Quincy Cares

Indivisible of Adams County is hosting a second donation event called "Quincy Cares." The group will collect essential needs and donations for disadvantaged youth in Quincy. All items will be donated to My Brotha's My Sista's Keepers.

The event is Saturday, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at County Market, 48th and Broadway. The idea is to safely drive up to the location and drop off the items.

Cash and check donations are also greatly appreciated. All funds go directly to the organization and help families right here in your community. If you can't make the July 11 event, you can bring items and donations to Second String Music during our normal business hours.

This is a great idea and another example of how Quincy really does care, and we hope you can participate!

Changes at Fifth and Maine

ELECTRIC FOUNTAIN BREWING has decided to move out of our 503 Maine location. I think it's been a couple of years and it was always a beautiful thing to see people hanging out in there and smelling the coffee. Owner Ryan Christian did a lot of work to the space and made it a cozy hangout.

When EFB opened a much bigger space a block up Maine Street, we figured they would consolidate and have one location eventually. It makes sense. So it's sad to see them go but totally understandable.

We have some plans for that space and potentially big changes for the music store.

Sheryl and I have decided to put the building up for sale here at 5th and Maine. The goal is to eventually be able to close the music store and have the 503 Maine space for guitar lessons.

It isn't a concrete plan but we are putting action behind this and Joe Mays will list it today. It's very exciting - we can't wait to see how our building could be used by someone else. We are entrepreneurs at heart and might just do something completely different. Who knows?

Issac Smith continues to do well in his 505 Recording Studio on the second floor. We have space for rent on the second floor and in the basement vault. They are great spaces for the right person.

It's all part of the ebb and flow in The District, and it will be interesting to see what happens next. No matter what, we will be up for the challenge.

Best Father's Day Ever

SHERYL AND I had a great time Sunday with Emily and her girlfriend, Amy. They came down from Macomb with their recent addition, Stevie, a cattle dog mix rescue. Stevie had a blast playing with her new friends Malcolm, Angus and Genie. Angus took a little too much interest a couple of times but let's face it - he's just a dumb dog and it was all harmless fun.

Emily gave an oboe lesson at Second String Music and we went back to the Calftown hood to order takeout for lunch and sit in the shade. Sheryl gave a tour of the garden and the dogs followed them all around the yard.

For Father's Day, Emily got me a Forgottonia Brewery T Shirt and growler with some excellent Scotch ale. It didn't last long! Amy handed me a payday bar with pride. Then we headed back to the store and Amy tried out some guitars - she's a wonderful player and is discovering the joy of playing nicer electrics. I know somebody who could make her a pretty good deal ....

The point is we just hung out, and it was the best day ever. I am so proud of Emily, who is embarking on a huge adventure in a few months. She is taking a leave of absence as assistant professor of music at Western Illinois and moving to Rochester, New York, where she got her Master's from Eastman School of Music. She will get her doctorate at Eastman, a huge undertaking and major life decision.

A masters degree, a real job as a professor and starting the pursuit of a doctorate, all before age 30. Geesh. We may need another blood test to see if she is really mine.

Anyway, they managed to get out of the store just as the massive rains hit town and they made it back to Macomb without any issues.

Thank you Emily and Amy for making this old man feel special on Father's Day. Maybe it didn't seem like a big deal, but it was the best Father's Day ever and I am indeed fortunate to be Emily's dad.

The Sale

DISCOUNTING ITEMS IS one of the trickier things small retail encounters. Second String Music matches the internet price on all of our new Fender, Jackson and Gretsch electric guitars. We have decided to have a massive sale and now every one of our new in-stock electric guitars is 20% off, and that's a big chunk of change.

We are doing it because having a summer sale seems like a good idea in light of the COVID-19 shut down. We are grateful we were able to reopen and it would be nice to find new homes for our new electrics that showed up the first two weeks of the shutdown. We also want to pay the bills that don't seem to stop just because your business must close.

