Henry's Vision

     On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall riots occurred in New York City.  It is looked upon as the catalyst for the modern-day LGBT rights movement, and Pride parades are held nationally over the last weekend of June to commemorate the occasion. 

That's not the story I'm here to tell.

     In 1924, the Cubs were enjoying a successful summer before swooning to a fifth-place finish.  Leopold and Loeb were planning to commit the perfect crime, and a German emigrant was about to make history.  Henry Gerber had come to America in 1913 and settled in Chicago due to its large German-American presence.  When the First World War(which also just celebrated a big anniversary) started, Gerber served over in Germany.  While there, he traveled to Berlin where he became acquainted with the work of Magnus Hirschfeld.  Hirschfeld had been working with the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee to ease some of the anti-homosexual laws that were on the German books at the time.  Gerber was inspired by Hirschfeld and wanted to create a similar organization in America.  And so, when he came back after the war, he drew up plans for an organization that would "promote and protect the interests of people who by reasons of mental and physical abnormalities are abused and hindered in the legal pursuit of happiness which is guaranteed them by the Declaration of Independence and to combat the public prejudices against them by dissemination of factors according to modern science among intellectuals of mature age." 

     The State of Illinois granted a charter, and on December 24, 1924 the Society for Human Rights was officially recognized as the first gay rights group in America.  The group soon got to work, publishing a newsletter(which was the first gay-interest publication in the United States), and generally pushing for advocacy.  Unfortunately for Gerber, the long arm of the law did not spare the society.  In a matter of mere months, Gerber had been harassed and fined by law enforcement, he closed down the Society, and moved to New York City.  But that's not where the story ends.  In 1950, Henry Hay was inspired by the Society for Human Rights(amongst other things) when he formed the Mattachine Society, which was the first successful gay-rights organization.

The Byrne Memorial?

     If a certain alderman gets his way, one of Chicago's premier summertime destinations may be getting a new name.  Read on for more details.    

     If Thompson made the city corrupt, and Daley I made the city work, Jane Byrne was the Mayor that started to make the city the world-class destination that it is today. True, Daley II played a major part in the large scale beautification and downtown renaissance of the 1990s, but Mayor Byrne took the first steps a decade earlier. Coming to power in the wake of the (politically) disastrous 1979 Blizzard, Byrne saw the need to shake things up.

     Her first big contribution was fine-tuning ChicagoFest. At that time, Navy Pier had seen a lot in its years of use, ranging from shipping, to sailors during World War II(including the skydiving nonagenarian himself, George H.W. Bush), to students enrolled in the University of Illinois(prior to the establishment of UIC). But by 1978 it wasn't seeing much except for disuse and neglect. Mayor Michael Bilandic saw this as an opportunity, and so began a two-week long music festival in the middle of the summer.  After taking office, Byrne saw an the opportunity as well and continued the festival as Mayor Byrne's ChicagoFest. The affair was highly successful, and continued for several more years until it was retired and reimagined. You'll be able to check out Chicagofest in all its modern glory this year at the Taste of Chicago. In addition to that, Byrne was also responsible for helping to extend the Blue Line all the way to O'Hare.

     In 1983, Byrne attempted to run for Re-Election was opposed by Harold Washington as well as a then lesser-known Richard M. Daley. Now you've heard of minority candidates running for an opening and splitting the Black/Hispanic/Asian vote? Well in '84 Byrne and Daley split the White vote allowing Harold Washington to take the election. Mayor Washington went on to leave his own legacy prior to his untimely death in 1987, a legacy that was properly memorialized with the naming of the new library. However, there has been no similar remembrance of Mayor Byrne's legacy. That may soon change though as Alderman Ed Burke has recently submitted a proposal to investigate different possible opportunities to pay tribute to the aging Byrne, some of which include:

• Buckingham Fountain(as in renaming it)
• The International Terminal at O'Hare
• The Plaza in front of Water Tower Place
• Navy Pier's Grand Ballroom.

     Of course, this being Chicago, the land where matters of money, power, and politics are in a constant state of flux, there'll be more to this.

Jordan Rising

     Summertime is upon us.  Basketball season is a distant memory.  But today bears special significance in the history of the Chicago Bulls.  Read on for more...


