Each year, the residents of Dixon, Illinois, honor a group of public spirited men and their project which has earned the town national recognition and as the State of Illinois official "Petunia City."
Thousands of pink petunias line more than two miles of Dixon highway approaches and main thoroughfares, giving the city a warm glow of color from early May until late fall.
It all began in the late 1950s when a combination of Dutch Elm disease and major highway expansion caused the removal of all trees along the communitys major roadways.
The Dixon Mens Garden Club, which for several years has worked on small flower beds scattered throughout the city, decided to do something about the barren look of the highway approaches.
In 1960 and 1961, the club planted 4,000 petunias along both sides of about one-half mile of the principal north-south route, South Galena Avenue. The next year, the club members put 6,000 more petunias on the three-quarters of a mile of North Galena Avenue.
Today, the plantings have spread to other approaches to the city and now extend along principal streets. Most of Dixon's 15,000 residents have taken part in one way or another.

Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler. Age: 23 - Hometown: Kenosha, Wisconsin - Education: St. Joseph High School - Carthage College - Music, Vocal Performance. National Platform Issue: Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler is the National Goodwill Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. - Platform Issue: Circles of Support - Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents. Talent: Operatic Vocal. - Scholastic Ambition: To attend law school. - Scholastic Honors: Dean's List; Outstanding Senior Music Major Award; Music Department Honor's Recital Participant - Career Ambition: To pursue a career in Childhood Advocacy Law

Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular, 2006
This year, Macy's 4th of July fireworks show will include six barges in three locations: the traditional area between East 23rd and East 42nd Streets, just south of South Street Seaport, and between Liberty and Ellis Islands. The show starts at approximately 9:00 pm.

October - Bridge Day is the largest BASE jumping event in the world, held on the third Saturday in October every year in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Over 450 BASE jumpers and up to 200,000 spectators are expected to attend this year’s Bridge Day on Saturday, October 21, 2006. The New River Gorge Bridge is the world’s 2nd longest single arch bridge, providing the launch point for six hours (9am-3pm EST) of legal, safe BASE jumps.

Riverfest is Arkansas' largest and most popular music, arts and food festival. The event is held annually over Memorial Day weekend in Julius Breckling Riverfront Park & the vibrant River Market District in Little Rock and the North Shore Riverwalk in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Riverfest, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) private, non-profit corporation, that since 1978 has donated over $700,000 to the development of Julius Breckling Riverfront Park and the River Market District. The mission of Riverfest, Inc. is to produce a quality, recreational, cultural, educational, family-oriented celebration of the visual and performing arts for the benefit of the community.

October - Current foreign fare from around the entire globe is featured in this weeklong event with films from many countries. All films are previously unreleased in the market and may not otherwise be seen in the Phoenix area. ( www.festivals.com)

Join us for 10 days of fun-filled activities for the entire family. Enjoy the popular International Snow Sculpting Symposium, the Mukluk Benefit Ball, and the Wilderness Trek, along with other festivities. New this year are the Radar Run (a snowmobiling event), various outdoor activities for the family, a Polka Dance, and a special concert featuring a Duluth musical group, Warm Women of the North.

Grounds For Sculpture is a 35-acre public sculpture park located in Hamilton, NJ, featuring over 250 contemporary sculptures. Plus gallery exhibits, exquisite dining, exciting performances, and workshops for all.

From its inception, Bargemusic has been committed to attracting local audiences and enhancing the cultural life of New York by offering frequent, year-round performances of chamber music in a fittingly intimate setting—the type of setting in which chamber music is meant to be heard. To make that unique musical experience available to as many people as possible, Bargemusic presents 220 chamber music concerts annually—four days a week, 52 weeks a year—and offers free tickets to a variety of groups every week, plus a monthly free concert open to the community.

Join us for the 2007 Des Moines Arts Festival on June 29-July 1 for Iowa's only free, three-day celebration of the arts!

On Oct. 4, 1895, the first U.S. Open Championship was conducted by the United States Golf Association on the nine-hole course of Newport (R.I.) Golf and Country Club. The first U.S. Open was considered something of a sideshow to the first U.S. Amateur, which was played on the same course and during the same week. Both championships had been scheduled for September but were postponed because of a conflict with a more established Newport sports spectacle, the America’s Cup yacht races.

