Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 26

Welcome back to Downtown Madness Score Central. We're starting the second half of the Third Round of Downtown Madness and things are getting exciting! Let's update you now on the scoring in both of these pivotal match-ups in Round 3 (as of 3PM CDT on Saturday, March 26):

Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork leads
Al's Cafe & Creamery's Burns Malt by 13

Bangkok House & Shanghai Restaurant's Pa-Naeng leads
Villa Verone's Asparagi by 85

It's put-up or shut-up time! If you have not already voted for your favorites in Round 3, VOTE NOW!

If you have already voted (remember, one vote per person, per computer), forward the voting link onto your friends and family to encourage them to get out and rock the vote for your teams!

Third Round voting continues thru Monday, March 28 at Noon. We will announce the winners of the Third Round of play as well as unveil the updated brackets for the Championship Game round on Wednesday, March 30. Voting for the final round of Downtown Madness tips off March 30 thru April 4.

Stay tuned to Downtown Madness Score Central on the DNA Blog throughout the weekend for the latest updates!

Now back to the action...

Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 25

Welcome back to Downtown Madness Score Central. The early stages of the Third Round of Downtown Madness has made for some exciting drama! Let's update you now on the scoring in both of these pivotal match-ups in the Round 3 (as of 3PM CDT on Friday, March 25):

Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork leads
Al's Cafe & Creamery's Burns Malt by 34

Bangkok House & Shanghai Restaurant's Pa-Naeng leads
Villa Verone's Asparagi by 63

It's put-up or shut-up time! If you have not already voted for your favorites in Round 3, VOTE NOW!

If you have already voted (remember, one vote per person, per computer), forward the voting link onto your friends and family to encourage them to get out and rock the vote for your teams!

Third Round voting continues thru Monday, March 28 at Noon. We will announce the winners of the Third Round of play as well as unveil the updated brackets for the Championship Game round on Wednesday, March 30. Voting for the final round of Downtown Madness tips off March 30 thru April 4.

Stay tuned to Downtown Madness Score Central on the DNA Blog throughout the weekend for the latest updates!

Now back to the action...

Call for Submissions for Elgin Pop-Up Poetry Project

The Elgin Cultural Arts Commission is currently accepting submissions from writers of all ages for the first ever Elgin Pop-Up Poetry Project. Published and unpublished poets throughout the greater Chicago area are invited to submit a poem for consideration. Submissions will be accepted during the month of April (National Poetry Month) and are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 29, 2011.

ABOUT THE ELGIN POP-UP POETRY PROJECT
The theme for this year’s project is Icons of Elgin, which could be a person, place or thing. Selected poems will be enlarged and displayed in tandem with photography from Elgin ’s 1440 Photo Project at government buildings, downtown storefront windows, and other public places during the summer. Final selections will be published in a special commemorative book to celebrate the event. This project is sponsored by the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, City of Elgin , Downtown Neighborhood Association, and the Palmer Foundation.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Only one poem per author will be considered. The poem can be no more than 10 lines (not including the title). The poem can be an existing work or a new poem. Poems must have proper spelling and punctuation before submission. No special formatting will be accepted that includes graphics or unusual symbols. Standard indentation, justification, spacing will be reproduced as close as possible to the submitted poem. An excerpt from a longer poem will be considered if it can stand alone. Poems will be judged on quality of writing but also for accessibility and suitability for public display before a general audience. If reprint permissions are required, permission must be obtained prior to submitting the poem. Submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 29, 2011. Copies of submitted poems will not be returned.

SENDING IN YOUR POEM
There are three ways to submit a poem:

1. An application can be downloaded at www.cityofelgin.org, where it can be saved electronically and emailed to elginarts@gmail.com.

2. Mail poem to: Elgin Pop-Up Poetry Project, Attn: Sean Hargadon, Chairman, Elgin Cultural Arts Commission and Sylvia Grady, Staff Liaison, City Manager’s Office 150 Dexter Court, Elgin, IL 60120.

3. Directly submit poem online at http://www.elginarts.org/.

All poetry submissions will be judged by an independent panel. Writers whose poems are chosen for display will be notified in May. While there is no honorarium offered, each writer whose work is displayed will receive a copy of the poster featuring his/her poem. For more information contact: Sean Hargadon at elginarts@gmail.com. Look for Elgin Pop-Up Poetry Project 2011 on Facebook.

Downtown Madness - Round Three Now Open

Welcome back to Downtown Madness – the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin’s exciting new interactive promotion for the entire month of March pitting downtown Elgin's restaurants and bars in a head-to-head bracket tournament, similar to the NCAA’s March Madness, where the public’s votes determine the winners.

The voting action has been fierce throughout the first two rounds of competition and our voters have again paired the field from eight elite establishments to these four fine finalists.

