Mural

 New Saliki mural going up on the south Wall of The Big Chill. Artist expects to have it done by Tuesday, in time for next weekend's SIUC Family Weekend. As far as I am aware, this is the first mural designed for selfies in town.

Neon Tiger Tattoo

 Neon Tiger Tattoo will open later this fall in one of the spaces left empty by the closure of Sound Core. From what I understand, the owner used to work at Artistic Minds Tattoo. When the owner of that studio decided to buy the building that used to house Chicago Hot Dogs and move Artistic Minds over there, Neon Tiger's owner took the opportunity to open their own studio. By my count, that makes 4 tattoo studios in the downtown area.

Colligate Supply and Demand

 I was listening to this episode of Freakanomics Radio and it was pointed out that top tier colleges have no problem attracting students. Schools such as Harvard, Yale and UC Berkley routinely receive 50,000 applications per year and only admit 2% of them. Meanwhile most regional and community colleges, such as SIUC, SEMO and John A Logan, admit 92% of applicants and still have trouble attracting students. Makes me think they ought to spend less money on welcome centers and administrator bonuses and more money on attracting instructors and repairing infrastructure.

Signage

 Really wish the city would get some signage up around town directing people to places like Marberry Arboretum, bike paths, Campus Lake walking path, Boo Rochman (Castle Park) etc. We have so many cool places in town that are hidden away unless you know where they are.

Hot Dog

 No, literally. New hot dog vendor opening soon in the locating briefly occupied by Natcho Fries and for years by China Express at the south end of the Strip.

Entertainment Venue Part Deux

 Following up on the entertainment venue post from earlier this week, I am somewhat worry that the powers that be will wind up choosing a generic name for the venue like the Town Square Entrainment Center. After all, instead of naming the freight depot pavilion something memorable that reflects Carbondale, such as the Daniel Brush Pavilion, the city went with Town Square Pavilion.

Of course, we also chose "All Ways Open" as the current community motto, which does nothing to set the city apart from thousands of other communities. At least Marion has "Marion, Center of the Universe". It's brash but it sticks in your mind.

Tattoo Parlor

 A new tattoo parlor plans to move into part of the old Sound Core location. Apparently the artist worked at Artistic Minds Tattoo prior to their move to the new location across the street and decided this was a good time to open their own studio. By my county that will make 4 studios in the downtown area, almost equivalent to the number of bars in downtown.

Wendy's

 Looks like they are gutting the old Wendy's location on East Walnut. From what I here, going in there will be... a Wendy's. Significantly renovated. Wonder if it will take a cue from the west side Burger King and do away with inside dining?

Entertainment Venue

 Appears the powers that be in Carbondale have decided not to name the downtown entertainment venue after a particular individual and are now looking for a more inclusive or general name.  However, I bet if someone made  a large enough financial donation to help build the pavilion, the city would name it after whomever they wanted. I do like the idea of putting bricks in the pavilion with the names of important contributors to Carbondale's Musical Scene.

ATTENTION CARBONDALE! You are cordially invited to join the Stage Name Brainstorm ROUND TWO!    

 Last January, we issued a similar call for ideas, and were so blown away by the response.  A great many of you suggested naming the venue after individuals who have made important contributions to Carbondale’s music scene. Rather than naming this space after a specific individual, we are striving to broaden the scope of this venue name to be inclusive, diverse, unifying. We are seeking ideas that highlight a broader venue name and that do not directly focus on any one individual.   

  The timing for this is perfect – the City is about to break ground on Phase One of the Entertainment and Events Plaza in downtown Carbondale.  Phase One will include a state-of-the-art stage that will host entertainment and the performing arts, and attract visitors from across the region and beyond to the heart of Carbondale!   

  We were humbled by the amazing response from our first call for naming suggestions of the Entertainment and Events Plaza, and want to thank all of you who submitted your ideas and input! A multitude of responses highlighted impactful community members who have left their mark on Carbondale in various and important ways.    

  In order to celebrate all of those who used their talents to help make Carbondale’s music scene so special and unique, we are currently exploring other ways to honor and recognize these individuals.   

  If you feel called to submit an idea to the team with this new direction in mind, we welcome you to submit your suggestions via the form in the link below: 

https://www.explorecarbondale.com/FormCenter/EcoDev-23/Downtown-Entertainment-Events-Plaza-Nami-206 

Mike's Music

 From what I have heard, Mike's Music will move from its longtime East Main location into half of the shuttered Sound Core location later this year.  Nice to have another business moving into downtown though somewhat bemused it will be half a block from the Practice Pag.