Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Talk Line 10-14-2026: Melinda Jones talks fall events in Rock Falls

Transcript

Talk Line 10-14-2026: Melinda Jones talks fall events in Rock Falls · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey there, Sog Valley, and welcome back to The Waking
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Crew here on FM 95.1 and AM 1460 WIXN. 8.35
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: on your Wednesday morning. Happy hump day. We are joined
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: once again in the booth by our good friends from
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Rock Falls Tourism, Melinda Jones in the studio. How are you, ma'am?
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: I'm great. How are you?
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: I'm good. It's been some nice fall weather. We had
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: those unexpected kind of warm flare-up days. I love those. Yeah, yeah.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: We better hold on. It looks like it's about going
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: away frost on Friday, so here it comes. That's okay,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: because as fall pushes on, we're getting closer towards Halloween,
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  Speaker 1: all these great fall events, and of course... This weekend,
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  Speaker 1: looking forward to the Spooktacular Halloween Lighted Golf Cart and
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: UTV Parade.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so Saturday at 6.30 we'll be downtown Rock Falls
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: and get going with that. This is our third annual one.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: So it's always a fun one because when we started
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: this out, we had no idea what the expectation was
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: for the creativeness of these golf carts and UTVs. But
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: everybody blew us out of the park. They were just
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  Speaker 2: like great, great, great creations. So we're excited to do this.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it makes for some great photos and just the
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  Speaker 1: kind of creativity that's on display. It's phenomenal.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: It is, yeah.
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  Speaker 1: And it's not just for Rock Falls residents, right?
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Correct. Anybody. So I think we've got Amboy already registered, Chadwick,
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: so anywhere, Morrison. So you can come from anywhere. You
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: just trailer your card in and we'll give you a
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: temporary day pass and get those ahead of time. But
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: then you can ride your card around all day.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm looking forward to this. Uh, if, if you
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: could see this either grow or expand in any kind
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: of way, you know, maybe it takes some time. How,
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  Speaker 1: how would you envision that?
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  Speaker 2: I would love for it to grow and expand to like,
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  Speaker 2: I would love it to be because like last year
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: we had one that blew flames out and stuff. So,
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  Speaker 2: so that creativeness and then, you know, I would love
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  Speaker 2: it to be like a mini Galena parade because their
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: Halloween parade is spectacular and I could see this growing
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: the more and more it gets out there and stuff
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: and the creativeness that everybody has to just make it spectacular.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that would be really cool. I love all of that.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: You said flames, and I was like, okay, I'm down
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  Speaker 1: with pyrotechnics.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, yes. And they don't only dress up their golf
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  Speaker 2: carts or UTVs. They're also dressed in a costume. You
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  Speaker 2: don't have to. So don't think, oh, I'm not that creative.
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  Speaker 2: I can't do that. We still want you. As long
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  Speaker 2: as your cart's 50% decorated, we don't care. But we
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  Speaker 2: all love to go to the next step and beyond
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  Speaker 2: and make it better. But, yeah, anybody can do it. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, if you want to put streamers on and
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  Speaker 2: put a blow-up on it, put a bunch of lights
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  Speaker 2: on it, you're good because the kids don't care. They
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  Speaker 2: just want to see it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. They just want to get out there, have the fun,
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  Speaker 1: see these things going by. It really just grabs everybody's attention.
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  Speaker 2: Right.
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  Speaker 1: And it's a good time.
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  Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
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  Speaker 1: And we're looking like we're going to have some good
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  Speaker 1: weather for this.
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  Speaker 2: I know. It's going to be like 50s, but that's
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: all right.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Get your flannels out. I love this kind of weather.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: I do, too. This ain't freezing at all. This is comfortable.
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  Speaker 1: Take the stroll, have your jeans and jacket, and just
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: be cozy.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely.
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  Speaker 1: No, absolutely loving that. I'm going to love being out there.
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  Speaker 1: And then, of course, we still have time talking about
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: the holiday light display.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Yep, so the holiday light display, we still have space
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: open at Centennial Park. This is our seventh annual. And
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: we just have all the businesses, churches, schools, different organizations.
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  Speaker 2: They all decorate a space out at the Centennial Park.
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  Speaker 2: And so we invite anybody to come along and join
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  Speaker 2: in with us. And then that starts November 27th on
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  Speaker 2: a Friday. And it will go Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 530
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  Speaker 2: to 830. It's free admission. Donations are welcome. They just
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: go back to the park district so we can add
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  Speaker 2: more displays. And then Saturday, November 28th, will be the
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  Speaker 2: horse-drawn wagon rides through the park. So no cars. And
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  Speaker 2: then Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and a special guest
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  Speaker 2: will be there as well. So it's just a fun time.
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  Speaker 2: And if you want to have a space there, it's free.
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  Speaker 2: You just have to provide the decorations and stuff. So
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  Speaker 2: we'll help you out with all that stuff, figuring out
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  Speaker 2: where to do it at and all that.
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  Speaker 1: I love that. One of my favorite parts of that
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: time of the year when I was a kid is
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: my mom. She would take us around at night driving around.
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  Speaker 1: You know, just through the town to see people's different houses,
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  Speaker 1: you know. Right, yes. And, of course, that was the
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  Speaker 1: way that you did that then.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, yes.
