Rocking as George Thorogood & the Destroyers are (from left) Jim Suhler, Billy Blough, George Thorogood, Jeff Simon and Buddy Leach. The band will bring its bad-to-the-bone sounds to the Diamond Jo Casino's Mississippi Moon Bar in Dubuque on Friday, Aug.20.

Most of what you’re about to read is true.

In a recent phone interview, George Thorogood artfully dodged biographical questions, peppered his responses with hypothetical situations, laughed, a lot, and

ended our conversation with “Most of what I just told you is true.”

Great. So, all things considering, here are some facts we know to be true about Thorogood:

1. He and the Destroyers are performing at 8 p.m.

Aug. 20 in the Mississippi Moon Bar in Dubuque’s Diamond Jo Casino.

2. He plays a mean guitar. But if you think it’s blues guitar, he says it’s rock guitar.

3. He and the boys cut a new CD last year, “The Dirty Dozen,” driving down the same path they’ve been tearing up since the ’70s, which is a good thing. Thorogood’s gravelly voice is just as full and rich now as it was when he first started singing “Bad to the Bone” 30 years ago. Looking for nostalgia? “Live in Boston, 1982” was released July 27.

4. He’s performed in Iowa before, with stops at Davenport in 2008, the Riverside Casino in 2007 and the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids in 1999.

5. Baseball ruled his world until the British Invasion brought an influx of rockers to American shores.

We’re pretty sure this is true.

He dodged any talk about his reported days in semipro baseball, saying: “I had a great career as a first-base coach for a pickup game — or I could play Madison Square Garden. Now you choose.”

Somewhere along the line, he picked up a guitar, taught himself how to play it and found his new game.

“Learning an instrument is something you live with, whether it’s piano, flute, glockenspiel or accordion,” he says. “You may take a few lessons, learn a couple of chords, then just start banging away until someone comes up and says, ‘I’ll give you $10 to play.’ Then you work until someone gives you $20 to play.”

It’s safe to say he’s making more than $20 these days.

He started carving out his recording career in the early ’70s and his 1982 hit, “Bad to the Bone,” has become part of the pop culture lexicon.

“I sing like a skut-bucket singer. If I could sing like Rod Stewart or Barbra Streisand, don’t you think I’d do it? … You go where you can go. I’m still not working at the carwash.“

Someone asked Freddie Patek, who is just 5 feet 5 inches, how it feels to be the shortest man in the Majors. He said, ‘Better than being the shortest man in the Minors.’

Thorogood puts his own spin on that. “It’s better to be a stooge in heaven than a king in hell.”

— Diana Nollen, The Gazette

GET OUT

• What: 17th annual Bluesmore

• When: 4 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday; gates open at 3 p.m.

• Where: Front lawn at Brucemore, 2160 Linden Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids

• Performers: The Avey Brothers, Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys and Deanna Bogart Band

• Tickets: Advance prices through Friday: $13 adults and $12 students and Brucemore/Linn County Blues Society members, at (319) 362-7375 or Brewed Awakenings, Chappy’s Safari Lounge, Checkers Tavern, Cooters, J.M. O’Malley’s, the Longbranch, Music Go Round, Music Loft, Parlor City Pub, Stars Guitars and West Music in Cedar Rapids; $15 at the gate; children ages 10 and under free when accompanied by an adult; tickets are non-refundable

• Extras: No on-site parking; no pets, coolers or outside food allowed; food and beverage vendors available on-site, including Jaycees beer tent

• Details: www.brucemore.org, www.lcbs.org or call (319) 362-7375 or (319) 399-5105

Deanna Bogart discovered the piano as a toddler, but it took her a couple of decades to hit her stride and a couple more before she learned to read music.

You’d never guess that when you listen to her sing, play piano or sax. She’s a boogie-woogie, blues and jazz virtuoso, fusing all those styles into a little something she calls “bluesion.”

She’s played several times over the years at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, but this year, she’s headlining Saturday’s Bluesmore extravaganza on the front lawn at Brucemore, 2160 Linden Dr. SE.

