We visited O'Riley & Conway's Irish Pub!

Hey folks, today we’re getting into a bit of Janesville History and talking about breweries! More specifically the historic Northside Brewery along Rock River. KYLIE BALK-YAATENEN/KBALKYAATENEN@APG-SW.COMThere were many breweries in Janesville from the mid 19th century to probation including the Eagle Brewery, the Jacob Singer Brewery, the Todd and Company Brewery, and the Hodson Brewery. The Hodson Brewery was the first in Janesville but shortly burned down after being struck by lightening. However, the most long lived and successful brewery in Janesville was the City Brewery built around 1855, it was called Buob and Brother from 1874-1880 and is now referred to as the Northside Brewery. This was the largest lager beer producer in Janesville at the time. The brothers that owned it, John and Michael Buob made 3,000 barrels of beer every year. They did end up selling the brewery in 1882 to Gezelschap and Knipp to start a new brewery on the Southside, know as the Buob Brothers South Side Brewery or the M. Buob Brewing Company. They operated until 1906, producing 5,000 barrels of beer each year. They sold to the Croak Brewing Company where they continued to make beer until 1920. After prohibition ended, the brewery was renamed to the Bower City Brewing Company, producing 7,000 barrels a year. However, this was not enough to keep up with competition and the brewery officially closed in 1939. KYLIE BALK-YAATENEN/KBALKYAATENEN@APG-SW.COMSo, what came to be of this historic City Brewery? The Rock County Historical Society and beer historian Robert Bier (above) started an excavation of the old brewery cite in 2015. You can still see the outlines of the building and barrel and machinery stains. Sitting vacant, the building was overgrown and degraded by nature and time and was eventually torn down in the 1940s. They’ve come across artifacts from the brewery such as machine parts, beer bottles, caps, and labels, barrel parts, and rat traps. RCHBBS FacebookThe goal is to recreate the building using as much of the original materials they have and turn it into an educational museum about Janesville’s brewing history. You can currently go there and read informational signs and scan QR codes to learn more about the brewery’s history and see the outline volunteers have restored of the original building. Definitely go check out this fascinating piece of our town’s history! You can also follow the Rock County's Historic Breweries, Bars, and Saloons-RCHBBS Facebook page for updates!Sources: https://www.gazettextra.com/news/local/beer-story-1850s-northside-brewery-re-emerging-along-the-rock-river-in-janesville/article_359153ee-786a-11ef-b5d5-47e2d1df9787.htmlhttps://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AG45BY7CJ4YZKS8B/full/AVXJ6XQ5XLXPY79Ehttps://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AG45BY7CJ4YZKS8B/full/AEC3CFBCAEWZZJ8Rhttps://www.facebook.com/janesvillebreweriesHuge thank you to Mary at the Hedberg Public Library for gathering these resources!

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Hey guys, I’m back with another article on the public art of Janesville! This week we’re talking about the history behind the “Black Hawk” mural downtown by Brooklyn artist Jeff Henriquez. Henriquez has done other notable works around town such as the “In History We Trust” mural. He painted this mural in only 10 days with spray paint. This mural depicts Sauk leader Chief Black Hawk. This was Janesville’s first major artistic tribute to Native Americans. Henriquez had to gather many drawings, paintings, and sculptures of Black Hawk to base this mural off of as there are no real photographs of him. As you can see in the mural Black Hawk is dressed in traditional red cloth and wears a bead and porcupine quill necklace and feather headdress. On the headdress there are two eagle feathers blowing in the wind. On Black Hawk’s left is a great white buffalo. They are known as a good omen as they are extremely rare. Henriquez wanted Blackhawk to proudly look over Janesville’s main street with wisdom “while basking in the glory of the beautiful planes and mountains that belong to him and his people.” The mural was revealed with a Native American ceremony consisting of singing and drumming in 2019. If you want to learn more about Jeff Henriquez go visit the links below but also be sure to take a moment to appreciate this mural next time you’re in town!Artist's website: www.jeffhenriquez.comArtist's Instagram: instagram.com/jeffhenriquezart

