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How Chicago Ruined The Rally For Sanity
This morning I attended the Rally to Restore Sanity satellite viewing in Grant Park, which was organized by Angie McMahon. When I first walked in I was excited and anxious, but I left an hour later disappointed and upset. What went wrong in that hour? Maybe it was when the live feed from DC was muted so a comedian could compare having an abortion to making a sandwich. Maybe it was when a security guard grabbed the microphone and cursed at the crowd because they were upset over not being able to watch the rally. Maybe it was when speaker after speaker did nothing but shout liberal rhetoric at us (Full disclosure: I consider myself to be liberal). Maybe it was the guy who dressed up in a KKK outfit, which was the complete opposite message of the rally.
Actually, I take that last one back. I honestly don’t know what the message of the Rally To Restore Sanity was because we were not allowed to watch it! And I’m not the only one upset by this. I think this collection of quotes from other Chicagoans attending Angie’s event tells the story of what happened quite well.
“I came to enjoy the spirit of the DC rally with thousands of like-minded people. Had the scheduled speakers embodied that spirit and respected the DC rally, I don’t think I would have complained.“
-Erik Robertson (Facebook)
“Astounded that [the organizers] collected funds only to refuse to broadcast the rally & use [the] forum for their own purposes. Unethical.“
-frageelay (Twitter)
“Angie is awesome, but we’re missing a one of a kind gig from our best satirists in DC to hear Yiddish jokes and liberal talk.“
-Brad Flora (Windy Citizen)
“[The organizer] needs to apologize not only to the people who came out and gave support and money, but also to the organizers of the DC Rally… because what they were organizing against was PRECISELY what the Chicago rally turned into… partisan hackery and pandering. And the pandering wasn’t even funny.“
-William Taplin III (Facebook)
“This was a complete disaster. The amount of cognitive dissonance on display from the event organizers was staggering. They interrupted an event to restore sanity to interject their own bullshit about FBI plots to kidnap anti-war protesters. They co-opted an event organized to reduce the amount of extremism in American politics in order to shout their own extremist position. It was a total failure, and I am ashamed to say I was there.“
-InvisibleCities (Reddit)
“I saw that it was clearly a political rally with a specific agenda and posted that yesterday. I guess I was fooled by the use of the name, similar logo (buyer beware of unsanctioned merchandise), and the excitement of all the other poor sheep who were so unwittingly led too. My bad.“
-Tamara Swanson (Facebook)
“They promoted this as a Stewart/Colbert event, yet if we wanted to watch them we should have stayed home? I’m fine with them having local speakers, but don’t interrupt what we came here to see. They should have had the speakers later.“
-chaosdude78 (Reddit)
“I left [the rally] because it was a tacky bait and switch. I came to Grant Park because i couldn’t make it to DC.“
-Keidra Chanley (Twitter)
“[I] left [the rally] early. I think people would’ve been more understanding if they weren’t bitched out with F-bombs by the organizer.“
-Lisa Stangland (Twitter)
“Well [the rally organizer], you were not exactly what I’d hoped. But the best way to resolve disappointment? Chipotle. This day is certainly redeemable.“
-Heather Jo Douglas (Twitter)
*Some quotes from Twitter have been altered for grammar and clarity
In summary, Angie mcMahon organized an event under the pretense that we would be watching and celebrating Jon Stewart’s message. She raised over $21,000 (full disclosure: I donated to this) to put on this event. Then the event turned out to be nothing more than a liberal version of a tea party.
The one good thing to come out of this disaster is that the money she raised will go to Chicago Public Schools. But that’s the only thing she should be proud of. Everything regarding the execution of this event was a complete disaster.
One last thing to fully disclose: Angie often retweeted me when I plugged her event on Twitter. Now I wonder if she will retweet some constructive criticism of her event.
How many exhibits in the world allow a person to get a closer view at something we all grew up watching as kids and followed even into our adulthood? Only one that I know of and it is currently being displayed at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago – Jim Henson’s Fantastic World.