The annual event, staged by Brucemore and the Linn County Blues Society since 1994, also features blues-rock, Chicago and Cajun swamp music by the Avey Brothers from Davenport and original blues twists by Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys from Madison, Wis.

On a decent summer day, as many as 4,000 people flock to rock to Blues at the Big House. The action gets under way at 4 p.m. and stretches to 9:30 p.m. That’s a lot of music, so put on your boogie shoes and get ready to get your groove on.

Bogart will be.

She joined the band Cowboy Jazz at age 21 and learned western swing and cowboy rhythms by listening and doing.

At age 27, she picked up a saxophone — about 17 years after she first wanted to play it.These days, saxophone is an integral part of her arsenal, along with keyboards and vocals.

She’s recorded eight CDs and is included on several more compilations, all showcasing the style she honed on the Maryland roots music circuit. After Cowboy Jazz broke up in 1986, she joined Root Boy Slim and two years later, struck out on her own and formed her own band, which will be in the Bluesmore spotlight.

What they’ll play Saturday night is anyone’s guess.
— DIANA NOLLEN

There was the curly haired boy who, upon seeing the piano in the downtown Pedestrian Mall here, struck a wide grin and walked over and tickled the ivories before quickly moving along with his family.

The 30-something man who played for hours under a hot afternoon sun, practicing for what he hopes is a music comeback. The band that brought along a small drum kit and set up a microphone.

For nearly three weeks two pianos have sat outside in downtown Iowa City for anyone to play.

The Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City is no stranger to music, but while you can carry around a guitar or small drum, pianos have been kept in the home or recital hall.

Except when it has rained or been oppressively hot, though, these pianos have been in use more often than not. The pianists come in all levels of ability and play all styles — classical, jazz, honky-tonk, pop.

“Music is like a bridge between people of all different walks,” said Jennifer Ettema, 15, a former Iowa City resident now living in Wyoming.

As if to prove Ettema’s point, Patrick Rhomberg, 25, of Iowa City, played classical works that evening while a few people eating ice cream stopped to listen.

A friend who plays the trumpet met a guy who was playing one of the outdoor pianos, and they have scheduled a gig together.

“Hooray for awareness of the arts,” Rhomberg said.

One of the pianos is outside Plaza Towers. The other is a couple of blocks away in front of the M.C. Ginsberg store. Mark Ginsberg, developer Mark Moen and West Music in Coralville are partners in the project.

They were inspired by the public art project “Play Me, I’m Yours,” which has placed pianos in open spaces around the world. In Iowa City, the pianos each have a sign reading “Tickle Me.”

Organizers want to add several more pianos on a permanent basis, but for now the project has been approved by the city for 90 days.

“It sort of forms a common bond between people that otherwise would just pass without saying hello,” Mark says.

That may sound idealistic, until you see it happen over and over. Darron Rodgers mostly kept his head down as he played outside Plaza Towers recently. But he glanced up to acknowledge passers-by.

“I like that, man,” one young man said to Rodgers.

“Is that Luther (Vandross)?” another asked.

Rodgers, 39, of Iowa City, played a mix of pieces for more than two hours under a blazing sun. He said he used to play professionally and also produced and promoted shows. He’s trying to get back into the music business, and the street piano was practice.

“Right now I feel like I’m in a very comfortable position,” he said during a break. “I can express myself musically.”

— GREGG HENNIGAN

Glenn Miller Orchestra Concert
Bring your lawn chair, your blanket and your dancing shoes. Relax and relive the Big Band sounds only the way the Glenn Miller Orchestra still performs them.
Details: 6 to 9:30 p.m., Sunday (June 13), Guaranty Bank Parking Lot, 302 Third Ave SE, Cedar Rapids. Admission: A 2010 Freedom Festival button (Buttons will be available for purchase at the event).

