Where did June go?? I blinked and all of a sudden, we're coming up to 4th of July festivities in the Rockford region! I won't complain...it's a fun holiday in the area! It's an easy holiday to love. Cookouts, parades, live music, being surrounded by friends and family...plus one of the only holidays where it's totally normal to wear a suit that looks like an American flag (yes, I know people that have worn this).

Back for its 15th year, I like to affectionately call the Classics and Chrome Motorcycle and Car Show the “100 Best in the Midwest.” This year, however, we will invite 140 of the top vehicles in the United States to the show. As with every show, we take great pride in never repeating the lineup, so I can assure our fans that they will see some of the most incredible vehicles in the United States under one roof.

This past week I was in Rockford for spring break; I didn’t have a lot planned besides seeing a few people, and overall becoming a couch potato. Other than that, I was itching to get outside and hike, and for anyone that knows the Midwest in March the weather can be rather unpredictable, with this week’s weather ranging from the mid-teens to the high 40s, but that was not going to stop me.

Winter birthdays in the Midwest can be difficult. I should know...my birthday is in January. You can't have outdoor parties (unless you want to freeze) and you can't ask for fun pool toys or cute summer clothes because you won't use them for 6 months! There is one good thing about winter birthdays though...snow!

Around my birthday in particular, the Rockford region also gets to celebrate the annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition!

Lasers. Fog. A 10,000-square-foot arena filled with great hiding spots and more than 500 mirrors.

Last year, my older sister and brother-in-law took a trip to Minnesota. While they were there, they mentioned that they were going to be doing an "escape room." Awesome!....what is an escape room?? Apparently you're put into a room with a group of people and you have to search the room to find clues and crack codes in order to escape the room. If you can do it during a certain amount of time, you win! If you don't you lose. 

I've had my fair share of swimming pools, frozen beverages and layers of sunscreen this summer already, but there's one thing in summer that I haven't enjoyed yet: a good old Midwestern festival. Lucky for us here in Rockford, August is FULL of festivals each weekend! These events have pulled out all the stops. There are carnival rides, deep fried food, games with prizes and of course, live music. Here is a rundown of festivals during the month of August here in the Rockford region. Have fun!!

Zak Rotello knows all things beer and Tour de North End. We sat down with him and talked about The Olympic, Rockford, beer and bikes.

Imagine standing in an open field with a group of other people, and you're told to move from one spot to another. Sounds easy, right? Now imagine that it's 90 degrees out, you have to move your feet at the EXACT same time as everyone else, you can't bounce when you walk, you can't look down, you might be moving backwards...oh yeah, and you're playing songs from memory on an instrument. Not so easy anymore! This is just the tip of the iceberg of what members of the Phantom Regiment do for every practice and performance!