     At the end of the 1983-84 NBA Season, the Chicago Bulls found themselves looking up from the cellar of the Eastern Conference with 55 losses, and the 2nd worst record in the Conference.  The team officials make the trek to Madison Square Garden on June 19, 1984 with the third overall pick, hoping to make something of it and put themselves in a position to once again be competitive.  What they got with that #3 pick not only turned their fortunes around, it wound up changing the game of basketball forever.  The Houston Rockets kicked off the draft with the 1st overall pick, then it was the Portland Trailblazers who were up to bat.  Portland ended up making one of the most infamous decisions in draft history when they selected Sam Bowie with the #2 pick-bypassing UNC standout and NCAA Champion Michael Jordan.  Next pick: Chicago Bulls.


     With the #3 pick, they didn't make the same mistake as Portland did.  They drafted Jordan. The rest is History.  Jordan's career records and accomplishments speak for themselves.  The Jordan-led Bulls dominated the 1990s with 6 championships, coming in 2 separate 3-peats, making them one of only 3 teams to ever accomplish the feat, as well as the most recent team to do so(and even finding time to hang with Walter Payton[twice] and Andre Dawson.  Although he made a brief stop with the White Sox, and even got a hit at Wrigley Field, he is remembered the world over for his contributions as a member of the Chicago Bulls.


     In one more fascinating postscript, Jordan was not the only athlete drafted by the Bulls on that day.  With the 208th pick, they selected Carl Lewis.  Yes, that Carl Lewis.  The one who in just over a month's time would go on to win 4 Gold Medals in Los Angeles at the 1984 Summer Olympics.  Lewis had never played a single game of basketball in High School or College.  The Bulls management drafted him because he was simply the "best athlete available".  Needless to say, Lewis never played a single minute with the Chicago Bulls.

The Way to Really Fly for 30 Years

     Chicago's history with the railroads stretches well back into the 19th Century(In fact, there are two stations in the suburbs today that were standing when President Lincoln's funeral train sped by them en route to Springfield).  However, the kind of commuter rail that you and I know about is of a much newer vintage.  As in 30 years old.  As in it just had it's 30th birthday.  Yup, Metra officially started off in June of 1984.  The system has its roots in the mid-century breakup of the nation's railways.  As the Interstate Highway System rolled out and travel became quicker and more efficient, the great railroad days of ages past quickly drew to a close.

     In 1974 Illinois saw this need coming, and formed the Regional Transportation Authority to oversee the transit operations of the suburban region.  Initially, the RTA merely served as a go-between, still leasing the lines from the Railroads.   But then when the Rock Island and the Milwaukee Road companies both went bankrupt, things changed.  The RTA created a new arm of the organization to own and operate some of the commuter train lines.  For a few years they did just that.  Then in 1983, directive came from the state government to reorganize the new arm of the RTA into something called the Commuter Rail Service Board.  After some planning, this new entity officially went live on June 8, 1984, and officially became known as Metra in July of 1985.  To wrap things up, I'll leave you with a throwback Metra commercial.  Happy commuting!

The World Cup comes to Chicago(and lots of other news)

     As the FIFA World Cup gets rolling in Brazil, let us take a trip down memory lane to 1994, when the World Cup opened up right here in Chicago

     20 years ago today, Soccer's biggest event, the FIFA World Cup, began it's 15th edition right here in Sweet Home Chicago.  Soldier Field(sans spaceship) was decked out and filled to the brim with soccer-loving fans, there were lavish opening ceremonies, and there were even appearances made by Oprah and President Bill Clinton(and no, Monica wasn't there with him :P).  After all the hoopla died down, the World Cup got started.  Some of the highlights of that tournament were the team from Northern Ireland winning a match, the United States making it out of Group play(partially thanks to an own goal courtesy of Andres Escobar), and a large inflatable soccer ball blowing into Lake Michigan. Ultimately Brazil wound up winning it all to collect their 4th World Cup.  But let's go back to June 17, 1994 for a second.  No mention of events on this date would be complete without talking about everything else that happened on that day.  Here goes:

• In Oakmont, Pennsylvania, the storied professional career of golf legend Arnold Palmer came to an end when he competed in his final U.S. Open tournament.
• In New York City, the Canyon of Heroes welcomed it's newest visitor, the New York Rangers, who had just won the Stanley Cup to finish off a 54-year championship drought.
• Later that day at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks won Game 5 of the NBA Finals over the Houston Rockets.
• At Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, Ken Griffey Jr. knocked his 30th home run of the season, tying Babe Ruth's record for most homers by the end of June.
• And of course, at 6:20 PM that evening on California's Interstate 405, a motorist reported seeing a white Ford Bronco driving down the road.  The passenger in that car was none other than Orenthal James Simpson, who was wanted for murder.  After the longest and most infamous low-speed chase in history, Simpson turned himself in, and today is serving time in prison(but not for the murders.  No, he was acquitted[something about a glove not fitting] of the murders, but ended up getting sent up the river for an armed robbery he took part in during the Fall of 2007.  And no, I'm not making that up.  Seriously, it takes a special kind of stupid to literally get away with murder and then to just go get yourself thrown into jail on a robbery charge.  I guess nobody ever said anything about criminals being smart.)

     June 17, 1994 was a day that saw many different occasions, and one which will not only go down in Chicago history, but that of the general sports lexicon.  The events are summed up best in the 2010 ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary June 17, 1994, which is included below:

(Not) The Worst Trade Ever

     In 1964 the Cubs were middling through yet another season and wanted to make a splash in the trade market.  As a result, they decided to make a move.  On June 15 of that year, the Cubs sent Lou Brock over to the St. Louis Cardinals along with Jack Spring and Paul Toth.  In exchange, the North Siders got Bobby Shantz, Doug Clemons-and Ernie Broglio.  Broglio was coming off of an 18-win season in 1963, and looked like a safe bet that would help make the Cubs competitive.  Brock was 3 months into his 3rd full major league season, and so far seemed to be somewhat lackluster.  He only hit for .260 in his first two seasons, and Cubs management wanted to try something new.  And something new they did.  When they traded Brock for Broglio, the immediate impression was that the Cubs had suckered the Cardinals into giving up one of their best pitchers in exchange for a middling young player who wasn't going to live up to his potential.  Boy were they wrong.

     Lou Brock caught fire upon arriving in St. Louis, effectively plugging the hole left by Stan Musial's retirement at the end of the '63 season.  After being at the .500 mark at the time of the trade, the Cardinals gelled around their new player and won the 1964 pennant, going on to win the World Series for a final recorded of 93-69.  The Cubs on the other hand, didn't get nearly as much out of Broglio as they would have liked.  Broglio, after compiling a 70-55 record in St. Louis over the past 5 seasons, promptly went flat in Chicago, only going 4-7 after the trade.  Ultimately, Brock won one more Series with the Cardinals in 1967, played another successful 15 years after the trade, and was voted a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1985.  Ernie Broglio retired from baseball barely 2 years after the trade, and only went 7-19 for the Cubs.

     In the 50 years since the trade, the deal has been largely reviled as not only the worst trade in Cubs history, but one of(if not the) worst deals in the history of baseball.  And while that may look true on the surface, it actually isn't.  Not by a long-long-long shot.  The ACTUAL worst trade in Cubs history wouldn't happen for another 24 years.  On December 5, 1988, the Cubs traded away Drew Hall, Rafael Palmeiro, and JAMIE FREAKIN' MOYER.  True, the Cubs got 6 players back, and without the trade the Boys of Zimmer(not Summer) may not have rocked it in '89.  But seriously, we gave up 250 pitching wins(and the future Hall of Famer who threw them) and 544 home runs(yeah, Palmeiro got busted for juicing, but those homers still would've helped) all for 1 good season and a first-round playoff exit?  We were had, and we were had badly.  So on this 50th Anniversary of Brock-for-Broglio, just remember the legacy of that deal, and the true worst deal ever.

Wells Street University

     If you happen to find yourself up in the Old Town neighborhood this summer, this is a little bit about what used to be there...

     In the 1960s, the focus on Hippie Culture in America stereotypically was the infamous Height-Ashbury district of San Francisco(with Scott MacKenzie as its unofficial ambassador).  But the Midwest was not bereft of counter-culture enclaves.  In fact, one of the more infamous hippie(not Richie) havens was on the Near North Side right by Second City.  Welcome to Wells Street University.