February

Each year, more than 800,000 people celebrate the City of Lakes during the third week of July. Please join us for Minnesota's largest parade and free outdoor concert, the fourth largest fireworks show in the U.S., our amazing milk carton boat races and sandcastle building competition, the world's largest purse triathlon, our neighborhood park BBQ's and so much more. We are fun for all ages, from the young to the young at heart. Grab some sunscreen and come join us! July 15-24, 2005.

October - Nevada became a state (admitted to the Union) October 31, 1864, so Nevada Day is October 31st.of each year. However, with the passage of AB396 by the 1997 Nevada State Legislature, Nevada voters, on November 3, 1998 advised the 1999 legislature they wanted to celebrate Nevada Day on the "last" Friday in October beginning in 2000. The legislature, after much heated debate, complied.
Nevada Day is presently a state holiday recognized on the last Friday in October with the parade on the Saturday following.

October. Antebellum homes shown by hostesses in period dress, period music and theater.

October - Arizona Exposition and State Fair With over 122 years of history, the Arizona Exposition and State Fair is a fascinating location and is run by an experienced staff of professionals. See how you can become a part of this dynamic team.

The FAIF Film Festival is an annual event of the non-profit FAIF (Foundation for the Advancement of Independent Films) dedicated to promoting and supporting the art of the motion picture through the presentation of an annual, multi-day festival in which independent films submitted by filmmakers throughout the world are publicly exhibited at the Mann Chinese 6 Theaters, in Hollywood, California. Other festival events will take place including the spectacular newly designed Awards Show at the festivals "Official Hotel" The upscale and classy Renaissance Hollywood Hotel!

The tenth Annual “Racing for Children” Grand Prix, scheduled for October 28th & 29th, 2006, will be held at Reliant Park! The organizers of this one-of-a-kind racing and children’s event Prix are truly excited to offer Houstonians the opportunity to be a part of the exciting world of racing.

Celebrate the coolest season in Minnesota at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival! With more than 75 events, the Carnival is the oldest and largest festival in the nation and has become a trademark of history, community spirit and togetherness in Saint Paul.

The City of Lakes Loppet is a 35km cross-country ski race featuring the beautiful trails and lakes of the Twin Cities. Join us on the first weekend in February for this celebration of winter in Minnesota!

February. One of the world's great celebrations, marking the last day before Lent begins. The fun actually begins in early January and climaxes on "Fat Tuesday", so-called because people often eat their fill the day before Lent.

A Main Street Rogers Event, The Frisco Festival derives its name from the Frisco Railroad, which by coming to Rogers in 1881, helped establish the development of the community of Rogers and its surrounding cities.

Over the past nine decades, the PGA Championship has developed into one of the premier sporting events in the world. More than 100,000 people line the fairways of the nation's finest golf facilities during PGA Championship week to view the strongest, all-professional international field in major championship golf. As it was more than 80 years ago, the Wanamaker Trophy is still prized as one of the golf world's greatest treasures.

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, located in Montgomery - Alabama's state capital - is the sixth largest Shakespeare festival in the world and attracts more than 300,000 annual visitors from all 50 states and over 60 countries.

Gem Faire, established in 1989, has become a world renowned marketplace for the finest in gemstones, beads, jewelry, minerals, fossils, meteorites, lapidary equipment, metaphysical items and much more at the lowest prices in today’s market. Over the years, Gem Faire has produced over 40 shows a year, making it the largest Gem and Jewelry show circuit on the West Coast.

March - The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) brings the best of world cinema to South Florida and plays a leading role in maintaining and further enriching its film culture. MIFF uses the unique geographical and cultural position of Miami to be a premiere venue for the exhibition of international and US films, with a special focus on Ibero-American cinema. Both juried and audience awards are given in Documentary and Dramatic categories.

September - The Vistas Film Festival is dedicated to highlighting Latino culture and involvement in the film arts by providing public exposure for Latino artists and their work. Since its inception in 1999, the festival has presented more than 250 films from across the world.

Annual regional arts & crafts festival celebrating the huckleberry and the local community, with 90 vendors, food, entertainment, parade and Miss Huckleberry pageant. This is the 28th year of this event.

Over the course of twenty-five years the K-300 has become the highest regarded mid-distance dog sled race in the world. The race annually attracts the top mushers in the world.