The Byrne Memorial Pt. 2

     As I mentioned last month, there has been a push as of late to honor Former Mayor Jane Byrne by renaming one of the myriad tourist attractions in the city in her honor.  Well, coming down the pipeline fresh today, the City Council has made its decision.  By a unanimous vote, Mayor Jane M. Byrne will be honored through the renaming of the park outside of the old Water Tower.  This represents the culmination of a long process that ultimately wound up honoring the first(and so far only) female mayor of Chicago.  Additionally, Chicago is also the largest city in the United States to have ever had a female mayor as of 2014.  Now Byrne's legacy is preserved for both posterity and countless future generations of Chicagoans.

A Taste of The Caribbean

     Independence Day weekend in Chicago was a busy one.  In addition to all of the stuff I've previously mentioned, there was another cultural celebration going on.  This one went down in Union Park in the West Loop neighborhood.  All sorts of people showed up, all in an effort to celebrate the heritage of the Afro-Caribbean peoples.  And celebrate they did.  With a multitude of booths, food, reggae music, and good vibes going around, this was the place to be.  One of the headlining music acts was Calypso Rose, an acclaimed calypsonian.

     For those who don't know, Calypso music is a type of music that originated in Trinidad in the 17th Century.  Based in part on the traditions of African culture and their penchant for passing things down via word of mouth from one generation to the next, Calypso was used as a form of communication.  This especially came into play amongst African slaves in the New World who were forbidden from speaking to each other.  The slaves would then use calypso to both mock their masters and pass along messages.

     In addition to honoring a time-tested form of music, the fest also featured numerous vendors and booths selling jewelry, food, and t-shirts.  Going strong for over 20 years, the festival made yet another strong showing in 2014, with much more to come in the years ahead.

Trivia Tuesday: Arsenio's Origins

     Okay folks, we have the next thrilling installment of trivia.  But first, the answer to the last question.  The mayor who incited legions of beer-loving Germans to riot in the 19th Century was Levi Boone.  You can read more about the decree and the fracas that ensued here. And now, on to this week's question:

 

What is the name of the Jazz Singer who discovered Arsenio Hall in 1978?

 

     Make sure to put your thinking caps on, and come back next week for the answer as well as more trivia.

A Big Race for a B1G Conference

     15,000 people(including this writer) crammed into start corrals yesterday on the Museum Campus at 6:45 in the morning.  We weren't crazy(well, that's up for debate), we were there to run.  And run we did.  The Big Ten Network has been sponsoring a race in Chicago at the end of July for the past 3 years to promote itself, the conference, and the upcoming season. At the beginning of the race, Ohio State standout Archie Griffin made some introductory remarks, and after a singing of the national anthem, the race was underway.  Almost immediately, Abraham Chelanga(of Kenya, what a shock) ran away(no pun intended) with the race.  By the time the race turned north for the last 3 miles, it had turned into a race for second place.  Surprisingly, that race was quite tight, and remained that way all the way up to the final tenth of a mile, when Matthew Blume bested Daniel Glaz at the finish line by a mere 10 seconds.  Upon finishing, they(as well as all of us) received this medal:

     After the exhilarating finish, the affair opened up into the BTN Fan Fest, where both racers and Big Ten Fans could mill about and see what the Fest had to offer.  There was a combine area where people could try their hand at making a field goal kick.  There was a 40 yard dash set-up, as well as a youth football toss.  But the fest had more than just athletic pursuits to offer.  Those who wished to do so could partake in a corn hole tournament, as well as visiting booths representing all 14 Big Ten schools.  But then, we have the food.  Now the tradition of offering post-race beer to runners has been growing steadily(I've gotten a cold one after 4 of the past 5 races I've run), but not every race also gives out sausage.  The Big 10k does.  And good sausage at that.  Other than that, there were a few different exhibitor tables there, and a main stage providing entertainment throughout the fan fest.  At 11 AM, the fest wrapped up, and the BTN Big 10k was officially over for 2014.  Much like the L.A.T.E. Ride, it was an enjoyable event that I will certainly be doing again next year.