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  Speaker 1: So to have things like this where you know you're
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  Speaker 1: going to get to see all this cool stuff in
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  Speaker 1: one area, I really love that. Yeah, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: And we do do the house decorating as well. We
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  Speaker 2: have a Halloween one, and then we have the Christmas
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  Speaker 2: ones called Winter Wonderland. And the businesses in Rock Falls,
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  Speaker 2: as well as houses, they all... submit pictures and stuff
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  Speaker 2: and then we have a contest and people get to vote.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. I love when the contest breaks out because people
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  Speaker 1: really go all out.
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  Speaker 2: They do.
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  Speaker 1: I aspire one day to be that. I am so busy.
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  Speaker 1: I am just a jack-o'-lantern out on the porch.
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  Speaker 2: Yep.
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  Speaker 1: Uh kind of stage in my life right now but
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  Speaker 1: one day i would all of those things love to
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  Speaker 1: blow it out of the water do you yeah do
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  Speaker 1: you go overboard for decorating.
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  Speaker 2: I'm like you i'm too busy my husband does not
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  Speaker 2: want to do it so it would be me but
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  Speaker 2: um yeah i think it's cool though i mean like
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  Speaker 2: the halloween is getting more popular you see so many
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  Speaker 2: halloween decoration decorated houses and stuff so I think it's
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  Speaker 2: neat because as you're driving along, you get to see
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  Speaker 2: something that's different and think of the spirit of the
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  Speaker 2: season and stuff.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I love it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, me too. Love that. And then, of course, you know,
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  Speaker 1: so many things that you guys do would not be
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: possible without sponsors in the community. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: So and we're fortunate all of our sponsors, you know,
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: our sponsorship is a little different. So we run our
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  Speaker 2: sponsors will be for every event that we have, depending
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: on their their level. So all year long, it was
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: the same sponsors, no matter what. And so I want
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: to give a shout out to our top three levels,
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  Speaker 2: Diamond Platinum and Crystal Platinum. And so Diamond sponsors are
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: Johnson Oil and Sauk Valley Bank. And Crystal sponsors are
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: CGH Rock Falls Medical Center, Holiday Inn Express and Suites,
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: Low Share Heating and Air Conditioning, and River Country 101.7.
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  Speaker 2: And the platinum sponsors are Arthur's Garden Deli, Boss Roofing,
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  Speaker 2: Candlelight Inn, Community State Bank of Rock Falls, Extreme Dumpsters,
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  Speaker 2: Kunis Auto Group of Sterling, Babylon Express Care, Selmy's Greenhouse
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: and Family Farm, Sterling's Federal Bank, and Total Construction Services
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: and United Metal Buildings. And we have a slew of
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  Speaker 2: other ones, but we thank them all because without them,
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  Speaker 2: we wouldn't have all these free events.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Thank you. I enjoy having a good time. Y'all
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  Speaker 1: are just paying our way for that. Yes, yes. Imagine
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  Speaker 1: going somewhere Saturday. Imagine going to the movie theater Saturday
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  Speaker 1: night and your ticket was already paid for. Right. It's
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: the same thing, but this is a whole lot better
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  Speaker 1: because it's not the same thing. These events... They just
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  Speaker 1: get bigger and better every year. They get more creative.
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  Speaker 1: More people start to join in, which is what I
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  Speaker 1: really love seeing when it comes to things like the parade,
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  Speaker 1: getting more people involved. Because you just see the spirit
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  Speaker 1: of it catching on. You do.
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  Speaker 2: Community is the best thing. They have community events, and
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: everybody can go and bring the family. Yeah. So, yeah.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Anything else you wanted to share this morning?
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: Just one more thing. So on the golf cart and UTVs,
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: we did say the deadline was today. We're going to
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  Speaker 2: extend that until Friday because I'm hearing a lot of people, well,
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  Speaker 2: now I'm thinking maybe I will do it. So go
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: ahead and enter until Friday at like 4 o'clock or
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: so because we've got to do the last-minute stuff to
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: get it ready. But just come to the Rock Falls
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: Tourism Office at 603 West 10th Street. We'll get you
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  Speaker 2: all signed up. It's $ 10 if you already have a
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: Rock Falls highway permit. And if you don't have that,
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: we can get you a temporary permit for the day,
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: and it's $ 20. And then you can ride in your
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  Speaker 2: golf cart or UTV all around Rock Falls on Saturday. So, yeah,
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: if you're thinking about it on the edge, just come on.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: Give us a call or stop in our office.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Melinda's put it out there for you. She's extended
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: your time. You've got a little more Fridays. I mean,
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: not that this is that much to enter, but, hey,
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: if you were already stretching the line, Friday's right there.
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  Speaker 1: So this is perfect. Melinda, thank you for coming in.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: sharing this information, always making sure there's something fun to
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: do over in Rock Falls. And we look forward to
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: hearing more because she's not going to give it all
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  Speaker 1: away now, folks. You're going to have to wait and
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: you're going to have to tune back in because this
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: lady and the team over at Rock Falls Tourism make
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  Speaker 1: sure fun happens year-round. Melinda, thank you. I appreciate it.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: Thank you.