Bill Sackter’s Centennial Celebration | April 8-13 | Uptown Bill’s (730 S. Dubuque) & Wild Bill’s Coffeeshop (321 North Hall)
Iowa icon Bill Sackter showed us the possibilities of living with a disability. Named Handicapped Iowan of the Year in 1976, he made a name for himself as a proprietor and friend. Sackter died in 1983, but his legacy lives on through Wild Bill’s Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill’s in Iowa City. Wild Bill’s Coffeeshop, which began as an employment opportunity for Bill Sackter, has since become a well-known symbol of abilities awareness. Wild Bill’s continues to operate as a service learning project for the UI School of Social Work. Uptown Bill’s, which opened in 2001, includes a coffeeshop, music venue, bookstore, and vintage shop.
Both coffeeshops are hosting a week of events to mark the 100th birthday of Sackter. The six-day event kicks off Monday, April 8 with a showing of “A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story.” The documentary will be shown at 7:00 p.m. at both Wild Bill’s Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill’s.
Caffeinate for a cause on a Coffee Crawl from Wild Bill’s to Uptown Bill’s (April 11 at 6 p.m.).
The event ends in sugary style on Saturday, April 13. The daylong celebration (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) features a different cake and different band every hour at Uptown Bill’s. Dust off your harmonica for a group rendition of “Happy Birthday” at noon. Dave Moore and No Coast tune up for a grand finale at 7:00 p.m.
For information about all of the Centennial events, visit the Uptown Bill’s website at www.uptownbills.org or call Uptown Bill’s at (319) 339-0804 or Wild Bill’s at (319) 335-1281.