Cold Brews and Green Gardens

     This past weekend, Lincoln Park got a chance to show off its green thumb when the Sheffield Garden Walk made its 46th annual appearance.  But this year, things went a little bit differently.  Most notably, one could survey the neighborhood's prettiest gardens while also downing a cold one.  This year, the 3rd annual Chicago Craft Beer Festival was rolled into the Garden Walk, providing a refreshing subtext to the proceedings.  And refreshing they were.  And crowded too.  Many multitudes of people paid to tour more than 60 different gardens, as well as looking through rowhouses, Victorian architecture, and old churches. The crowds proved to be so large that one attendee stated that "Saying it was mobbed is an understatement. The crowds were so thick walking down Sheffield through the festival was difficult."

     But it wasn't all large crushes of people and gardens, it was also some good music as well.  Over the 2 days of the festival, they had such acts as Workout Music, Trippin Billies, The Samples, Wedding Banned, as well as many more groups.  If people tired of drinking the beer, listening to the music, or enjoying the gardens, there was yet another option available to them, as the Chicago Food Swap happened on Sunday as well.  All told, it was a busy weekend up in Lincoln Park, and just one more building block in Chicago's Summer of 2014.

Trivia Thursday: You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Drink

     Okay folks, I know we're a bit late, but here is this week's installment of trivia.  First off, the answer to last week's question.  Which article did I make a Pirates of the Caribbean reference in?  Why my piece on the Eastland disaster, of course.  I posted the link to the video that shows them capsizing their ship to illustrate how the Eastland foundered in the middle of the Chicago River.  And the title?  Well that scene is titled "Up is Down", hence the title for the post. 

And now, onto this week's question:  What was the name of the mayor who incited a mob of angry Germans to riot over Beer in the 19th Century?

     Come back next week for the answer, as well as the next question.

45 years ago yesterday...

As most of you(I hope) should know, yesterday was the 45th Anniversary of the date that Man landed on the moon(chalk another first up for Uncle Sam).  It was a momentous occasion for all involved, and at least 600 Million people watched it on Earth.  Now, there is a connection to Chicago in there, but not for a few more days.  Stay tuned till then...

Riding L.A.T.E. into the night

     A couple of weeks ago, thousands of people gathered around Buckingham Fountain at 1:00 in the morning.  But don't worry, it wasn't for some cultish ritual.  There were bikes involved.  The production was all about the 2014 L.A.T.E.(Long After Twilight Ends) Ride, a 25-mile bike ride throughout the streets of Chicago to benefit Friends of The Parks, a park advocacy group in Chicago.  The night started off with packet pick-up at Buckingham Fountain, as well as various sponsor tables, a central registration table, and a stage with live music acts performing.  At the appointed time, we set off in various waves into the Chicago night.  After taking a quick straightaway down Columbus, we rode into the downtown areas, bearing south on State Street until we ran into Chinatown.  At that point, the bikes were turned North towards our next destination of Humboldt Park, the location of the rest stop for this year's ride.  At the rest stop, all of the riders got a chance to grab some water, get some snacks, use the restroom, and enjoy the views out of the boat house there, which are quite something else if I say so myself.  You be the judge:

     After emptying our bladders and filling our stomachs, we set back out on the trek.  Our ride took us north to Foster Avenue, when we turned Eastbound and (eventually) Down.  Riding at that stretch, I had a particularly enjoyable encounter with a fellow rider who was blasting oldies out of a speaker attached to his bike.  While I was jammin' out to the tunes of yesteryear, we made the turn onto the Lakefront Trail and headed South.  At that point, we barreled down 6 miles of pristine Lakefront land, with the last few miles being punctuated by the beginnings of daylight and ultimately the sunrise.  Afterwards, we rode through the streets of downtown just as the city was beginning to wake up from its slumber.  The 2014 L.A.T.E. Ride was a complete success, the advocacy for the parks was achieved, and I will certainly be doing this again next summer.

Trivia Tuesday: Up is Down

     Okay folks, I'm starting a new feature on the blog, one designed to work out your brains a little bit, as well as see how closely you're paying attention to my entries.  Every Tuesday, I'll be coming out with a new question that can be answered by looking back at one of my past entries.  Some weeks may be harder than others, so don't get too discouraged.  And now without further ado, here is the FIRST Trivia Tuesday Question:

In which entry do I make a reference to Pirates of the Caribbean(and for bonus points, what was I talking about when I made that reference)?

