Midwest Association of Independent Inns

Over the summer we had a guest from Florida check in named Michael Steighner. We did not know him, but in striking up a conversation with him, we learned that he was on a special journey. His goal was to visit all 50 states, in different stages, over the course of 12 months, the year he was turning 60. He was recording his stops along the way for his YouTube channel. On this portion of his mission, he flew into Chicago and then made Galena his first stop in a visit to the upper Midwest. Here is a link to Episode 28 , in which he features Cloran Mansion. Michael's YouTube channel is called simply Michael Steighner. You can go there to see Episodes 26 and 27, which are about the Galena area. Episode 29 is about Berning Acres, which is a wonderful family dairy farm just minutes from us. They offer tours as well as other fun events. Thank you, Michael! It was such a pleasure to meet you, and we wish you well, wherever your travels take you!

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The Galena Brew Fest returns to Chestnut Mountain on Saturday, July 20, from 1-4 p.m.! This annual event features local and regional beer, wine and spirits. Proceeds benefit the Galena Arts & Recreation Center, which does wonderful work for northwestern Illinois. A ticket includes wristband, glass and 30 sampling tickets. Attendees must be 21 and older. The cost is $35, or $40 the day of the event. The cost of a designated-driver ticket is $5. Live music will be provided by Sam Wooden. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.galenaarc.org/galena-brew-fest

There will be plenty of opportunities in June to listen to live music while visiting Galena. Here is a listing of dates and venues: June 1 -- Concert at the Vineyard with Danny Parker, Fergedaboudit Vineyard, 1:30-5 p.m. June 1 -- Galena Cellars Downtown, Marty Raymon, 5-8 p.m. June 1 -- Galena Eagles Club, Ten Gallon Hat, 7-10 p.m. June 1 -- Music in the Vines with Scott Waterhouse, Galena Cellars Vineyard, 1-4 p.m. June 1 -- Irish Dancers at Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub and Grill, 5-5:30 p.m. June 2 -- Music in the Vines with the Danny Parker Project, Galena Cellars Vineyard, 12-3 p.m. June 6 -- Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Andrew Huber, 7-10 p.m. June 7 -- Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Ian Gould, 8-11 p.m. June 8 -- Gay Pride Picnic, Grant Park, 12-5 p.m. June 8 -- Karaoke, Galena Eagles Club, 7-10 p.m. June 8 -- Fergedaboudit Vineyard, Vince Amore, 1:30-5 p.m. June 8 -- Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Ian Gould, 8-11 p.m. June 8 -- Galena Cellars Downtown, The Danny Parker Project, 5-8 p.m. June 8 -- Music in the Vines with Steve Kalmes, Galena Cellars Vineyard, 1-4 p.m. June 13 -- Live at the Plaza, Green Street Plaza, 5-8 p.m. June 13 -- Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Meghan Davis, 7-10 p.m. June 14 -- Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Hearthfire Duo, 8-11 p.m. June 15 -- Hoof'n & Groove'n, Hoof It Goat Treks, 6-9 p.m. June 15 -- Turner Hall, Hunter Fuerste & His American Vintage Orchestra, 6 p.m. June 15 -- Karaoke, Galena Eagles Club, 7-10 p.m. June 15 -- Fergedaboudit Vineyard, Kara Gordon, 1:30-5 p.m. June 15 -- Galena Cellars Downtown, Rebel Wells, 5-8 p.m. June 15 -- Music in the Vines with Take the Pearl, Galena Cellars Vineyard, 1-4 p.m. June 15 -- The Tony Ocean Dinner Show, Fergedaboudit Vineyard, 6:30 p.m. June 15 -- Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Hearthfire Duo, 8-11 p.m. June 21 -- Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Andreas Transo, 8-11 p.m. June 22 -- Corkless in Galena, Depot Park, 12-6 p.m. June 22 -- Karaoke, Eagles Club, 7-10 p.m. June 22 -- Fergedaboudit Vineyard, Lenny Wayne, 1:30-5 p.m. June 22 -- Frank O'Dowd's Andreas Transo, 8-11 p.m. June 22 -- Galena Cellars Downtown, Dan Peart, 5-8 p.m. June 22 -- Music in the Vines, Galena Cellars Vineyard, Steve McIntyre, 1-4 p.m. June 23 -- Sea Shanties Sunday, Frank O'Dowd's, 6-8 p.m. June 27 -- Live at the Plaza, Green Street Plaza, 5-8 p.m. June 29 -- Hoof'n & Groove'n, Hoof It Goat Treks, 6-9 p.m. June 29 -- Karaoke, Eagles Club, 7-10 p.m. June 29 -- Fergedaboudit Vineyard, Gabe Schillman, 1:30-5 p.m. June 29 -- Galena Cellars Downtown, Daniel Zaccaro, 5-8 p.m. June 29 -- Music in the Vines, Galena Cellars Vineyard, Jim Mantey, 1-4 p.m. June 30 -- Frank O'Dowd's, Meghan Davis, 6-8 p.m. 

