFFEESHOPS

Both Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's rely on sales and donations to 

continue their work. You can support both with your patronage. You can

also support them with contributions. For Wild Bill's, contributions may be sent to: 

Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. For Uptown Bill's, contributions may be sent to Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions to both organizations are tax deductible. 

EVENTS THIS WEEK

AT UPTOWN BILL'S

Sunday, Oct. 31: Halloween party, 2-4. Music by Kalimbaman (Scott Hayward)

Wednesday, Nov. 3: Rehearsal for "Good Evening" show

Thursday, Nov. 4: Art & Music Night

Friday, Nov. 5: Open Mic (Sign up during the week at the coffee house)

Saturday, Nov 6: Saturday Night Music

Sunday, Nov. 7: Singer/songwriter concert with Leah Arnold and Frank Schweikhardt

UPTOWN BILL'S HAS
BOOKSTORE, TOO
Looking for a great selection of used books? Including children's books? You'll find literally thousands of books on every subject at Uptown Bill's. Most paperbacks are $1.50; hard cover books at $3.

HARVESTING DIGNITY
CONFERENCE SET
University of Iowa Labor Center and others host a conference on the rights if immigrants int he workplace on Saturday, Nov. 13. "Harvesting dignity in Midwestern fields and factories" will be held at the Capitol Center (Old Capitol Mall) from 9 am to 4 pm. For details, visit the website of the UI Center for Human Rights: www.uichr.org

SUCH BOO-TIFUL
DECORATIONS
The Halloween decorations at Uptown Bill's are from the collection of the late Del Atkins. He was well-known for his Halloween displays at the small mall.

THIS IS THE MONTH OF

FALLING LEAVES MOON

OCTOBER is the month of the Falling Leaves Moon (Binaakwe-giizis) according to

the Ojibwe calendar. Perhaps most noticeable is the shortening of the days. Each day,

 the daylight shrinks lengthens by a few minutes. Perhaps you have noticed this as

you come and go to the campus. In the coffeeshops, the mornings come a little

later and the evenings a little sooner

MORE quickly now, autumn is nudging aside the summer. The days have still been

warm, but the nights are much cooler. This past week, the harvest moon has been shining over us each evening. In the early morning, it is still there, though it has shifted from

the east to the west side of the sky.

Outside the coffeeshop windows, the leaves continue to turn and fall.. 

We collected some of those leaves and wrote messages on them as part of a recent
Art & Music Night. The leaves were then put out on the tables at Uptown Bill's and
Wild Bill's -- and distributed to various other places around downtown Iowa City. 

All around us, the squirrels are busy gathering seeds and nuts for

the winter. One morning last week a squirrel's nut packing attracted a 

small crowd outside the business school. 

Many, many songs and poems have been written about this annual change of the

seasons. (A sampling appeared a few weeks ago in Coffeeshop

Newsletter.) Here's part of one which goes through my mind each fall. It was in

a book of poems I received long ago. I no longer have the book, but this

excerpt remained with me:

Brown song of fall

Fallen rusted beauty

Crushes underfoot.

Enjoy this season; you know what will be here soon enough.

HOW ABOUT A FEW
HALLOWEEN TUNES

Have you found a sincere pumpkin patch where you can wait for the Great Pumpkin this year? While you're waiting for him to appear, you can sing pumpkin carols. These were originally published in a Peanuts greeting card shaped like a pumpkin. Excerpts from some of the carols appear below. Complete lyrics for these and other pumpkin carols can be found at this website: http://www.nationallonghouse.org/Resources/Songs/Sg-hallo.html

I'm dreaming of the great pumpkin
I'm dreaming of the great pumpkin
with every pumpkin card I write
May your jack-o-lanterns burn bright
when the Great Pumpkin visits tonight

Pumpkin Wonderland
Screech owls hoot, are you listen'in
Beneath the moon, all is glistenin--
A real scary sight, we're happy tonight
Waitin' in a pumpkin wonderland

Pumpkin Bells
Dashing through the streets, in our costumes bright and gay
To each house we go, laughing all the way
Halloween is here, making spirits bright
What fun it is trick or treat
And sing pumpkin carols tonight  

WEEKLY CUP OF

COFFEE QUOTES

Lifts your thickest morning fog -- Caribou Coffee (Minneapolis)

Oh, coffee tastes so good

Lovelier than a thousand kisses

Smoother than sweet wine

 -- From libretto for "Coffee Cantata" by J.S. Bach

If I can't take my coffee break

My coffee break, my coffee break

If I can't take my coffee break

Something within me dies

Lies down and something within me dies

 -- From 'Coffee Break," one of the songs in the musical "How to Succeed in

Business Without Really Trying."

Have a favorite quote about coffee? Why not submit it to the Coffeeshop

Newsletter. Just hit reply and send your quotation. Or write to: tomgilsenan@gmail.com

LOOKING BACK IN THE

BILL'S NEWSLETTER

Eight years ago (2002): Seven ideas for the autumn activist

Nine years ago (2001): Saturday evening filled with memories of Bill.

________________________________________

Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's. Published since 2000, it is distributed weekly to more than 500 readers. The Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now the director of Uptown Bill's.

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a service learning project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for over 35 years. Open weekdays from 8 am, it is located in North Hall. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook or call (319) 335-1281.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of the original coffeeshop. Now located at 730 S. Dubuque, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Uptown Bill's is open every day from 8 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook or call (319) 339-0401.