     Chicago's Old Town neighborhood had its roots in the 1830s, as one of the pioneering areas of the city.  St. Michael's Church(as well as the Water Tower and Pumping Station) was one of only 7 buildings in the city to survive the Great Chicago Fire.  By the 1960s, the neighborhood had been emptied of its old affluent residents as a consequence of white flight, leaving many homes and business vacant and cheap to rent.  And rent them they did.  The hippies, that is.  As a consequence, boutique stores, head shops, and other establishments(including a strip club called The Crystal Pistol) started springing up in the area like wildfire.  As far as the wide range of shops goes, one of the contributors to PBS' Remembering Chicago: The Boomer Years had this to say: "There were little old shops...it was charming and wonderful.  We were used to Marshall Fields."  These shops would be places where all kinds of folks would come to hang out, so say other contributors: "It was a place of learning about people." "I used to jokingly call it Wells Street University."  "It was what we would call avant garde."  "[Sometimes] you took a girl on a date just to walk up and down Wells Street."  Being Ground Zero of Chicago's counter-culture, this may also have been the place where Abbie Hoffman and his compatriots planned out their soon-to-be infamous protest of the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

     Nowadays, the individualistic youth of Chicago make their homes and their marks(for the most part) on other neighborhoods such as Lakeview, Wicker Park, and Bucktown.  But Old Town's legacy still endures.  The Second City opened up here in 1959, and has been supplying America with comedy legends for 55 years.  Old Town also had its fair share of folk musicians, featuring early performances by people such Jose Feliciano, Bob Gibson, and Steve Goodman.  Additionally, the Old Town School of Folk Music opened in 1957 and is still in operation today.  In a sign of its enduring legacy, the group actually just performed at the Printer's Row Lit Fest this past weekend.

30 years of books. YAY!

     So lets say that Star Trek isn't your thing.  And let's say that you don't like ribs(who are you?).  And let's say that you're not into the whole marijuana thing.  Well fear not, because there was still something going on in Chicago over the weekend that you could've enjoyed.  The Printer's Row Lit Fest went down this past weekend in the South Loop, and this year we saw a commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the first Lit Fest.  Originally put together 30 years ago as a book fair and drawing in 6,500 people, the Lit Fest has grown to draw 150,000 people this past weekend.  As part of the 30th Anniversary celebration, there was a chat with an old MTV personality, members of Second City performed a reading adapted from The Breakfast Club, and there was a performance from the Old Town School of Folk Music.  But the weekend wasn't solely devoted to living in the past.  No, this was a time to celebrate the readers and writers of 2014.

     One of those so honored was Stuart Dybek, winner of the 2014 Harold Washington Literary Award.  Dybek has quite the history with Printer's Row, even going back to that very first festival where he won the Nelson Algren Short Story Award.  This time, Dybek was honored for two of his new collections of writing, which were inspired by Chicago.  "It happened so naturally," Dybek stated. "It wasn't an aesthetic decision of 'I will write about Chicago.' A lot of the stories happened here. When I drive through a lot of the neighborhoods, less (now), but still, back in the olden days when people didn't have air conditioning during the summers, they sat out with bottles of beer and they told stories.  The great lesson is that you don't have to leave Oak Park and go to Paris to find something to write about."

     Stuart Dybek wasn't the only person being honored though, as James Patterson received the Chicago Tribune Young Adult Literary Award.  Patterson has a long and prolific writing history, but has most recently taken a turn as a young adult writer and philanthropist, pledging to donate 28,000 books to the Chicago Public School system.  While Patterson was giving his presentation, he gave words of encouragement to the young aspiring writers there, while ending with this piece of wisdom: "I am aware that I write for a large audience, but when I write, I pretend there is one person sitting across from me and I don't want them to get up until I finish." To close out the festival, Marlo Thomas(yes, that girl) gave a talk about her new book and was very accommodating towards the audience.

High Times at Navy Pier

     This past weekend, there was a gathering at Navy Pier unlike anything seen before.  Marijuana enthusiasts descended upon the Pier for the first ever Cannabis Conference, designed to give guidance to the newly legalized medical marijuana programs in Illinois.  Some of the attendees included local officials, pot advocates, marijuana experts, as well as folks giving advice on how to cook with marijuana.  Speaking more about the intent of the event, Dan Linn of Illinois NORML(an organization that advocates for the legalization of marijuana) said that “This event offers a way for people to learn more about our new medical cannabis law and the changing political landscape.  There is widespread support for medical cannabis and there is growing support for legalizing cannabis entirely. This event helps to legitimize the industry and this movement and remove the stigma from people who support ending the prohibition on this plant.”