     Best of luck, and I'll be back next Tuesday with the answer

Running with the Bulls(no, not the NBA team. RUN!!!!!!!!)

     This past Saturday, many would-be daredevils took to the paths of Hawthorne Race Course to test their mettle against a behemoth of nature-a bull.  Modeled after the infamous yearly Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, this run was the first held in the area.  The organizer got the idea for the run after trying to make a pilgrimage to Pamplona in 2012 but had to defer for monetary reasons.  So, he decided to bring the run here so that people didn't have to shell out upwards of $4,000 for the privilege of being chased by angry bulls for half a mile.  Now this event was slightly tamer than the Spanish version, what with the bulls being less angry than normal, and with horsemen tailgating the bulls ready to lasso an overly-rowdy animal.  But none of the roughly 6,000 people in attendance at the event seemed to mind.  They were all just too ecstatic over running with the bulls.

A Chicago Style 4th

     Today's commemoration of Independence Day featured the regular apportionment of barbeques, parties, get-togethers, and of course fireworks.  However, this year saw a few tweaks to the accepted pattern.  First off, the Dave Matthews Band was lined up to do a gig at Northerly Island, and so there were an influx of DMB followers to the area of the Museum Campus.  Earlier in the day, there were several parades in the area, one of which attracted both Bruce Rauner and Pat Quinn.  That's right, the season of politicians parade-hopping has kicked into high gear(hopefully we'll catch some respite come November.)  Of course, no July 4 would be completel without a breathtaking fireworks display coming from Navy Pier, and the ensuing celebration more than pleased the assembled throngs of Chicagoans.  All in all, Chicago celebrated our nation's 238th birthday in a grand style.

Dueling Art Fests

     A couple of weekends ago, two different art festivals were happening in the Old Town neighborhood(oh, what the Yippies would think of that!). First up, the Old Town Art Fair was celebrating its 65th year. As with years past, just about 250 nationally acclaimed and recognized artists were out peddling their wares. Along with many of the old crowd, there were also roughly 100 newcomers to the fest who were putting their own mark on things. The Fair is actually one of the top three juried art festivals in the entire country. In addition to all the acclaimed competition, the Fair also boasts a garden walk, a food court, and a live music stage.

     Meanwhile, 225 juried artworks were encamped on Wells between North and Division as part of the 40th Wells Street Art Festival. This one featured, in addition to all of the art, several different restaurants were represented, including Bistro Margot, Fireplace Inn, and Adobo Grill. In addition, there were also several musical acts, with the Trippin' Billies and American English headlining the musical performances. Needless to say, this fest's attendance skewed somewhat younger than the other one.

     Unifying it all, St. Michael's Church was in the middle of everything hosting a BYOB food truck party featuring delicacies from Gino's Steaks, Pierogi Wagon, and Chicago Cupcake, to name a few. Additionally, bands such as Beatnik Ramble, Vanilla Extract, and many others were playing at the BYOB party as well.  All told, the two Festivals were a success, contributing just a bit of culture to the city's weekend calendar.

The World Cup returns to Soldier Field

     Today, tens of thousands of (mostly) young folks crowded around to celebrate a sports occasion(and no, I'm not talking about last year's Blackhawks rally).  This time it was to gather as one in Soldier Field to watch Team USA take on Belgium in the Round of 16(and unlike the last time I wrote about World Cup action going down in Soldier Field, there was no low-speed car chase involving an NFL Hall of Famer).  There were guys, there were girls, there were rowdy folks chanting "USA! USA! USA!", there were people imbibing too much, there were folks calmly watching from the seats, and there was even Ronnie Woo-Woo.  Ronnie Woo-Woo?  Yes, Ronnie Woo-Woo.  In his pinstripes and everything.  "Woo!  Soccer!  Woo!" indeed.  However, even with all the team spirit, cheers, and vuvuzelas, the United States ended up falling to Belgium 2-1.  It was a good showing, Tim Howard put on a show for the record books, but it ultimately was not enough.  Here's to 2018, America.