WALK ACROSS IOWA * MAYFLIES ON THURSDAY * YOU TUBE CHANNEL * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 12 * May 22, 2011

COULD THIS

BE SUMMER

Looks like the back and forth of spring is over and summer is here. At the coffee house we've been engaged in spring cleaning. This week, we move on to flower planting. The same thing is going on at the Vintage Shoppe and the Sackter House. Stop by and see us. Or visit our ambassador Dale Hankins as he walks across Iowa on behalf of Bill's Coffeeshops. He starts from Clinton on Wednesday. (More details below on his trip.)

OPEN MIC MOVES

TO THURSDAYS

Open Mic Night has moved to Thursdays for the summer. It starts at 7 pm, immediately after Art & Music Night. Making Memorial Day decorations is the project for Art & Music Night this week. Starts at 6 pm.

NEW NIGHT FOR

SPOKEN WORD

A new Open Mic for spoken word debuts this week at Uptown Bill's. It's on Wednesday, starting at 7 pm. You're invited to recite a poem, share a story, or read from a favorite scene. You can sign up now at the coffee house. This new Open Mic follows the Readers & Writers group, which now meets Wednesdays at 6 pm.

GREAT NIGHT 

FOR CONCERT

The Mayflies play Saturday, May 28 at Uptown Bill's. Performance starts at 7 pm. Everyone is welcome for this concert by one of Iowa City's best-known musical groups. 

SATURDAY CONCERTS

ALL SUMMER LONG

Saturday Night Concerts continue through the summer at Uptown Bill's. Coming up: Beat Prairie (June 4) and Lauren Bevineau (June 11). Stop by the coffee house and pick up a calendar of coming events. Check our website and Facebook page for more information. 

NOW A CHANNEL

ON YOU TUBE

Uptown Bill's now has a channel on You Tube. Nine videos of events and interviews at the coffee house have been posted so far. Click the link to check out the channel:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLEE41220297F8D82C

SUMMER HOURS FOR

BOTH COFFEESHOPS

Uptown Bill's is open Monday through Saturday from 7 am during the summer. Closed Sundays.

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop in North Hall is open weekdays from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm

BOOK & MOVIE 

AVAILABLE

"The Unlikely Celebrity," a biography of Bill Sackter by TomWalz, is available again at Uptown Bill's. $20. Also available: Copies of "A Friend Indeed," the documentary film about about the life and legacy of Bill Sackter. $20. 

WE'RE LOOKING FOR

SUMMER VOLUNTEERS

Would you like to volunteer this summer at Uptown Bill's? We're looking for individuals who are willing to make a commitment of 2-3 hours each week for 6-8 weeks. There are morning, afternoon and evening shifts available. If you'd like to find out more about volunteer opportunities, call Tom Gilsenan at 339-0401. Or send an email to:tomgilsenan@gmail.com.

BOOKINGS FOR

SUMMER MUSIC

Would you like to play at Uptown Bill's this summer? We're looking for performers who'd like to play on our stage. There are still a few openings later in the summer on Thursday and Saturday evenings. There are also opportunities on other afternoons or evenings. For information, contact Tom Gilsenan at tomgilsenan@gmail.com. You can get a look at our performance space by visiting Uptown Bill's on Facebook. 

IMAGINE A NETWORK

OF COFFEE SHOPS

Trace your finger across a map of the Midwest. Go from Iowa City, IA to Minneapolis, MN  to Aberdeen, SD and then back the other way. Now imagine a network of Bill-friendly coffeeshops along the way. 

It's not an impossible dream. After all, there are already four -- Bill's and Uptown Bill's in Iowa City, Hard Times in Minneapolis and Red Rooster in Aberdeen. Each welcomes all, including those who are not welcome in other places. Also, each has decided that part of its mission is serving individuals with disabilities. 

There's the beginning. Now let's get to work on adding more coffeeshops like these in our communities. Again, this is not just a dream. Almost every month, we hear from someone who imagines opening a coffeeshop like Bill's. In recent years, Tom Gilsenan has met with people in Des Moines and Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls, Sioux Falls and Sioux City, Minneapolis and Council Bluffs who have coffeeshop dreams. Tom Walz has met with others. And there are likely many more.

These are seeds, waiting to be planted and tended. We can help each other plant these seeds and nourish their growth into thriving coffeeshops. We don't have to all be the same, or have the same business models. But we can all be inspirations for each other.

You might think of a collection of Bill-friendly coffeeshops as being like open source software. Microsoft can't control open source software; Starbucks can't control open-source coffeeshops. That's because Bill Sackter belongs to us all.

SUMMER TOUR PLANNED FOR

BILL-FRIENDLY COFFEESHOPS

Uptown Bill's is organizing a Midwest summer tour of 'Bill-friendly' coffeeshops' -- places which share the spirit of Bill Sackter. We have several coffeeshops on our list already, but we're looking for more. Is there a coffeeshop in your community we should visit? Let us know. 

A TRIP ACROSS IOWA

FOR UPTOWN BILL'S

A good friend of Uptown Bill's plans to walk across Iowa starting Wednesday, May 25. Dale Hankins plans to travel on US 30 starting from Clinton and heading west all the way to Nebraska. US 30 was the first cross country highway and was originally called the Lincoln Highway.  Our friend will promote the coffee house by talking about us and showing "A Friend Indeed," the documentary about the life and legacy of Bill Sackter. He hopes to raise a little money, too. His trip will take him through Clinton, DeWitt, Mt Vernon, Tama, Marshalltown, Ames, Boone, Carrroll, Denison and other communities. Let us know if you'd like him to stop and see you. You're also invited to walk with him through your town. Dale is also looking for pledges to support the work of Uptown Bill's. Call Tom Gilsenan at the coffee house for more details: (319) 339-0401.

LIVE TV SHOW ON

TUESDAY, MAY 31

Tom's Guitar Show will be broadcast live from Uptown Bill's on Tuesday, May 31. The one hour show runs from 6 to 7 pm. You're invited to come down and be a part of the studio audience. The show is a production of PATV, community television in Iowa City. It's broadcast on cable channel 18 and can also be viewed on your computer as a webcast.

SEE UPTOWN

BILL'S ON TV

A variety of events at Uptown Bill's have been filmed for broadcast on PATV, community television in Iowa City. Check the schedule for Channel 18 to find out what's being shown this week. You can also watch programs on your computer. Visit the PATV website at: http://patv.tv/blog. Type Uptown Bill's in the search box and then choose the program you'd like to watch. 

VISIT OUR PAGES

ON FACEBOOK

Find out more about Uptown Bill's and Bill's Bookmart. Visit our pages on Facebook. Also see the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page. You can follow us on Twitter, too: Uptown Bill's.

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Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8 am. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in it 10th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open every day from 8 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's page on Facebook. You can call Uptown Bill's at(319) 339-0401. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible.

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In the spirit of Bill Sackter, Uptown Bill's strives to nurture and encourage a gathering place where people of all abilities are welcome. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Watch us on You Tube: www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLEE41220297F8D82C

Visit our web page: www.uptownbills.org