Here are the Final Results from the Second Round of Downtown Madness:

- Al's Cafe's Burns Malt defeats Domani Cafe's Domani Latte by 94

- Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork defeats La Puesta Del Sol's La Puesta Margarita by 73

- Bangkok House & Shanghai Restaurant's Pa-Naeng defeats Buckingham's Steakhouse's Grand Tomahawk by 114

- Villa Verone's Asparagi defeats Toom Toom Thai Restaurant's Thai Style Chicken Wings by 39

We now unveil the last four teams standing and our two powerhouse match-ups for the pivotal Round Three of Downtown Madness:

- Al's Cafe's Burns Malt vs. Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork

- Bangkok House & Shanghai Restaurant's Pa-Naeng vs. Villa Verone's Asparagi

Third Round voting in Downtown Madness is now open and concludes Monday, March 28 at Noon. Subscribers to the DNA’s Downtown Neighborhood News Top 10 weekly e-blast will receive the link to the Third Round Voting Form in Wednesday’s edition of the DNN. Voters can also visit DowntownElgin.com, "Like" us on Facebook at facebook.com/DowntownElgin or just CLICK HERE to access the Third Round Voting Form.

Voting is limited to one vote per e-mail address and you must vote for one of the two entries in each match-up! Failure to vote for one entry in each match-up will invalidate the remainder of your votes.

For an up-to-date scoring summary on all the match-ups to see how your "teams" are doing, visit Downtown Madness Score Central throughout the Third Round on the Downtown Neighborhood Association’s Blog at DowntownElgin.blogspot.com.

The Final Round of voting for the Downtown Madness Championship Game takes place March 30-April 4, with the winning venue announced on Wednesday, April 6. The DNA will also announce the winner of our Downtown Madness Pick ‘Em Challenge, in which individuals attempt to predict the winners from the Opening Round thru the Championship Game according to the weekly voting.

For more information about Downtown Madness, please contact DNA Promotions Coordinator Jason Pawlowski at (847) 488-1456 or e-mail jpawlowski@elginil.org.

Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 21

Welcome back to Downtown Madness Score Central. The Second Round of Downtown Madness is nearly in the books but there's still time to will your team onto victory! With a little more than 3 hours to go in Round 2, let's update you now on the scoring in each of the match-ups in the Round of 8 (as of 9AM CDT on Monday, March 21):

Al's Cafe & Creamery's Burns Malt leads
Domani Cafe's Domani Latte by 85

Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork leads
La Puesta Del Sol's La Puesta Margarita by 66

Bangkok House & Shanghai Restaurant's Pa-Naeng leads
Buckingham's Steakhouse's Grand Tomahawk by 107

Villa Verone's Asparagi leads
Toom Toom Thai Restaurant's Thai Style Chicken Wings by 40

It's Bracket Buster time! If you have not already voted for your favorites in Round 2, VOTE NOW!

If you have already voted (remember, one vote per person, per computer), forward the voting link onto your friends and family to encourage them to get out and rock the vote for your teams!

Second Round voting continues thru TODAY at Noon. We will announce the winners of the Second Round of play as well as unveil the updated brackets for the Third Round on Wednesday, March 23. Voting for Round 3 tips off March 23 thru March 28.

Stay tuned to Downtown Madness Score Central on the DNA Blog for the latest updates!

Downtown Madness Score Central Update - March 20

Welcome back to Downtown Madness Score Central. The shot clock is winding down on the Second Round of Downtown Madness! With less than 24 hours to go in Round 2, let's update you now on the scoring in each of the match-ups in the Round of 8 (as of 3PM CDT on Sunday, March 20):

Al's Cafe & Creamery's Burns Malt leads
Domani Cafe's Domani Latte by 80

Elgin Public House's Pulled Pork leads
La Puesta Del Sol's La Puesta Margarita by 65

Bangkok House & Shanghai Restaurant's Pa-Naeng leads
Buckingham's Steakhouse's Grand Tomahawk by 60

Toom Toom Thai Restaurant's Thai Style Chicken Wings leads
Villa Verone's Asparagi by 11

It's Bracket Buster time. If you have not already voted for your favorites in Round 2, VOTE NOW!

If you have already voted (remember, one vote per person, per computer), forward the voting link onto your friends and family to encourage them to get out and rock the vote for your teams!

Second Round voting continues thru Monday, March 21 at Noon. Downtown Madness Score Central will update the voting throughout the weekend and announce the winners of the Second Round of play as well as unveil the updated brackets for the Third Round on Wednesday, March 23. Voting for Round 3 tips off March 23 thru March 28.

Stay tuned to Downtown Madness Score Central on the DNA Blog for the latest updates!

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CLICK HERE to watch Jeff Myers of Elgin Today announce the updated brackets for the Round of 8.