Classic Rock Concert Night
This year’s concert features Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Peter Cetera, the legendary voice, songwriter and bass player for the group Chicago. Jimi Jamison, the former singer of the Grammy Award winning rock group Survivor, will open the show. Bring a chair or blanket, unless you are in the preferred section, and plan to stay afterward for fireworks.
Details: 6 p.m., June 18, Kirkwood Community College, 6300 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids.
Admission: $20, preferred seating; $15, adult general admission; $5, youth general admission (Freedom Festival button required for admission).

Patriotic Pops Concert
Revel to Patriotic Pops performed by the nationally-acclaimed 80-piece Orchestra Iowa, under the director of music director and conductor Maestro Timothy Hankewich. Before the show, beginning at 6:30 p.m., American Idol contestant, Kelsey Madsen, of Cedar Rapids, will take the stage. And, don’t forget fireworks following the concert.
Details: 8 p.m., June 19, Kirkwood Community College, 6300 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids.
Admission: $15, preferred seating (Must be purchased by June 18); $10, adult general admission; $5, youth general admission; 5 and under, free (A Freedom Festival button is required for admission).

Freedom Festival Office Olympiad
Challenging competitions, like coffee cup and office chair races test your office survival skills. Get a team together today.
Details: 12:15 p.m., June 23, at 12:15 p.m., Greene Square Park, 400 Fourth Ave SE, Cedar Rapids. Admission: Free to spectators, $20 to enter a team.

American Pride – Marine Corps Band Concert
Featuring the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing Band from Cherry Point, NC, playing familiar marches, traditional classics, patriotic favorites, jazz, country and popular contemporary music.
Details: 7 p.m., June 25, College Community Schools – Performing Arts Center Concert Hall, 401 76th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids.
Admission: Free with a Freedom Festival Button and a free ticket voucher available a Freedom Festival office.

IMAGINATION! Square
Free family activities. Create and have fun with over 20 interactive games and activities. See www.freedomfestival.org for a full schedule of events.
Details: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 26, Greene Square Park, 400 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids.
Admission: Free.

Freedom Festival Parade
The 2010 parade theme is: Dare to Imagine: Celebrating Eastern Iowa’s Patriotic History.
Details: 10 a.m., June 26, downtown Cedar Rapids. Admission: Free.

Freedom Festival Cardboard Boat Regatta
Can cardboard boats float? Participants design and build a human-powered boat made of corrugated cardboard and capable of completing up to three trips around a 200-yard course. A limited number of Instant Boat Secret Kits will be available at the Regatta, for spectators-turned-participants. Only vehicles with boats may park on-site. All other vehicles must park in the AEGON USA parking lot on Edgewood Rd NE. Shuttle buses will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to and from AEGON and Robbins Lake.
Details: noon to 3 p.m., June 27, Robbins Lake, Ellis Boulevard.
Admission: Free.

Oorah Rock – Marine Corps Rock Band Concert
The Jazz/Rock Band component of the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing Band fills Greene Square Park with music you can sing and groove to.
Details: 6 p.m., June 27, Greene Square Park, 400 Fourth Ave SE, Cedar Rapids.
Admission: Free.

Balloon Glow
At dusk, watch as tethered hot air balloons illuminate the skies surrounding the stately Brucemore mansion, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.
Details: 6 p.m., July 1, Brucemore Mansion, 2160 Linden Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids.
Admission: 2010 Freedom Festival Button

Buster’s Tailgate and Beach Party
Start the day with a Salute to the Troops. Then enjoy hotwings, sand volleyball and cornhole games and more.
Details: All day, July 4, Trolley Lot, 405 First St. SW.
Admission: Free.

Celebration of Freedom Fireworks
This year’s Celebration of Freedom fireworks will be launched from the grassy plaza area on May’s Island between the Veteran’s Memorial Building and the Linn County Courthouse.
Details: 9 to 10 p.m., July 4, Downtown Cedar Rapids. Admission: Free.

“If you don’t fall, you’re being a chicken.”

I spoke the words of my best friend’s dad aloud as I teetered at the edge of the Gun Barrel, the more difficult of two black diamond trails at Dubuque’s Sundown Mountain.

