Editing Dixon, Illinois (section)

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Dixon Il Dixon Theatre1.jpg|thumb|right|Dixon Theatre]]
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2007}} The city of Dixon has numerous art venues including: a downtown art gallery, 2 galleries held in museums, and several private business galleries. Dixon also has a performing arts theater called Dixon Stage Left, and a musician and visual arts co-op called Rosbrook Studio. The city has numerous festivals throughout the year including: Gardenstock Arts & Music Fest, Venitian Night on the Riverfront, a downtown wine festival, Blues-Brews-and BBQ, Reagan Trail Days, and the fall Scarecrow Festival.

Every summer Dixon holds the annual Petunia Festival featuring a parade, carnival (Farrow shows), country concert, fireworks show, and a 5K race—the Reagan Run.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petuniafestival.org |title=Dixon Petunia Festival - Official Website |publisher=Petuniafestival.org |date=July 5, 2015 |access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref> The parade features a multitude of floats from surrounding businesses, politicians, and other area groups. A carnival is also held in Dixon during this time, and the festival ends with the [[Independence Day (United States)|Fourth of July]] fireworks. The Downtown district has become a National Historic District. The Rock River which runs through the center of Dixon has been designated a National Waterway by the Federal Government. Dixon residents have supported a variety of large-scale projects that have created several aspects to their rural community. One aspect of this small town is that an individual can kayak the Rock River to the city's downtown docks and join a public Yoga session on the riverfront.

The Petunia Festival was conceived after Dutch Elm Disease and highway expansion wiped out the trees along the major roads in the late 1950s. In response to the dramatic change the streetscape underwent, the Dixon Men's Garden Club planted petunias along Galena Avenue to regain some sort of streetscape identity once again in the early 1960s. Before this annual festival, volunteers plant thousands of pink petunias along the main streets. The flowers are watered and maintained by the combined efforts of city workers and volunteers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.petuniafestival.org/history |title=History |publisher=Dixon Petunia Festival |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126214613/http://petuniafestival.org/history |archive-date=November 26, 2013 }}</ref>

An iconic arch along Galena Avenue, just south of the Rock River, features the word "Dixon" in neon glasswork. Though commonly referred to as the Dixon Arch, the proper name for the structure is the War Memorial Arch.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dixonil.com/thingstosee.htm |title=Things To See |publisher=Dixon, Illinois |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817121757/http://dixonil.com/thingstosee.htm |archive-date=August 17, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discoverdixon.org/history-heritage/61-john-deere-historic-site/view-details.html |title=John Deere Historic Site - City of Dixon Illinois Official Website |publisher=Discoverdixon.org |access-date=July 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923215106/http://www.discoverdixon.org/history-heritage/61-john-deere-historic-site/view-details.html |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Northwest Territory Historic Center is a History Research and Learning Center housed in President Ronald Reagan's boyhood South Central School. Restored with the dedicated support of the townspeople and Reagan colleagues, the center is proudly affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

The Center houses the Veterans History Project Regional Center, auditorium, research library, historical exhibits, art gallery, surround-sound theater, and museum store.