Jim Henson’s Fantastic World is an exhibit organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service chronicling the life of the great Jim Henson, that includes over 130 cartoons, drawings and storyboards. The exhibit is one big puppet party, where Jim Henson explains to the visitor either through text or audio how much puppetry meant to him, and how he came up with this two greatest inventions – Sesame Street and the Muppet Show.
Upon entering the MSI exhibit a visitor is greeted by Henson’s most famous of inventions – Kermit The Frog. The green icon is proudly displayed at the entrance in all its glory along with numerous photos of Henson and Kermit throughout the years they spent “working” together. In the same room there is a chronological display of Jim Henson’s life in the industry, all the magnificent things he accomplished in his life.
Once inside the exhibit, the walls are full of all the Henson-abilia, pictures of him and the puppets along with numerous drawings and sketches from his earlier days. As a fan of both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, I enjoyed those drawings and sketches more than any picture because it gave me an insight into how things worked – something I didn’t know and or cared about when I was a youngster. I always thought it was all fun and games being on the set of the Muppet Show but being at the exhibit showed me it was a lot of years of hard work and determination.
Along with Kermit being displayed in a glass box there is also Miss Piggy in all her majesty wearing a white wedding dress, which she wore in the movie “The Muppets Take Manhattan.” Miss Piggy doesn’t make appearances with this exhibit but she agreed to be displayed in Chicago when MSI asked for her services. While she doesn’t have any direct ties to Henson (he neither designed or performed as her) the exhibit would not have been complete without Miss Piggy, who aside from Kermit is easily the most recognizable of all the puppets.
Inside the exhibit there are two separate rooms designed to encourage audience participation: a theater room – where visitors can literally play the role of Henson and perform with the puppets laid out in a box nearby; and a create a character wall – a wall that allows people to create their own puppet using Velcro-like material.
The latter has an outline of a puppet body attached to the wall, while all the clothes are removable along with a variety of hats, beards, sunglasses giving the audience a variety of ways to dress his/her own puppet. Both of these rooms require audience participation and should be a huge draw for all those who come and check out the exhibit.
More than anything else, the exhibit portrays the way Jim Henson viewed things, visually. The exhibit and in particular drawings and sketches portray how Henson would store so many of his ideas in his brain only for them to appear live and in costume at a later part in his magnificent career.
Bonnie Erickson, president of the Jim Henson Legacy Foundation and the original builder of Miss Piggy, hopes that those who come out and see the exhibit will learn to follow their dreams as well.
“I hope that this exhibit will inspire anyone who doesn’t know what to do with themselves to follow their dreams,” Erickson said. “Any one of us can and should follow our heart just the way Jim did.”
Jim’s love for his work and the puppets he created is visible in every one of the exhibit’s pictures and one has to wonder if the rest of us are lucky enough to have our work be our passion in life.
It certainly was just that for him.
Friday and Saturday lineups at the North Coast Music Festival were great and a huge number of people came out to see the likes of Chemical Brothers, De La Soul, Paul Van Dyk and Moby among others. Those that came out to see those acts didn’t regret it all and spoke highly of all the music performances.
I was lucky enough to be at the festival on Sunday night and catch the performances by Chicago’s own Lupe Fiasco, followed by the duo of Nas and Damian Marley.
Going into this festival I knew it would be large in size (location: Union Park, West Side) , as well as the following due to the names appearing at the festival. The fact that it was the last big festival of the summer made the event even bigger, since people wanted to use that last weekend for something useful.
Arriving at the festival, the first thing that struck me was the impossible task of finding a parking spot somewhere close to the actual fest. I expected parking to be difficult because of the musical acts appearing that night but I didn’t anticipate parking a “mile” away from Union Park.
Regardless, once inside the festival the whole atmosphere reminded me a bit of Lollapalooza in the way everything was set up. Stages were not all that far from one another but just the right distance apart, as to not interfere with each others performances. The food vendors were at a safe distance from the actual stages, so if one wanted a hot dog or a beer you were most likely going to lose your spot in front of the stage.
I arrived just in time to catch the whole performance by Lupe Fiasco and that was certainly a major pick-me-up for the entire crowd. Fiasco definitely puts on a show and the entire crowd appreciated his energetic display, along with his hit songs “Kick, Push” and “Superstar.” I was there with my girlfriend and while I enjoy listening to Lupe Fiasco, she likes him more and she truly enjoyed the performance from start to finish.
