my first time there and i enjoyed it and the location was the perfect spot. the music and…read moresound was right

This year was my first time at Edge Fest, and my first time ever hearing about this nice little…read morefestival in Edgewater. You can actually see end to end at this Fest, something most festivals cannot attest to. It's also not very crowded, which is nice. There's a small contingent of local artists and artisans, showing and selling their wares. Also found local eateries like Broadway Cellars on the list. There was a heavy focus on bacon at this Fest, and I got a $2 ear of roasted corn slathered in bacon butter. It was heavenly. I also ate a chipotle lime sausage, which was great. Not too many food vendors, but they do have non-traditional fare, which is unique. Beer is your standard Fest fare, but the wine pours were super for $6! I saw the Van Goghs play a good set, and This is the Band did their stellar take on Talking Heads. Edge Fest is the li'l Fest that could!

Great memories playing here back in the 70's....both at "Thillens Day" and as a member of the…read moretraveling all-stars for River Park. The field was immaculate compared to the rock fields back at River Park....plus being a left handed batter was always fun as i believe right field in those days was no more than 200'. To be young again....what a life!

The place has deteriorated. The bushes in outfield have overgrown and the atmosphere and ambience…read moreare gone. It's just another park district field that's poorly maintained.

My 16 year old son visited from NY for their summer jazz intensive, and it was the most incredible…read moreexperience for him! He was challenged with working with the best choreographers, and can't stop talking about it. He really felt like he was part of a family after the first day! He's already looking forward to next summer!!

My girls (now 8 and 4) absolutely LOVE dancing at Gus! They both started a little over a year ago…read moreand have learned so much and have so much fun in class. They like to have their own dance classes at home where they put on their shoes and practice what they learned in class with each other. My older daughter is now a company dancer and is there twice a week. The teachers are wonderful with the little kids and keeping their attention, which I just got to see first hand during parent observation week. I also like that Gus gives back to the community and puts on so many free performances for families and other members of the community throughout the year. They are family owned which you can truly feel in all aspects of their interactions and communication with the children and parents. Highly recommend!

After attending a student showcase one of our friends was in, my maid of honor organized a private…read moreclass for my bachelorette party here! It was a blast! We went to their studio Saturday afternoon around 12:30 and brought in mimosas before we began at 1pm. The class was about an hour and a half from what I can remember. We opted to learn a mini routine for fun. Our group had about 8 girls in total. Red hot Annie led the class, she was full of energy, positive, kept a great pace, and did an excellent job explaining the various dance moves. We would learn portions of the dance and then practice the whole thing to music. We really liked the song selected and the routine! It was prefect for a bachelorette party. Overall it was a fun unique activity to do to get everyone out of their comfort zones. A few girls were worried about feeling uncomfortable but everyone was able to quickly get really into it and feel open to fully embrace it! It was a great activity to start the day and get everyone talking! I would highly recommend for bachelorette parties!!! I'm definitely going to look into taking workshops since I'm tight on time right now but I'd also look into taking classes with Red Hot Annie again!

JEEZY'S JUKE JOINT, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN BURLESQUE SHOW…read more Loved Jeezy's Juke Joint, an all African-American Burlesque Show!. So much fun, not to mention somewhat educational. :) I enjoyed the MC, Jeez Loueez'. Got a kick out of her crazy humor and her ability to roll with the punches. The eclectic styles of burlesque that the ladies performed were very entertaining and some were more unique than others. I had never seen an all African-American cast of performers of burlesque and this was a real treat. I liked some more than others, but they all did their "thang" and did it in a way that made me feel they loved their craft. Can't be shy here. This is a very sexy show. I loved the campiness of some of the performers and it quite cool seeing slender and "healthier" ladies perform. There was something for everyone. MC Monty and his dancers did a dance number to his rap. Holliwood Monroe can really blow. She has a great set of pipes. Loved her voice. There was a male and a female drag performer, Shea Coulee and Switch the boi wonder. I've been around the block, but I was still enlightened. Among my personal favorites were Coco DuPree's interpretation of Isaac Hayes' song, "Do Your Thing". Her hot 1970's "Foxy Brown/Pam Grieresque" costume, complete with black faux fur jacket and train covering her red with black zebra stripe hotpants ensemble, topped off with a big red fan pick in her "fro" was so "right on" point. Reminiscent of Angela Davis. That girl knows she CAN move! Make no mistake, she did her thang. The girl was "baaaad" and her moves were tight. Praline DuPree's 1950's poodlelicious outfit and spirited dance routine were big fun. She was classy, spunky and coquettish all rolled into one. She had great charisma with a lovely hint of southern Louisiana charm. Horchata Dentata is one strong, tall woman who had some intense control on "the pole". She made it look easy. I expected to see a more petite woman, but I was so impressed with her strength and confidence. I ain't mad at her, no sireee. Foxy LaFeelion did a wonderful 1920's style dance and her costume was beautiful with its many layers. Marz Timms, the comic, was very funny. He cracked me up. I enjoyed Star Dixon's incredible tap dancing and the talent of "Shea Coulee", the rather rhythmic and stylish female impersonator. He definitely worked it for us. All in all, there were about 17 performers and they were all marvelous. They came in all shapes and sizes, which was refreshing to see. It was plain to see that everyone in the theater was having a good ol' time and tappin' their feet. Lots of whoopin' and hollerin' was goin' on. After seeing this show, I wanted to run out and buy some pasties and a red "Wonder" bra.