     Of course, the movement is attracting more than just pro-marijuana advocates.  It has also set in motion a new potential economic boom that some are calling the Green Rush.  From those who supply marijuana plant supplements, to pot paraphernalia, to those who are wanting to invest in cannabis, even to makers of LED lights(used to grow the plants), businessmen are flocking to Illinois' new cannabis culture like ants on a log.  This rush to cash in on legal weed is best explained by Matt Johnson, one of the entrepreneurs in attendance. "Because the power to grow and distribute pot will be in the hands of relatively few people, that could mean a big payday [for] vendors landing contracts".  Johnson went on to praise the organizers of the event for having a more business-oriented theme to it, as opposed to events like this in Colorado(where recreational use of marijuana is already legal) that mostly attract those interested in getting their hands on high-grade cannabis.  “This is one of the better crowds. Usually there are a lot of potheads. Here there are a lot of business-oriented people,” Johnson said.

A Good Ribbing

     Needless to say, there were more things going on this past weekend than a big nerdfest up in Rosemont.  One of those other things that went down was in the Lincoln Center neighborhood, and was called Ribfest.  Entering its 15th year, the fest stretches for 2 blocks and always manages to bring in the crowds.  This year was no exception.  The action started off on Friday with Ribmania V, the fest's annual rib-eating contest(yes, there is such a thing).  The previous night an amateur competition had been held, with members of the public getting a chance to prove their rib-eating mettle.  The contestants even included a United States Congressman.  At the end of the amateur competition, Sean Nichols was declared the winner and moved on to face the professional eaters(once again, yes there is such a thing) in the main competition.  For the main heat, Miki Sudo took the crown by chowing down 4.8 pounds of ribs in 8 minutes, an effort which she won $2,000 for.

     But a celebration of gluttony wasn't all that Ribfest had to offer, far from it.  The fest also offered a Kid's Square, which gave the younger attendees a chance to enjoy inflatables, minigolf, dancing, games, stories, plays, and music.  For the older attendees, there were things to do as well, such as two separate music stages pumping out tunes almost as fast they could be played.  Some of the more inventive band names were Two Ton Jack, Goldford, Fort Frances, Warm Ones, Big Paraid, and of course, The X Ambassadors.  But when people come out for Ribfest, they're expecting ribs.  And the fest did not disappoint, with 15 different Rib vendors present and selling at the festival.  Eateries such as Wrigley BBQ, Uncle Bub's BBQ, The Piggery, and(of course) Robinson's #1 Ribs kept the crowd well fed.  Ribfest 2014 was a success, and keep your eyes peeled for mention of some of these restaurants in an entry next month...

Chi-Trek Day 3: The Big Finish

     For third day in a row, Star Trek fans of all kinds streamed into Rosemont's Westin O'Hare hotel for Creation Entertainment's Official Star Trek Convention.  Day 3's action got started off right away, as the theater presentations started off with Jeri Ryan giving a talk about her experiences portraying the Borg Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager.  After that, there was another presentation by John Tenuto, this time giving some background on the collectibles/toys associated with Star Trek: Voyager(including a special edition Seven of Nine action figure that was only available overseas).  After another music video(the convention had actually solicited submissions for videos from the public pre-convention, and those submissions had been used to plug gaps in the schedule as well as in pre-scheduled music video blocks), the MC sat down onstage and began leading a discussion on the relative merits(or lack thereof) of all 12 Star Trek movies.

     While that was going on, Jeri Ryan was giving out autographs downstairs.  One of the folks in line to get autographs was a little girl all dressed up as Seven of Nine.  Needless to say, Ms. Ryan was very impressed with the girl's effort.  After the autographs were done, action picked back up in the main theater with Gene Roddenberry's personal blooper reels.  How these were acquired is a story in itself.  Creation has been doing shows since 1971, including several Star Trek shows.  While Roddenberry was still alive(he died in 1991) he gave his blooper reels from the old Star Trek as a personal gift to Creation.  And so, these are still shown at conventions.

