Lock 16 Center

September was full of fun events at the Lock 16 Center! We kicked off the month with a “Chocolate Lover’s Tea,” and also hosted our first Dinner Lecture “Across the Chicago Portage and the Continental Divide: A Story of Glaciers, Geography and Destiny” in the Lock 16 Fall Dinner Lecture Series. If you missed out don’t worry! We have more great events coming up in October! And be sure to check out the pics from our fantastic September events… but be warned the Chocolate Lover’s Tea pictures are sure to make your mouth water for some sweets!

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Mrs. Lincoln’s Tea
2:00PM-4:00PM
$19.50 per person, reservations required
Lock 16 Center/754 First Street LaSalle
Visit with Mrs. Lincoln as she graces us with her presence and learn about tea in the White House during a Victorian style afternoon tea. This tea will feature all the afternoon tea classics of homemade scones, Devonshire cream and jam, cucumber, chicken salad, and egg salad tea sandwiches, petite pastries, and more!

Thursday, October 20, 2011
Historical Tales and Ghost Stories on the Illinois & Michigan Canal
6:00PM-8:00PM
$20/CCA Member, $25/Non-Member, reservations required
Lock 14/LaSalle, IL
Experience an evening ride on the LaSalle Canal Boat while listening to stories about the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Discover the history of the Illinois & Michigan Canal and the people who lived and worked along it. Enjoy this evening boat ride with full appetizers. Cash bar is available.
Speaker: Tricia L. Kelly is storyteller, writer, local historian, historical tour guide, and tour director at the Hegeler Carus Mansion in LaSalle, IL.

Chocolate Lover’s Tea Photos

September Dinner Lecture Photos

This past Saturday and Sunday was the Canal Corridor Association’s Annual Mazon Creek Fossil Tour! It is one of CCA’s main fundraisers of the year. Participants had a great time with guide Dave Dolak, Professor of Geology and Environmental Sciences at Columbia College-Chicago, as they listened to him speak about his fossiling knowledge and then had the chance to spend some time in the creek hunting for their very own fossils. A mouthwatering cookout, catered by the Lock 16 Cafe, was held after…guests are still raving about the caramel apple walnut pie! This is a great event for participants of all ages, and we look forward to hosting the event again next year. Check out the photos!

WHAT IS THE GUIDE?

The Girls Road Trip Guide is a unique pocket size folded map, which is a one or two-day itinerary detailing the best places from within 59 miles of each other from Princeton to Morris Illinois to dine, shop, hang out, and stay.

A girlfriend getaway is a time for women away from work and the endless to-do list. It is an opportunity for women to laugh, relax, renew their spirit and reconnect with family, friends, and soul mates. Reuniting with childhood girlfriends or mother-daughter-grandmother bonding, women are hitting the road, exploring unique cultural sites, enjoying beautiful scenery, being pampered at a spa, enjoying a great meal together, and shopping til they drop!

The guide features a variety of listings including local inns, boutiques, specialty craft stores, antique shops, wineries, and great local dinning. So come stay in a charming inn and enjoy a day at the spa, sipping wine, or painting your own pottery. Take some time off from the hectic pace of home and enjoy a bonding experience with your best girl friends while supporting the small businesses of the charming Illinois Valley.

WHY WAS THE GUIDE CREATED?

Canal Corridor Association feels that unique and local businesses, many in our historic downtowns, need both a local and visitor market to survive and thrive. Many of these businesses are not big enough to reach the visitor market themselves.

For that reason, Canal Corridor would like to help our historic downtowns and the businesses that make the I&M Canal a special place. Boosting the local historic economy is an important project and the Girls Road Trip Guide is exactly the way to accomplish this goal.

So come stay in a charming inn and enjoy a day at the spa, sipping wine, or painting your own pottery. Take some time off from the hectic pace of home and enjoy a bonding experience with your best girl friends while supporting the historic downtowns of the Illinois Valley.

For more information on the Girls Road Trip Guide, go to www.girlsroadtrip.com or find us on Facebook!

Inventory here at the Lock 16 Visitor Center is a lengthy process because we have SO MUCH great stuff. Twice a year we inventory the entire building. The times in between, we count the gift shop and make sure everything is a ok! We also take inventory when we get new merchandise in. We carry seasonal items, locally made items, many unique pieces, along with antique items, and tourist focused merchandise.

Some of our best selling items for the summer are our glitter garden stakes. They are perfect for any garden or pot and catch the light perfectly, jazzing up any planter! Another ever-popular item is our Bonair Cards. We carry a variety of cards for every occasion. Many locals come to the shop for just for our card selection.

Our wooden signs featuring various sayings are also very popular. We just got new holiday signs, one says “That’s it, I’m calling Santa!” There are inspirational signs, humorous signs, and signs with words of wisdom.

Come in to Lock 16 Visitor Center and see all that we have to offer to make your house a home!