I cannot rate the actual school. I've already completed undergrad and attended grad school at other…read moreuniversities. My rating is solely because I've been on a bunch of campuses for book signings, and it's ALWAYS super complicated to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B (including my own alma maters). I went to this location solely for a Red Cross blood donation drive. I love how their campus is set up. Not only did they have signs on the doors and a cone out front to figure out which building to get into, but as soon as I opened my mouth to ask a student where the building was, I turned and saw a clear map to find it on my own. (I was super close so she pointed me the rest of the way. Friendly young lady.) Since I can no longer find this location in upcoming blood drives, I'm assuming that Red Cross may not be there permanently. But the campus is clean. The front desk people (for the school) were professional. The two students (workers?) who were on the Red Cross side were organized and professional. And the attendees behind the tent were great too. I hope Loyola Rogers Park makes this a permanent thing. Although I walked, it's very convenient that it's accessible by the el. And it was nothing at all like all the complications I experienced at another facility trying to donate plasma. It took me longer to walk to the school than it did for the actual six-minute donation. Kudos to them for allowing Red Cross onto their campus.

I transferred to Loyola from Occidental College. From the moment I began at Loyola, I felt that the…read moreadministration barely even was aware of my existence. I was not given housing, financial aid, or any support with finding off campus housing near the school. When I started taking classes, I was appalled at the lack of quality among instructors. I had professors who would not show up to class, or would give me assignments that I could see they purchased online, because they hadn't taken out the name of the company or the teacher instructions. With class registration, I found academic advisors often gave me different answers, and it was a genuine challenge to see the same advisor twice. Currently, the course offerings are so slim in my major (business management) that it is hard to select a class schedule where even half of the classes are going towards my major. In summary, this is not a school for finishing your degree quickly or efficiently. It's the kind of institution where you'll have to take a lot of classes that feel pointless and random because they are. And those are the professors who are least likely to actually care about the quality of their instruction. You'll be in a cohort of students who don't seem to really give a damn. Most of my classes are filled with 80-85% of the students on their computers playing NYT games or watching youtube. Most of the classes I have taken have been lecture format, where a professor goes through slides at the front of a silent classroom. I've had many classes with 2 or 3 graded assignments in the entire semester. Most of my Professors don't give any feedback on homework or tests and certainly never return them, and so it's generally pretty difficult to know how to improve. On the student life side, the student body is incredibly cliquey and unwelcoming. After two and a half years at the organization, I know 0 fellow Loyola students by name. I do not recommend transferring here. I really regret it. This school knows how to put lipstick on the pig, but it is far from a premier institution. If you're looking in Chicago, Loyola presents the worst ratio of cost/value of education. Look elsewhere!!

The Edgewater Historical Society, in addition to displaying the history of Edgewater and its…read moreenvirons, hosts on occasion events to welcome people from the neighborhood and beyond. During summer they have their Summer Nights in Edgwater program, which is when they host a band in their (incredibly lovely!) garden. I went last night with my daughter to hear a jazz-ish band and it was nice. There were quite a few more people there than I expected; though some folks were seated within the garden itself, most of us were sitting along the sidewalk and walkways. Many people brought their own chairs, but the EHS also pulled out some chairs for folks. Others, like me, chose to stand. There was ample seating at this event. You might not be able to see the band over the garden, because they're growing a beautiful native garden at this building so the coneflowers and other plants are tall--but it's a concert and what's important is hearing the music! The museum was open during the concert, so folks could wander through. There's no fee for the museum, and at this particular event they took tips but it went toward the musicians, not the historical society. They also have quite a few events happening over the coming weeks and months, from walking tours of the neighborhood, a book club discussion at the Edgewater Branch of CPL, to a walking tour of Rosehill Cemetery. They offer a membership for $5 for the first year I think they said. They currently have an exhibit about the indigenous history of Edgewater, so when I head back here for another of their summer concerts I'll hopefully be able to wander in and take a look.

Celebrating the coolness and historical audacity that is Andersonville/Edgewater/Edgewater Beach…read more We like it here, by the lake. FREE admission!

What a cool place!!! So many rooms and floors of cool art and specialty items. It's bigger than it…read morelooks. Rooms lead to more rooms. Really unique gifts, clothes, honey, jewelry, candies, soaps, bags, housewares, artwork from local artists, and more. I definitely recommend checking this place out!

I have nothing personal against this store or the people who sell there, but for me it was…read moreunderwhelming. There is a lot of stuff, but it is very generic. The "art" they sell is the kind that goes on a greeting card or t-shirt. Some booths sell crafts like you can find on Etsy--upcycled clothes and amigurumi or felt toys (which were cute enough but nothing amazing). Others sell imported items. It wasn't always clear if they were fair trade or not. In fact, that was one of the things that bugged me: many booths' lack of transparency on where these items were made/who made them. A lot of items looked mass produced, so it was hard to tell what wasn't. Basically this store exemplifies what happens when you commercialize art. Everything converges under market pressure and ends up looking the same. Personally antique malls are my style. They have a similar concept (many vendors in one space), but much more interesting and greater variety of items.