     After the bloopers, Robert Beltran took to the stage.  Beltran played Chakotay on Star Trek Voyager.  After fielding several questions from the audience, Beltran yielded the stage to Suzie Plakson.  Plakson had portrayed Worf's(a Klingon character on Star Trek) lover in a few episodes of the series.  As she was onstage, she was transformed into her character live onstage by makeup artist John Paladin.  After that, the stage was cleared for the final time as the weekend's last guest joined us.  Nichelle Nichols closed out the convention with a reminiscence of her 50+ years in show business and her many experiences with NASA, among other topics.  After Ms. Nichols left the stage, there were some more autographs, and then the 2014 Official Star Trek Chicago Convention came to an end.  Creation will be coming back to Chicago in 2015, and who knows what they'll offer then?

Chi-Trek Day 2: The Captains Onstage

     On the second day of Creation's Chicago Convention, the crowds came out in force for the main event. But before the day's main spectacle, there were other events going on. Starting off the day were two representatives from the Ferengi, Rom and Nog, who starred on Deep Space Nine. After that was the second auction of the weekend, which saw the selling of a fully signed photo from the original cast for $1,200.

     After that, I stepped out to the lobby for a second where I ran into a guy who is currently working on a documentary about Susan Oliver, one of the first guest-stars to appear on Star Trek(she was an Orion slave girl in the first pilot).  In addition to Star Trek, she had numerous other guest appearances in a 30+ year career, ranging from The Andy Griffith Show to M.A.S.H. to Magnum P.I. and so many shows in between.  More information about the movie can be found here.  Right after that(and with an impeccable sense of timing), John Tenuto returned to give the 2nd part of his talk on the production of The Cage, the first Star Trek pilot which Susan Oliver was a part of, which was produced 50 years ago this year.  After showing some more slides and providing some enlightening anecdotes, the stage was cleared and reset for the main event of the day.

     All of a sudden, William Shatner took the stage.  He would spen the next 40 or so minutes answering guest questions and regaling the crowd with tales.  Then, as he was in mid-sentence Kate Mulgrew walks out from behind the curtain and the crowd went wild.  After everybody calmed down, the two captains settled into a comfortable pattern of answering questions, telling stories, and swapping barbs for the next half hour or so until Shatner had to move on, leaving Mulgrew to do the final half hour by herself.  After Mulgrew left the stage to thunderous applause, John Tenuto came back up to do a presentation about Star Trek in Newspapers and how it has been portrayed in them throughout the years.  After that, some filler was provided by running a montage of fan-produced music videos for a few minutes before the costume contest.  This involved attendees coming down the aisle of the theatre all dressed up in their garb and getting judged on how good it was.  The top prize ended up being shared by a kid dressed up as the original transporter panel and a Klingon/Borg duo.  Finally, Kate and William signed autographs, and then that wrapped up Saturday.

Chi-Trek Day 1: The Klingon Emissaries

     Today, the city of Rosemont saw a marked increase in its population of Star Trek fans as the Official Star Trek Convention came to town. As the first day of a three-day affair, the masses were eagerly anticipating the affairs, and they did not disappoint. First up was Anthony Montgomery, from the show Enterprise. After some discussions over what he is doing lately, he took some questions from fans. Then after a Star Trek Yes/No trivia game, two Klingons took to the stage! In reality, they were the actors Robert O'Reily and J.G. Hertzler, who played Gowron and Martok, two Klingons on the show.  They proceed to put on a marvelous show together, even launching into a medley of all the anthems of the armed forces(an appropriate action given that today is the 70th Anniversary of D-Day).  Then they wind up doing something that I'm sure you've never thought about Klingons doing-they began to rap.  I kid you not.  It was quite fascinating and something that clearly must be seen to be believed.

 

     After another period of theatrics from the Klingons, the stage cleared for a remembrance of Star Trek stars since deceased, including DeForest Kelley and James Doohan.  After the retelling of several personal anecdotes, makeup artist John Paladin took to the stage for a demonstration of how he applies Klingon facial makeup.  To get the full effect of this, he even selected a member of the audience to get made up in his chair while he talked through the process.  After that demonstration, time was up for that day of the convention, and the MC bade everyone a good night and told us all to come back for more fun on Saturday, which is exactly what I am planning to do so.