After Lupe concluded his impressive performance, it was time for Nas & Damian Marley to entertain the crowds. I was looking for this performance more so than Lupe Fiasco, mainly because I am slightly older than majority of the crowd and I listened to Nas way back in the day. At this point and time it was around 8:30 and the dark of the night had completely set over Union Park.
Nas & Damian Marley did not disappoint. They started the show with Nas’ classic single “If I ruled the world” featuring Lauryn Hill, with Damian being kind enough and subbing in for the multiple Grammy Award winning singer. Starting off with that song was an absolute hit as the entire crowd got into it and sang along. From that point on the two alternated songs and helped out one another as they performed for a good hour and a half.
Their performance was truly amazing and the entire crowd sang along and held up lighters to all the classic Damian Marley songs. The duo was most definitely the right choice for the final performance of the festival, a festival that certainly looked like a complete success after it is all said and done.
The only downside to the event was the lines for the beer tickets as they easily exceeded 30-40 yards. The food lines were way shorter and I was impressed with the variety that they had to offer for an outdoor music festival. Sure one could get the usual burgers, hot dogs and pizza but the event also offered salads, kebobs and Thai food…something not always seen at a music fest.
Overall, the festival pleasantly surprised me in the way it was organized, as well the numerous culinary options available to the crowd. The music was well worth going to the fest and whether you liked techno, rap, reggae or even alternative, there was something there for everyone. This was a great festival for anyone in the mood for good music and a great way to say goodbye (unfortunately) to the summer, as we “welcome” fall/winter to Chicago yet again.
Summer in the Chi.
That’s what people always refer to when they speak of our wonderful city. Those from out-of-town enjoy the trips to Chicago and us living in or around the city understand what that means. Whether it’s something as special as Lollapalooza, which attracts so many regular folks and celebrities alike, or the countless festivals happening every weekend throughout the city, it is awesome to be in Chicago in the summer.
This past weekend was almost the pinnacle of the summer in here as thousands enjoyed the fantastic lineup at Lolla while countless others made it to different festivals including Northalsted Market Days, Taylor Street Festa Italiana and Retro on Roscoe. Any one of these festivals offered so much culture, food and music that it was very difficult to pick just one to attend. After some careful consideration, however, I decided to visit Retro on Roscoe and it turned out to be a wise decision on my part.
After entering the event (and paying the “suggested donation”) I was pleasantly surprised what I saw. Yes, every festival is set up in the same manner – tents and vendors on both sides of the street and stages set up on either end of the street. The thing I liked immediately is the fact that this festival offered three stages for music. At the time I arrived (Sunday night around 6:30 p.m.) it seemed as though the place had been through a fantastic weekend. People looked like they were having a good time and there still seemed to be a huge crowd despite the fact the event was about to close in 4 hours time.
The food selection was great as it had everything from Italian to Greek and Asian vendors and even Croatian/Bosnian tent providing the people with something they don’t usually see at a street festival. Of course I’m going to be biased since I do hail from that region but having not expected that type of food being offered to me I was all smiles. Those who came to the event hungry certainly didn’t leave so as the festival had something to offer to anyone.
The drink selection was pretty much the same as with other festivals – beer and wine, although I did run into a tent offering some umbrella drinks, a nice change from the norm. The rest of the vendors offered the usual stuff such as countless jewelry options, as well as some clothing for those hoping to scope a nice dress or a shirt for the summer.
If one wanted to do something more unusual/interesting than shop for jewelry or clothes, there was a tent offering a chance to win prizes by shooting free-throw style basketball into a real hoop. If baseball was more your thing there was a pitch speed tent open for those who wanted to see how they compared to the likes of Nolan Ryan and Fergie Jenkins. If neither seemed to impress you than a picture of you surfing sure would have been of interest perhaps. A tent was in place near the old style, classic car collection offering folks a chance at a picture of themselves surfing the waves, in case they don’t have their Hawaii trip coming up soon. The festival definitely had something for everyone young or old and one could certainly see why it has been a favorite for over a decade.