A young man came in last week to check out a Gretsch solid body guitar with a Bigsby tremolo. He returned Saturday and said he'd been in St. Louis looking at the same guitar in a big music store. Our price before the sale was cheaper, and he saved so much he was able to add a really nice hard-shell case for the guitar. He is happy and he'll tell everybody how well he was treated at Second String Music, and that kind of goodwill is priceless.

We have some amazing Fender guitars just begging for new homes. The Fender Alternate Reality Sixty-Six and Powercaster guitars have unique body shapes and are super playable. I actually want the white Powercaster, but the whole "Need Vs. Want" thing is a big deal right now and I'd rather it find a new home with one of our local guitar players. Plus you will pay way less than anywhere else.

Once word gets out we are hoping we find new homes for these beautiful instruments. We are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are still asking our customers to wear a mask inside the store and we much appreciate your patience and loyalty.

Lessons and country music

WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE that there's been no drop off in our guitar lessons at Second String Music. In fact I've picked up some new students and it never ceases to amaze me what music they like and why they want to play guitar.

One of my new students is a 13 year old boy. He has longer hair and his mom bought him a cheap guitar to get started on. He's done some plunking around on it already but we spent most of the first lesson on technique and how to make noises when pressing fingers into the strings and frets.

I asked the young man what kind of music he likes and he said, "I listen to a lot of old country." Now, coming from a 13 year old that could mean a lot of things, but it turns out he loves Willie, Waylon and the more traditional country music.

I've said this many times before, but when I started giving lessons full time eight years ago I had strong opinions about music genres and I wouldn't be caught dead telling somebody I liked country music. Teaching has opened my mind to a lot of different musical forms, and you can't deny there is killer guitar playing in country, blues, rock, jazz and reggae.

And just what defines a genre, anyway? The best players are the ones who can make a guitar sing on a country song and then turn it around to blister away on a rock track. Have you ever heard of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits?

I hope the young man really tries to learn the guitar and succeeds on his new musical adventure. And if it takes Merle and Hank Sr. and Patsy Kline to get there, well, I'm ready for the ride and ready to learn new things, too!

Lost items lead to ... garage sale?

SHERYL'S BLOOD SUGAR machine died the other day. She ordered a new one. She says there is a spare unit in the house somewhere. "Now I just have to remember where I put it," she said.

Famous last words. But I relate because I am always misplacing stuff, and, in order, I tend to lose my keys, wallet, watch, keys, shoes, mind, coffee cup, beer and keys. At least it happens all the time and enough to remember I am my mother's son.

This morning Sheryl went into the bedroom and there was a lot of crashing and scrapping noises as she searched for the elusive spare machine. She hasn't found it yet, but in the meantime she's located other valuable items like cords to charge phones, sunglasses, dog and cat collars, ancient wedding invitations and milk punch cards. Well, the last two items are things I'VE found in the last few minutes as I search for my keys. Again.

This prompted the suggestion to "have a garage sale" with all the trinkets, gadgets and generally useless items (to us). I could volunteer a lot of old cords and probably make a mint (haha, breath mint maybe) selling my vintage Gus Macker swag. There are stereo speakers, guitar cases and way too many ball caps laying around the upstairs rooms. So I could contribute.

"While you are looking for stuff you could go through all those boxes upstairs and throw away all those old newspaper clippings," Sheryl said. "And maybe you'd actually find your Canadian citizenship card."

Sheryl and her sister, Stephanie, had a garage sale at her old house before we moved into the Hart Manor in 2009. I vaguely remember moving stuff into her old garage and then purposefully staying out of the way as Sheryl and Steph expertly priced and sold all kinds of junk. Err, stuff. Err, valuable items to other people. Who knows? We may have accidentally sold my Canadian citizenship card.

So hang on to your hats, Q-town. The mother of all garage sales could be looming to a Calftown alley garage near you soon. Sheryl says maybe next year but I'll start making posters, as soon as I find my glasses.