With 10 minutes until closing, I had completed spill-free runs down 20 of the resort’s 21 trails. All that remained was the one hill that had intimidated me since my first elementary-school ski trip to Sundown in 1992. Fall or no fall, if I skied the Gun Barrel I could say with confidence that I was no chicken.

Cautious at first, I pushed my skis into a wide V-shaped snowplow, momentarily fighting against gravity before positioning them parallel to each other and giving in to the speed of the descent. The frigid midnight air whipped against my face, biting my cheeks as I gained momentum, my skis floating atop the fresh snow.

As the slope leveled out I skidded to a stop and turned to face the monster I had just conquered. It was then that I realized I had viewed the slope from the wrong angle for years. From the bottom it didn’t look intimidating at all.

While my previous trip to Sundown ­­­­­­— as a snowboarder — left me bruised and frustrated, revisiting the slopes on skis for the first time in 15 years was like riding a bike. The techniques I learned as a child returned with ease, and I finished each run felling invigorated, adventurous and eager to go again.

If it’s your first time on the slopes try Sundown’s beginner special. Available for $30 Monday through Friday, and after 4 p.m. any day, the special includes a 90-minute group lesson, rental equipment and a lift ticket to the beginner slope. Once you feel comfortable on your skis you can upgrade to an all-area ticket for $20 and explore the rest of the mountain for an added challenge. The same package is available weekend days for $55.

If lessons aren’t your style and you just want to hit the trails, Sundown offers daily rental and lift ticket specials, including military discounts and free lift tickets from children 5 and under with a paying adult. So pull on some warm socks, gloves and snow pants and hit the slopes.
And remember, if you don’t fall, you’re being a chicken.

— KELSEY

Sitting in a padded bar stool at Dubuque’s Sundown Mountain’s north lodge, I sipped a Bloody Mary and fixed my gaze on the Winter X-Games playing on a television hanging in the corner, hoping the professional snowboarders on TV would reveal their secrets as they launched themselves above the half-pipe in jumps and twists.

Filled with a little liquid courage, and a lot of false confidence, I pulled my new snow pants on over a dual layer of Hawkeye sweats and thermal leggings and grabbed my rental board and boots. Finding a space atop the busy beginners slope, I clipped my boots into their bindings and commissioned a bare-bones boarding lesson from my friend Tony – a seasoned boarder.

With a working grasp of how to stop and an uneasy sense of balance at best, I let gravity do its thing and started down the hill. A few yards into my first run I pulled my toes up, putting my weight on the back edge of my board, to practice stopping, and fell hard on my butt.

That’s one way to stop, I guess.

Keeping my board under me as I slid down the uneven slope was a challenge; but getting it back under me was a test in patience, strength and balance beyond any I have ever experienced. And experienced it I did. Over, and over, and over again before finally reaching the chair lift at the bottom of the hill.

Exhausted and frustrated I flopped into the lift as it came up behind me.

Thankful for the rest ­— and my waterproof snow pants — I watched other first-time snowboarders below falling, standing up and repeating. As the lift carried me to the top to try again, I set my goal for the day: Make it down the beginners run just one time without falling.

After dozens of tumbles, bumps and bruises — and a second dose of liquid courage — I finally managed to keep my board under me from the top all the way to the bottom. By that time a full moon had replaced the bright January sun, and my hands,
hips and shoulders ached from more spills than I could count.

I never made it off the beginner’s hill, but I achieved my goal of a clean ride and finally
grasped the key point of Tony’s earlier lesson
– trust the board.

— KELSEY

Struggling to find rhythm in my forward strides, I trekked cautiously along the cross-country ski trail hugging the shoreline of Lake Macbride. Helplessly picking up speed atop the ice-crusted path as it descended, I realized with a panic – I don’t know how to stop!

I pushed my skis into a reverse V – it works in downhill skiing – but lost my balance and landed hard on my butt, my skis in the air.

