Putting the Rock Back In Rockford

Last Thursday, I was driving to a college fair in Chicago and decided to make a quick pit stop in Rockford, which is where I spent most of my formative years, for a much needed oil change (and Beef, of course). While I waited for my oil to be changed, I purused the local newspapers that had been carefuly arranged on a coffee table in the waiting area. Immediately, I was taken to a headline in the Rock River Times, entitled "Rock Capital coming to Rockford."

Yes, it's true, folks. Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, the 1970's rock band from Rockford that came to notoriety with hits like "I Want You to Want Me", "Surrender", and "Dream Police", recently announced plans to break ground as early as November on a $25 million rock 'n' roll themed multiplex, which is slated to include a museum to showcase Nielsen's hundreds of guitars, as well as a restaurant, conference center, and Hyatt Place hotel with nearly 130 rooms. The planned location is at Riverside Boulevard and I-90. Nielsen was quoted in the article as exclaiming, "In the not-too-distant future, Rockford will be known as the newest Rock capital in the universe!" And perhaps unfortunately, Nielsen doesn't stop there. He further pledges that, "We're gonna put more than just 'Rock' back in 'Rockford.'" All I have to say is goodluck, man.