180 Degrees
Want an inside look at a yearlong project by journalists at the newspaper and the Web site to help Rockford solve serious problems and turn around? We’re focusing on five areas that are key to our way of life in the Rock River Valley: Crime, education, the local economy, state and local government and our culture/sense of place. Would you like to help us in this campaign to bring about change? Give us your ideas and insights and help guide us to better solutions for Rockford. You can join the conversation here.

Posts filed under 'Culture'

Design a Rockford postcard

Add comment September 26th, 2008

0914_loc_180postcard.jpg

For the Sunday front page centerpiece of “180 Degrees: Solutions for a Better Rockford,” our graphic artist Billy Kulpa created a “Welcome to Rockford” postcard to reflect the growing number of cultural attractions. He chose a retro type feel with modern-day pictures.

Back in the day when I actually sent postcards (maybe 10 years ago), I remember buying Rockford postcards at Magna and other drugstores.

Now it’s your turn: Create a Rockford postcard, and I’ll post it (as long as it’s tasteful, people!). Send to jpollock@rrstar.com in jpeg format with your name, city of residence, daytime phone number for verification and maybe a sentence or two about your design. Note: Submissions may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.

The ‘what if…’ poll for Rockford

2 comments September 25th, 2008

Thanks to institutional memory and the Register Star archives, we have a list of ideas that have been proposed for local attractions.

While the area has grown as a tourist destination for insiders and outsiders, there still have been stalled projects. Vote below!

What if officials were able to pull off a few of the ideas that have been proposed in the last 15 years to revitalize Rockford? Which is your favorite?
View Results

After taking a small break, ‘180 Degrees’ is back

Add comment September 25th, 2008

The Rockford Register Star’s ongoing project, “180 Degrees: Solutions for a Better Rockford,” started with an introduction in May. We’re examining how Rockford has fared over the past three decades in five key areas: crime, culture, education, economy and government. Moving forward, we will focus on how the community can work together to tackle challenges and capitalize on successes.

We published the crime segment in May, and this month, we introduce culture. Culture is an example of a success so far: Back in the early 1980s, we had no MetroCentre, Magic Waters, Volcano Falls, Carlson Ice Arena or Rockford RiverHawks.