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SOLON– “We’ve got some scenes that we’re going to need a bunch of extras,” noted Bill “Ginks” Ginkens.
Ginkens, of rural Solon, spent much of his summer as location scout for “East of Middle West,” a feature film written and produced by University of Iowa (UI) graduate Mokotsi Rukundo and directed by Brian Lucke Anderson.
The independent film was scheduled to film at various locations in and around the Solon area from Thursday, Aug. 8, through the end of the month.

SOLON– The new goals are really similar to the old goals.
Just with some tweaking.
The Solon Community School District’s (SCSD) Board of Education adopted annual goals for its strategic plan at a July 9 meeting.
New to the annual review is a Social Emotional Mental Health component, and board members approved a $6,780 one-year, per-student subscription for a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) screening tool to be implemented with the 2019-20 school year.

SOLON– T-Mobile’s antenna is staying on top of the city’s water tower.
City council members approved a five-year lease for the mobile carrier at a July 3 meeting.
T-Mobile will pay the city $1,500 a month, over the next five years, to rent a 15-by-20-foot area on the elevated tower.
Although the initial term is five years, the lease includes three automatic five-year renewals, with the rent increasing by 10 percent each term. After 20 years, an automatic extension kicks in for up to nine one-year periods, each with a one percent hike.

SOLON– Having the Haggard Brothers perform Friday night, July 19, is next-level stuff for Beef Days.
Ben and Noel, sons of country music icon Merle Haggard, have teamed together to tour the country and will take the stage at Beef Days at 9:30 p.m. for a 90-minute tribute to their father’s music.
“It’s going to be cool,” exuded Beef Days Entertainment Chair Dean Manternach. “It’s going to be really great.”
He’s expecting a standing-room-only crowd for the biggest name ever booked for the two-day free community festival.

It was one hot ride. Over 1,000 cyclists pedaled into Solon Saturday, June 29, as part of the Big Rove, a 36-mile RAGBRAI training ride. Big Rove, sponsored by RAGBRAI (Register’s Great Annual Bicycle Race Across Iowa), the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, Big Grove Brewery and Think Iowa City, took over the intersection of Main Street and Iowa Street for a street party most of the day. Solon was the midway point for the ride.

Andy Anderson of The Dueling Pianos of Andy & Mike belts out a tune for Big Rove riders during the At The Turn Party in downtown Solon.