Hey folks, I’m back with another piece on Janesville’s rich art history. Today we’re talking about “The Adventurer” Mural covering the Harris Ace Hardware building downtown. It was created during 2021 Art Infusion by David Mark Zimmerman, Milwaukee graphic designer and illustrator who often explores movement, vibrancy, humor, and curiosity in his works. He is also known as Bigshot Robot. This is a huge mural; you can see it from all the way across the river. It being next to the river and bus stations aids in its symbolism of finding adventure in our town but also getting lost on purpose according to Zimmerman. This represents the spirit of the indigenous people who lived in Janesville as well. As Zimmerman dug into Janesville’s history, he said he was “fascinated how the river played such an important part in creating meeting places and connecting paths and trading posts that grew into towns and flourished,” So, he created the explorer seeking their path and purpose to honor our ancestors adventuring spirit. If you want to learn more about David Mark Zimmerman, you can check out his social media and website linked below. Also linked is a recording of Zimmerman reflecting on the piece!website: www.bigshot-robot.comInstagram: instagram.com/bigshotrobotFacebook: facebook.com/BigshotRobotZimmerman speaking on the piece: https://files.idss.com/public/C225/d5c8e37e-6e87-4e97-8c72-a6e92831457e.mp3

Hey Janesville, I’m back with my public art series, this week we’re featuring the “River of Life” mural on the River Street side of the Rock River Charter School. This 100-foot-long mural was painted in 2021 Art Infusion by Cuban-American visual artist from Miami, Ivan Roque. The background was painted with acrylic, and the foreground was painted with spray paint. Overall, it took him 7 days to complete. Roque says the piece is about “the journey we embark on in the pursuit of knowledge wisdom and open mindedness it takes to live a full life.” The flora and fauna in the piece represent this same theme, the owl represents wisdom, the butterflies represent freedom, and the otters represent playfulness and curiosity. Roque says all these traits play an important role in life. Roque uses vines in all his pieces to symbolize connection, along with the obstacles in life we face represented by the thorns that ultimately shape who we are. He wanted this piece to be a sort of stream of consciousness along the wall and also played with the fact that we have a river running through our city. I encourage you all to check out this mural and if you want to learn more about Ivan Roque you can check out the links below!Artist's website: www.ivanroque.comArtist's Instagram: instagram.com/ivanjroqueArtist's Facebook: facebook.com/ivanisforeverlostArtist speaking on the piece https://files.idss.com/public/C225/a7bc3cdb-ce56-4342-9aad-9905b1dd7bdd.m4a

Hello Janesville and welcome back to my public art blog series, this week we’re talking about the “Dancing on the Stars” mural downtown on the Performing Arts Center. The artist behind this mural is Ruben Aguirre, a Chicago based artist who specializes in the intersection of abstraction, formalism, graffiti, and muralism. He made the mural in 2021 Art Infusion. He draws inspiration from typography, geography, and the human body. He has had exhibits at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Hyde Park Art Center, and has a solo exhibit at The National Museum of Mexican Art coming up. He has done commission work for large corporations such as Google, Adidas, Linked IN, and Conde Nast to name a few.In this mural, Aguirre wanted to incorporate the Janesville flag, native plant life, and colors that were representative of the landscape. He created an abstract interpretation of the Janesville flag with a tree and 4 suns representing the tree and 4 stars on the flag. He wanted to have a unique interpretation, making the stars suns, as the sun is a star. He also incorporated exaggerated cattails and some other native plant life and painted the background blue to represent the river flowing through Janesville. As a nod to the Performing Arts Center, he added some ballerinas dancing.If you want to check out more of Aguirre’s work, you can visit his website or Instagram www.theshiftchange.com www.instagram.com/likes_1If you’d like to hear an interpretation of this piece in his own words, you can check it out here! https://files.idss.com/public/C225/d422668d-d640-4e47-88ab-32c861b56e98.m4aAnd of course, be sure to stop and check it out next time you’re downtown!