Balance, timing and fresh, powdery snow are the keys to successful cross-country skiing. Unfortunately, my first attempt at the sport was missing each of these. While Mother Nature can shoulder the blame for the lack of fresh snow and the icy conditions resulting from the midweek warm up, the balance and timing issues fell solely on me.

Not easily discouraged, I pulled myself up and patiently shuffled along what under better conditions is a groomed trail. Slowly the awkwardness of the long, thin skis attached to my feet faded and my shuffle transformed into a glide. For me, the challenge in cross-country skiing was mental, not physical.

Feeling comfortable with my technique I pulled
my eyes off the trail and took in the crisp landscape. Under the veil of winter, Lake Macbride looks unforgiving, but beautiful; a side of the park
few see.

If you want to step into some skis and enjoy the colder side of your favorite summer parks and trails, here are a few basics you’ll want to know.

n Keep your knees bent, your hands low and in front of you and your weight forward. The goal is balance. Standing up straight is the quickest way to lose it.
n Choose a style you feel comfortable with. I failed miserably at skating – think in-line skating, but on skis – but hit my stride with the classic style that felt like running, but without lifting my skis.
n Look for flat, groomed trails to start out. Groomed trails should have a pair of tracks cut into the snow. Keeping your skis in these grooves makes it easier to navigate the trail.

Now that you have the basics, pick up a pair of rentals and dig into the snow. Saturday’s Winter Fest in the Amana Colonies is a great chance to try it out, with open skiing g on the golf course from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring along a bag of marshmallows to roast at the Millstream Brewery’s bonfire.

Beer, snow and toasted marshmallows. Now that’s a perfect winter day!

— KELSEY

When he was 23, Michael Harker set his sights on owning an art gallery by the time he was 60.

He made it with six months to spare.

Harker, 59, opened Orange Crate Gallery at 310 Third St. SE in downtown Cedar Rapids in October. The gallery offers his photography as well as selected works by other Iowa artists, photographers and sculptors.

Harker also stocks books published by the University of Iowa Press that feature his photographs, including “Harker’s Barns: Visions of an American Icon;” “Harker’s One-Room Schoolhouses: Visions of an Iowa Icon,” “Still Standing: A Postcard Book of Barn Photographs” and his new book, “Iowa’s County Courthouses,” released in November.

“My career was professional photography for 38 years,” Harker said. “I grew up in the Quad Cities and my career began there after I got out of the army in 1972.”

Harker worked in the Quad Cities until 1979 when he moved to Minneapolis for a couple of years. With the goal of becoming a corporate photographer for a Fortune 500 company, he figured that working in a large city would provide him with the necessary skills.

Harker came to Cedar Rapids in 1986 when he joined Rockwell Collins as a corporate photographer. When the company eliminated its graphic services department, Harker worked as a freelance photographer and held some odd jobs for a couple of years, including relief mail carrier.

“In 1997, I joined the University of Iowa’s Department of Ophthalmology as an ophthalmic photographer,” he said. “It’s a highly specialized field and our department was considered a model for ophthalmic photography in the United States.”

When a new department chairman wanted all ophthalmic technicians certified in the field, Harker transferred to UI’s radiology department. He worked as a photographer until June 2009.

Harker was offered early retirement with five years of benefits, making it possible open his long-awaited gallery.

The JumpStart Rental Assistance Program will reimburse Harker for his first six months of rent, enabling him to get through the winter and get the gallery established.

“I think downtown is hungry for some culture,” Harker said. “As a professional photographer, I have about 30,000 images in my archive. I’ve traveled around the world with the Army and on my own, have taken some interesting photographs, and people seem to like them.”

Orange Crate Gallery, named for Harker’s handmade replica crates used for display, is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. He is reserving Monday to work as a professional photographer.

— GEORGE C. FORD, The Gazette

As Robin Williams’ character in the film “One Hour Photo” says: “Most people don’t take snapshots of the little things. The used Band-Aid, the guy at the gas station, the wasp on the Jell-O. But these are the things that make up the true picture of our lives.”

