Next time you’re anywhere near the Damen stop on the Blue Line, take a minute to pop in on the Weirder Park General Store at 1539 N. Damen Ave, a novelty shop that sells handmade trinkets from their third story window. The Web site describes the store as “Chicago’s one-stop shop for all your novelty needs!”
But how, you might ask, does one novelty shop out of a window? Don’t fret, their site provides detailed instructions.
Our revolutionary ‘walk-up window service’ lets you make all your purchases from the streets below. Simply ring the bell, and we’ll pop our heads out of our window and help you pick out the merchandise that best suits your needs. When you are ready to go on your way, we’ll lower your purchases via a basket. Simply place your hard-earned money back into the basket, which comes back to us to ensure that we can continually add new products and services.
As of Tuesday night , Weirder Park expanded into a concert venue and co-founder Celia Rose Marks says she hopes to eventually grow into an art space as well.
“This is our first venture into what this space could potentially be,” Marks said.
Tuesday night’s performers included out-of-towners Liz Isenberg and Omnivore (or Glenna Vannostrand). See pictures and hear their music after the jump.
WBEZ Blog says the AP is reporting that a school in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood has forbidden students from shaking hands in reaction to the recent swine flu outbreak.
Still, no cases of swine flu have been reported yet in Chicago. But it sounds like the flue strain has made it to northern Indiana.
Here’s where we stand as of Tuesday morning, complements of the New York Times:
New York- 28 confirmed cases, 17 suspected cases
California- 13 confirmed cases, 2 suspected cases
Texas- 6 confirmed cases
Kansas- 2 confirmed cases
Michigan- 1 suspected case
Ohio- 1 confirmed case
New Jersey- 5 suspected cases
Dr. Richard Besser of the Centers for Disease Control explained that there were 20 confirmed cases of swine flu at the time of the press briefing, adding that all U.S. cases of the flu were already in recovery.
Besser went on to explain the steps individual communities can take to prevent infection.
Very frequent hand-washing is something that we talk about time and time again and that is an effective way to reduce transmission of disease. If you’re sick, it’s very important that people stay at home. If your children are sick, have a fever and flu-like illness, they shouldn’t go to school. And if you’re ill, you shouldn’t get on an airplane or another public transport to travel. Those things are part of personal responsibility in trying to reduce the impact.
Besser also cited the CDC Web site as a good source for up-to-date information on the status swine flu in the U.S.
The AP has reported that 86 deaths are being attributed to the virus in Mexico and that confirmed cases have also sprung up in France, Israel, Canada, and New Zealand.
According to the CDC Web site, swine flu is a respiratory disease common among pigs. Swine flue does not normally infect humans.
One-time Chicagoan and Hideout bartender Neko Case took the Chicago Theater by storm last night in heels and a little black dress that Case characterized as a tribute to Chicago’s meat-packing industry.
A testament to the thought and work Case puts into her live performances, each song was accompanied by a short film featuring everything from shadow puppets to footage of birds flying overhead to an animation that begins with four girls knitting in the belly of a whale (see below).
Her six-member band staged the narratives in shadowy country noir, with guitarists Jon Rauhouse and Paul Rigby playing off the other — one driving a jittery rhythm underneath things with the other coloring in the moods with smoky reverb. The band’s strengths were revealed in the pockets they opened for Case to fill in with her voice, a lustrous instrument that somehow manages to reveal lonesomeness and determination at the same time.
The “alt-country chanteuse”, also known for her work with the New Pornographers, played with a band including a bassist who looked suspiciously like Tom V. Ray of Devil in a Woodpile — a Chicago blues and ragtime group rumored to have broken up.
Case is currently on tour to promote her newest release Middle Cyclone which came out in March of this year.
For more about Neko Case, check out Q&As from Decider and Pitchfork.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn visited Donald Marquez School in Chicago’s Brighton Park community. The school, part of the United Neighborhood Organization charter school network, recently acheived Gold status LEED Certification.
Here’s one more reason to walk (not drive) to the corner store.
Multiple news sources are reporting on new efforts being taken to make streets safer for pedestrians and stricter for drivers.
WBEZ is reporting that starting today, Chicago Police will be going undercover as pedestrians to catch non-yielding drivers in the act. WBEZ quotes a police spokesperson as saying that drivers could be fined $50 to $500 for failing to yield to pedestrians.
The Chicago Tribune’s story also reported on state legislation that could further the pedestrian cause. The Tribune’s Jon Hilkevitch wrote,
Meanwhile, legislation pending before the state Senate would go even further, strengthening the Illinois vehicle code by requiring drivers to not only yield—but stop—when pedestrians are in crosswalks.
Advocates of the measure, which was proposed by the Active Transportation Alliance, say the law requiring drivers to yield is too vague. Eleven states and the District of Columbia have “must stop” laws.
Violators would face a minimum $150 fine in Illinois.
Looks like a good time to be taking to the crosswalks.
Here are some treats I didn’t get a chance to put into yesterday’s post.
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned in passing that a group of Neo-Nazis showed up to protest the museum opening. Well, here they are on the corner of Harms Road and Golf Road in Skokie
Nicole Cohen/Good for You
Musical entertainment was provided by Isreali violinist Miri Ben-Ari, also known as “the hip-hop violinist”. Here’s a video of one of the songs she performed.
The Soul Children of Chicago also performed at the opening ceremony.
Last but not least, it took me a while to realize I could record video on my dinky digital camera. I figured it out just in time, though, and managed to catch the end of Bill Clinton’s speech.
Thousands attended the museum opening despite the rainy conditions. Nicole Cohen/Good for You
Thousands gathered in Skokie on this rainy Sunday morning to celebrate the opening of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which is expected to be one of the last Holocaust memorials to be built in collaboration with actual survivors.
The theme of the celebration can be summed up in the short motto displayed on the museum’s web Site, “Remember the past, transform the future.”
It’s a motto whose difficult execution was made painfully clear by the Neo-Nazi protest of the museum that took place just outside its new campus.
The event featured many speakers; some internationally known and others whose fame may not extend past their own communities. Each had something relevant to say about how a museum like this - one that is so closely tied to the past - can do much for our future.
Below is a review of what speakers like Bill Clinton, Elie Wiesel, and museum president Samuel Harris had to say. Read the rest of this entry »