 

Taco Time!

     This past weekend, the Little Village kicked off a new festival on the Chicago summer calendar, Festival Del Taco.  As you may have guessed, this was a celebration of(what else) tacos.  And not just any tacos, but "authentic South Side traditional tacos", according to Fred Newton, one of the organizers of the festival.  Of course, tacos aren't the only thing luring folks to this new festival, as there was no admittance charge(unlike a lot of the other festivals I've encountered, which can charge anything up to $10).  Of course, a festival like this isn't necessarily the only one of its kind out there.  Lakeview has its own taco festival, which kicked off last fall and features taco creations with much more imaginative ingredients.  According to Newton, "[Festival Del Taco] is gonna be a fraction of the cost of [the Lakeview festival].  It's gonna be the real deal".  Attendee Jazmine Salcedo approved of the affair, saying that "this reminds me of when I go to Mexico and the celebrations they do, so this is a little piece of Mexico".  All told, the Festival was a hit in its first year, with bright hopes for the future.

Dancing Like it Matters

     This past weekend, the Matter Dance Company performed their eighth full-length concert.  Matter Dance Company is a company located in Chicago that was founded 10 years ago and is still going strong.  Their most recent show is entitled candid, and it is a "series of vignettes captur[ing] moments in time through movement, and...tell[ing] stories meant to engage and inspire".  As for the most recent performance, the show ran the gamut from pieces by Queen to pieces featuring voiceovers by Martin Luther King Jr. and Steve Jobs, all accompanied by dancing(obviously).  The show continued with a hip-hop feature, as well as a piece called Shakespearean Rhapsody that served as a Queen-style takeoff on Romeo and Juliet.  After several pieces that showed off the ballet prowess of several of its members, the show ended with an "exuberant crowd party graced with latter-day swing".  Overall, Matter Dance Company's 8th Annual show proved to be a success.

Summer's First Fest

     With the first weekend of summer, come the first slew of street festivals all about.  One of those was the Do-Division Street Fest up in Wicker Park.  For the 8th year in a row, the West Town Chamber of Commerce put together a festival that exhibits all that is to be seen and done in that neighborhood.  Appropriately enough, it is called Do-Division.  It features everything that a good street fest should.  Food, drinks, music, and a genial atmosphere to show off just what the neighborhood has to offer.  Right off the bat when you enter the fest proper, there are a series of booths, all with the same goal of appealing to the Fest's main clientele:  Millennials.  There are booths for the Uber taxi service(the one that's been in the news as of late over a potentially unfair advantage over traditional taxicabs), the Illinois Lottery, a singles sports league, and several other activities that folks of that age would pursue.  As a further sign of the target crowd, attendees were congregating around the beer tent like ants on a very small log, which led to some congestion problems on the sidewalks.  Additionally there were two music stages set up, which displayed banners for more of the sponsors, including Red Eye(once again, not a huge surprise).  All in all, the Do-Division Street Fest was a good kick-off to the busy Chicago summer season and a good representation of all that the West Town neighborhoods have to offer. 

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: The wrap-up

     Okay folks, the Hawks lost last night.  And it sucks.  Alas, this means we won't get treated to a parade this year(cause really, baseball?  Hah, you're funny).  In the long run, we're still locked and loaded for a few more Cups, but that doesn't matter right now.  Right now, we've got a couple of months before the season starts anew.  And then, our quest for the Cup can continue.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: No more talking, no more waiting, just win.

   Here we go.

     We've played 6 games.  The Blackhawks have battled back from a 3-1 deficit(again) and now sit poised to play Game 7 on home ice, where they have only lost 1 game all postseason(of course, that one loss came at the hands of the Kings last Wednesday).  The Blackhawks are 13-0 in Games 5/6/7 since the start of the 2013 Playoffs.  The Kings are 6-0 in elimination games this postseason.  The Blackhawks are 20-3 in elimination games going back to 2009.  But I can spout off stats all night.  It won't make a difference.  The only thing that will make a difference is the play on the ice.  The Blackhawks MUST come out ready to fight.  The Blackhawks MUST come out ready to win.  And you know what?  We can do this.  I'll be back in a few hours to tell you all how it goes.  See you then.

As always,

 

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!