“Through the Lens,” the current exhibition featured by the Marion Arts Council at the Lowe Center, 4500 N. 10th St., in Marion showcases not only what might be considered typical subjects of photography, such as Ansel Adams-type landscapes, but also snapshots of the little things that make up the true picture of our lives. No used Band-Aids, but you get the idea.

The show, open through Jan. 8, presents eclectic and powerful photographic images by a variety of local artists, including Robert French and Sherri Kubik.

French began his in 1955 as a photographer for Marion High School’s yearbook staff. From there, he worked on everything from high-security assignments for Collins radio, such as photographing Apollo 1 crew member Edward White (the first astronaut to perform a spacewalk. French started his own photography business in 1967, which he ran until his retirement in 1998. French’s work reflects not only his technical prowess, but also his well-developed mastery of photographic composition and his particular sensitivities and perceptions on his subjects.

“Perhaps the most memorable image in the exhibit is a softly sepia-toned photograph by Sherri that visually suggests that old abandoned gas pumps might also be seen as a valid part of the natural world,” says Craig Campbell of Campbell Steele Gallery in Marion Square.

Kubik, born and raised on an Iowan Century Farm, first began pursuing professional photography in earnest seven years ago. Her agrarian upbringing manifests itself in both the subjects of her work and the artistic spirit in which they are captured. From rusted, abandoned classic cars in a grassy field to the beauty of desolate trees in the Iowa winter, Kubik’s work communicates an appreciation of subtlety.

“I enjoy capturing the effortless beauty of the objects that surround me, especially in nature,” Kubik says. “Photography is a way to immortalize single instances that make up our experiences and shape our lives. It is my hope to accurately express my passion in my images.”

Learn more about Kubik, French and other artists and the Lowe Center at a reception for ‘Through the Lens” from 7 to 8 p.m. today. The galleries are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. They will be closed Dec. 24, 25 and 31 and Jan. 1 and 2.

To learn more about the Marion Arts Council go to www.marionarts
council.com
— KEVIN

Growing up I wanted to be an Olympic figure skater. Once winter rolled in I channeled Nancy Kerrigan on my walk to school, gliding and spinning effortlessly along the icy sidewalks, dodging attacks from an imaginary Tonya Harding.

I was a natural.

There was just one obstacle standing between me and my gold-medal dream. I had never laced skates tightly around my ankles and put blade to ice. Instead, I played it safe and limited my “skating” footwear to a sturdy pair of PF Flyers.

This year I decided to revive my aspirations for Olympic gold and hit the ice at the Coral Ridge
Ice Arena.

Not wanting my first ice skating adventure to turn into my first broken bone, I asked the man taking my $8 admission fee, ($6 for entry, $2 for skate rental), for some pointers. His advice was simple: bend your knees, and don’t look down.

Apparently looking down at your skates is the quickest way to lose your balance and fall on your face. Not exactly a good place to land when you do fall. And fall you will.

After tentatively stepping onto the ice, I began to get my skating legs. Thankfully what I had been told by seasoned skaters was true, ice skating feels a lot like rollerblading. My confidence bolstered by a handful of successful laps, I stepped by skating up a notch by attempting a basic spin. This was my demise and I crashed hard against the ice. Not easily discouraged, I got up and tried it again; and again, down I went.

Despite several close encounters with the ice, my first foray into ice skating reinforced my childhood belief that I was destined for the gold. If I only realized it sooner. I’ve missed out on 20 years of practice.

If you’re like me and can’t wait for Mother Nature to create the perfect conditions for your winter adventures, or if you want to try ice skating but aren’t keen on frigid temps, head out to the Coral Ridge or Cedar Rapids Ice Arenas. I recommend calling in advance to check public skate hours.

However, if you prefer to bundle up and have the winter air pinch your cheeks, there are outdoor rinks at Bever Park and Arthur School in Cedar Rapids, and City Park in Iowa City.

With the forecast calling for cold and colder temperatures by the end of the week, it won’t be long before these rinks are ready for skaters. So get out and go for the gold.

— KELSEY