Just wanted to share a painting that Pat Holland completed for us this week. Pat is a Galenian treasure. She has been decorating cakes for Cloran Mansion for many years. Those of you who have been married here or have had a cake here for any other reason very likely know the tremendous quality of her work and the care she puts into whatever she takes on. But beyond cake decorating, Pat is also an accomplished artist. She has a business called Pat Holland Illustrations, which creates paintings/drawings of homes and buildings like the one she just completed for Cloran Mansion. The business includes a lot of other illustrations as well, such as of pets, flora and fauna, landscapes and "life portraits" -- a portrait of an individual accompanied by other objects/people to provide a sort of composite "picture" of that person's life. She works in acrylic paint, like she did for us, as well as in pencil and ink. Pat has also worked on restoring broken statues, as she did for St. Mary's and St. Michael's churches in Galena. I encourage you to take a look at her Facebook page -- Pat Holland Illustrations. She has lots of examples of her work as well as a way to contact her if you are interested in having her complete an illustration for you. Pat's humility is well-known to all who know her. But all who have benefited from her skills and creativity know how much Galena is enriched by her presence here.  Thanks, Pat!

It was a frigid day Saturday afternoon, with several new inches of snow on the ground and windchills at -10. But it was a lovely and warm atmosphere inside the Cloran Mansion, as Townsend & Christine made their marriage vows in our dining room! The atmosphere was also patriotic, as Christine is a Major in the U.S. Army and Townsend is a soon-to-be Major. Christine is currently stationed at the ROTC program at the University of Illinois. Townsend is about to be deployed to South Korea for several months, so there was no stopping them from making the day a wonderful one, whatever it was doing outside! The best man was Simba, who obviously found the time to obtain a matching tie for the special occasion. Best wishes to all three as they begin a new journey together!

This Saturday, December 16th, Bed & Breakfast Inns of Galena will be hosting its Mistletoe Stroll. All are welcome. It can be an especially nice event for residents of Galena who typically drive by the many wonderful bed and breakfasts everyday in Galena but because they live here have had no particular reason to go inside. The participating inns besides the Cloran Mansion are: Lamberson Guest House, Steamboat House, Farmers Guest House, Belle Aire Mansion, Jail Hill Inn and Hawk Valley Retreat & Cottages (who did a great job organizing the event). Those purchasing the $10 ticket can visit these inns in any order, have a treat, and enjoy the Christmas decorations. The event lasts from 1-4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance until Friday at 6 p.m. at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mistletoe-stroll-tour-of-holiday-houses-tickets-693260479757?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwAR039sVA3gj3aKuRbi08q9oJfZASsmaqMRVS9sSs9sWXvylelpqMHvdKO6g Tickets can also be purchased during the event at any of the participating inns. All proceeds benefit local charities. We hope you can make it!

Christmas is a magical time in Galena. We hope you can make it out this December! And weekdays offer some real advantages.

Last week, Cloran Mansion was closed so that we could undertake a number of renovations and not disturb guests. The biggest of these projects was renovations to the tower of the house. The siding of the tower consisted of green cedar shingles, but many of these had begun to deteriorate after years of, well, weather in northwestern Illinois. Harrington and Sons Construction took on this project, replacing the old cedar with faux cedar of a similar color. These shingles should have a life span of forty or fifty years, putting the Cloran in a good position for decades to come. Next up was the cresting that sits on top of the tower. Cresting, the decorative metal fencing that sits on top of the tower, was a feature of Victorian homes like the Cloran, built in 1880. The old cresting had begun to rust through and break. After we ordered new, similar steel cresting and painted it, Harrington took care of the installation for us. It's a little beyond the reach of our tallest ladder. Another exterior project was replacing the shutters on the front of the house (actually, we took care of most of these a couple of weeks back). Inside, Paul worked on re-staining the bannister that leads to the second floor to rejuvenate the look at little bit. Finally, Rockford Refinishing took care of refinishing the double Jacuzzi tubs in two of our rooms -- Antonio's Cottage and Ann's Room. Both tubs now have a sparkling white new surface. We thought you would enjoy a little peek wth the slideshow below!