Almost an hour into my Retro on Roscoe experience I figured out what the crowd was waiting for. Two popular bands, Mike & Joe and Hairbangers Ball were performing at 8 p.m. on opposite stages and boy did they both perform.
Mike & Joe is a popular cover band that I have seen before and they didn’t disappoint. They play mostly rock-alternative hits from today and years past and are always a good band to check out. Having seen them before I knew what to expect and they delivered yet again.
Headbangers Ball is an 80’s cover band that really knows how to make a place rock. After listening to Mike & Joe for a while I decided to head over to the front stage and check out HBB already deep into their performance. Man was this a show!!!
There was hair everywhere, tattoos and leopard spandex complete with a pyrotechnic display that would make Axl Rose proud if he had seen this. The band certainly knows how to put on a show as majority of the crowd was enjoying this guilty pleasure. They played a bunch of the old hits and the crowd loved every second of it. It seemed like majority of the patrons were in their late 20’s early 30’s and almost too young to remember all the classic hits but I was proven wrong as majority of the crowd were singing along with HBB.
From the little sample I got to see Retro on Roscoe was a great time, not just for me but for all those who attended the event all weekend long. It has become clearer to me why this has been a staple in the neighborhood for over 15 years. I have definitely found a festival to mark in my calender for next year, only next year I hope to make it for both days.
For more photos from the festival please click here.
Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. It is played all over the world in city’s streets, fields and even beaches. The popularity of the sport will most likely never vain around the world, as America still tries to play catch-up on this phenomena. The country is slowly catching up to the rest of the world and over the weekend was just an example of how great it can be, as 2010 Chicago Beach Soccer Festival took place on Montrose Beach.
The festival is exactly what it says it is: a beach soccer festival for boys and girls, young and old. Going into the festival I was not quite sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived there. First off, I noticed the amount of cars that were parked in and around the parking lot. Once over the small hill it was a very different view – 12 soccer fields full of men and women playing beach soccer.
My first impressions were very positive. The fields were marked in a professional manner and one could distinguish the referees from players from a far. The sponsors’ tents were surrounding the field on the entire west side of the beach and even the beach/playing pitch seemed in decent condition, not even 24 hours after some awful weather went through the Chicago-land area.
The tents featured included both of Chicago’s pro soccer teams – Fire and Red Stars alongside numerous other health and fitness companies. On Saturday the Red Stars included its midfield star and England International – Karen Carney for an autograph session, while Sunday was reserved for the Chicago Fire mascot Sparky to mingle with the crowd.
The fields were completely full of non-stop action and the whole mood of the festival seemed to be upbeat. People playing looked like they were having fun and even those in the stands (on Montrose Beach there are rocks lined along the beach in form of stands) were enjoying themselves.
The event organizers were very pleased with the turn-out, in particular following the awful weather on Friday night, which flooded part of the beach causing the event to be postponed for a couple of hours. Around 11 a.m. on Saturday the festival began its schedule and the rest went on as planned.
Alfonso Mitchell, a Delegate-at-Large for Illinois State Soccer Association, was in charge of the whole festival and shared some thoughts on the festival.
“Considering the weather last night I am extremely pleased with how things have turned out,” said Mitchell.
“Lots of teams came out and that’s why we have 12 fields set up here, but I hope we can have even more next year.”
Mitchell also added that the participants are mainly out Illinois, although there were some from the neighboring states of Indiana, Wisconsin and even Michigan. The goal is to attract the great players and teams from all over the U.S. like California and Florida but it’s still a process that is growing, continued Mitchell.
“We have a great relationship with the Chicago Park District and one of my goals for the future is to use up all of the Montrose Beach for even more soccer fields, as well as more entertainment options such as Reggae bands or even some Samba.”
Mitchell continued by saying he hopes the event will continue to grow in the near future by adding new sponsors and he hopes to include more teams, free shirts and even prize money for the winners.
“You come here and play the beautiful game while enjoying the amazing scenery of a Chicago beach on a gorgeous summer day, what could be better?” said a smiling Mitchell.
For photos from this event please click on our Facebook page.