Hey Janesville, welcome back to my public art series! This week we're talking about a new and exciting sculpture on the southeast corner of River and Court Streets.Last Wednesday 9/25 the City of Janesville unveiled a brand-new public art installation entitled “Self-Worth” by local artist Richard Lazcano. The sculpture stands at 12 feet tall depicting a bicyclist taking a selfie to showcase a slice of daily life. You can actually interact with this piece as the tire pump of the bike acts as a selfie stand community members can use to take their own pictures!All parts of the sculpture are recycled bike parts donated by Brian and Ann Reece, The Bike Elves, and Michael's Cycles. The piece was commissioned by Lynn and John Westphal. Lynn says “We are lifelong bicyclists who have supported all types of local bicycling initiatives for many years.” They wanted to create a landmark that links the downtown area, the town square, the river, and the ice age trail to promote exploration and connection in our city.Artist Richard Lazcano is also known for his sculpture, Gloria the Eagle in the Janesville Town Square, shared his take on the piece, “The title represents a journey of self-discovery and confidence. Initially, I doubted my ability to complete such a monumental project, but through perseverance and creativity, I realized my potential. This sculpture stands as a reminder that we all have the strength and capability within us.”The unveiling ceremony featured remarks from the Westphals, Lazcano, and local officials. The project was made possible through the efforts of Mike Payne, Public Works Director; Emily Moccero, Engineering Department; Angus Young Associates; and J.P. Cullen, who completed the sitework and installation.So next time you’re in the area, I encourage you to check out this stunning new landmark!

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Hey Janesville, I hope you’re hungry because today I’m reviewing Sandwich Bar on South Main Street! They advertise that they make “life-altering sandwiches” and let me tell you they are not messing around. This was my first time visiting and my goodness I was not expecting how good this meal was. So let’s get into it!I had the Ooh La La sandwich for $13 consisting of roasted turkey, raspberry-basil aioli, arugula and balsamic on a croissant bun. I was expecting deli sliced turkey, but to my delight they had big, juicy slabs of turkey. The raspberry-basil aioli was such an interesting pairing for a turkey sandwich, but it worked extremely well – I think that was the highlight of the sandwich. And of course, you can’t go wrong with a croissant so overall 10/10 experience. Jake had the Jolene for $14 which had country fried chicken, pimento cheese, Alabama white sauce, and lettuce on a bun. I can’t personally attest to the flavor, but he looked extremely happy. Definitely trying that one next!The atmosphere and service were also great. I’d highly recommend stopping in!

Hey Janesville, I’m coming to you with another article in my public art series! This week we’re talking about the “In History We Trust” mural downtown on 101 E Milwaukee St! This piece was created in 2020 by featured art infusion artist Jeff Henriquez, an artist from New Jersey. He works with mediums including spray paint, pen, and ink and has a degree in painting from Bradford College.Henriquez says this piece was meant to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of women’s right to vote and represents the struggles and victories of colored women in America. There’s a lot of symbolism in this one, so let’s dive in!The piece features two women of color, the one on the left an African American women wearing a natural afro, a necklace with Harriet Tubman on it, and BLM stitched into her shirt collar. Wearing a natural afro was once seen as a rebellious act, so Henriquez wanted to represent that rebellion seen in the 60s in Western society. He added Harriet Tubman on her necklace to represent black freedom in America and the abolitionist efforts in Janesville including speakers Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln in 1859 and a documented Underground Railroad stop near Milton.He wanted to represent the past, present, and future in this piece, so he added the subtle detail of “BLM” stitched into her t-shirt collar to represent the current times and struggles of people of color. The colorful window to the left of her represents a critical tool used to help slaved people escape by sending signals of food and safety. This window can be seen from the Tillman House in Janesville. Behind this window is a sunrise to represent hopes for a brighter future of peace and equality for us all.The woman on the right is a Native American with a wolf and moon on her right shoulder as well as a small and large eagle feather to represent the unity in native tribes between youth and elders. The moon represents the 25,000 years indigenous people have been on this land and the wolf howling under it represents the strength she has for her pack.In the background are city lights to represent our modern era and the struggles people of color still face. The flowers at the bottom are wood violets, the Wisconsin state flower.If you want to learn more about Jeff, you can visit is website www.jeffhenriquez.com but be sure to take some time to appreciate the history and symbolism in this mural next time you’re downtown! (You can also hear Jeff speak on this mural in the source link below).Source: https://www.janesvillecvb.com/things_to_do/details/4720/247821/In_History_We_Trust_Mural'Photographer: Kim Hoholek