Come one, come all, to The Most Interesting Show in the World. I know sounds a little cheesy…read moreespecially for a man like Jim Rose. But this is the current act that Jim Rose's Circus is performing around the states. If you don't know who Jim Rose is well, let's give you a little history lesson.... The original Jim Rose Circus was a modern-day version of a circus sideshow. Freaks, geeks, and oddities is what it all was about. It was founded in Seattle by Jim Rose in the early 1990s. Though he and his band of misfits were honing their skills in the States and Europe for many years, the circus itself didn't really get a break until 1992 performing at Chicago's own Lollapalooza festival. From there they've performed in rock video's, opened for such bands as NIN, Korn, and Godsmack. Some of the performers including Jim himself have been involved in tv shows such as X-Files and the Simpsons. Jim has also written a few books... which were on a few best sellers list including the LA Times and had his own TV series for a bit. Some of his best acts were swallowing real razor blades (old school shaving kind), then a piece of string and then somehow pull the string out with each razor strung through. He also likes to stick whole spoons up his nose. Some of his performers included Slug - billed as a man who would eat anything (worms, grasshoppers), and swallow a variety of swords. The Lizardman -completely tattooed performer with a surgically split tongue. Torture King -had a segment that featured him walking barefoot up and down a ladder of razor sharp sabres, piercing himself with long needles and meat skewers, eating pieces of a broken lightbulb (he would hold a microphone near his mouth so the audience would hear the sound), and touching an electrical generator while holding a fluorescent lightbulb that would glow. Bebe the Circus Queen -would perform a variety of stunts such as having a watermelon placed on her back and split with a sword, laying on a bed of nails while weights were placed on her chest. All great at what they do... entertain!. Though his current circus is not twisted and sick, it is still quite entertaining. I mean balancing a bowling ball with steak knifes in the holes, or your head with a black scorpion in your pants (yes still had stinger) is not exciting enough for you then you have some issues. I recommend the experience because these acts are a dying breed. You can Jim what you want, freak, sick, weirdo, but I will say that the man knows how to put on a show. If you ever meet him on the street say hi cause he is an extremely nice man, with a wit that will make you laugh all day.

There are times when one needs to attend an artistic event to reignite the soul…read more "Oh Sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Where you gonna run to? All on that day" After heeding Nina Simone's call, THIS Sinnerman headed to the DuSable museum to see Muntu dance theater perform a tribute to Nina. I am not a fan of Nina, I have outgrown fan-dom. I am what some consider a fanatic. A devoted fanatic. In my 30 years of existence on this planet I have only come across a few people who are bigger fans of Nina than I am. Knowing my fanaticism well, the husband treated me to an afternoon of everything Nina. "Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah Well I run to the river, it was bleedin' I run to the sea, it was bleedin' I run to the sea, it was bleedin' All on that day" I ran to see Muntu perform when I realized they were paying a tribute to Nina's protest songs. Anyone who is familiar with Nina's involvement in the civil rights movement knows that she wrote/ performed some of the famous songs during those trying times: Mississippi Goddam, Old Jim Crow, Pirate Jenny, and my all time favorite and the root of my nickname, Four Women. It is only appropriate that the tribute during Women's History month focused on Nina's fight for civil rights. The performance started with a dance number that invigorated my senses and excited me all over. Four men dancing to the energetic beat of African drums made the audience erupt in a thundering applause. The intro dance number was followed by four women performing Erets Zavat Chalav, one of the lesser known Nina's songs. Although it is not one of her protest songs, the artists at Muntu related it to the struggles of that time. Erets Zavat Chalav, a Hebrew song meaning "land of milk and honey" shows the allure of "promised land" during the struggle for equality. The Muntu creative team successfully and elegantly converted a religious song to show how the people fighting for equality at that time were hoping for the promised land flowing with milk and honey, just as described in the holy texts. Following on the heels of Erets Zavat Chalav was Sinnerman. Once again, the Muntu creative team took an old folk and religious song and related it to the current struggles for justice. They adeptly used Sinnerman to depict the injustices that happened, and continue to happen, during hurricane Katrina. All the sinnermen better be prayin' for the Lord to save them for what they did. Sinnerman was followed by my all time favorite, Four Women. The story of four Black women - aunt Sara, Saffronia, Sweet Thing, and Peaches. There were not many dry eyes in that auditorium after the performance. The performance made us feel the pain of four different Black women and their struggle to find acceptance during the old trying times. The four female dancers were phenomenal in depicting the four characters. "So I ran to the Lord I said, Lord hide me, please hide me please help me All on that day He said, child, where were you when you oughta been prayin'? I said, Lord, Lord, hear me prayin' Lord, Lord, hear me prayin' Lord, Lord, hear me prayin' All on that day Sinnerman you oughta be prayin' Oughta be prayin', Sinnerman Oughta be prayin', All on that day I cried - POWER!!!!!!!" And I prayed, I prayed to the Lord that the performance would never end. I am one of the least religious people on the planet and the performance made me pray. I prayed that Muntu dance theater will thrive and I get to see more of their performances. I have seen many dance performances, most of them are the kind that are beautiful to look at and make you feel happy. It is rare for a dance performance to make you feel a variety of emotions such as pain, suffering, anger, and joy. That is what happened to me, I felt all the emotions. My soul was reignited and my eyes couldn't cry anymore. Thank you, Muntu, for providing my version of "chicken soup for the soul". *wipes off few tears* (Sinnerman lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZiToJlsD7w)

I love the work and performances put on by the dance company!read more

September 22-23, 2018 was the inaugural of the annual Windy City Blues Fest, a joint project of the…read moreWindy City Blues Society, the Village of Lyons and the Cook County Forest Preserve District. For two days, Saturday and Sunday, two stages, located in the picturesque and spacious Cermak Woods Park in the close-in Chicago suburb of Lyons, hosted over 40 performances of some of the finest blues musicians in Chicago - the home of the blues - as well from down South where the blues originated. Superbly organized, everything executed flawlessly, an amazing accomplishment for such a first-time event. A true testimonial to the organizers and working relationship. It was a must-see for blues fans and families and rivaled blues festivals anywhere and looking forward to continued success in the years to come.

We had my bachelorette party here and it was an absolutely amazing time! We had so much fun…read morepainting, drinking cocktails, eating appetizers, and chatting! This was just the perfect venue for a bachelorette party. We absolutely loved it and had the best time! We also took our masterpieces home to remind us of this fun time we had together. I highly recommend booking a party with Bloom Art Studio.

We had a great time with our palm Tree painting party. Super…read morefun ladies afternoon and lots of laughs as we compared our work. Relaxing yet stressful in a good way. An interesting way to learn artistic perspective while hanging with friends.

I went to this post to listen to a recommended local band, Big Weekend. The location was not really…read moreon my radar (passed a sign on US 30 that said 18 miles to state line). That said, it's in a semi rural location, we passed a flock of sheep on the way! Plenty of parking in the lot, nice outdoor area with picnic tables, patio with fireplace, tables and chairs. Interior and exterior were clean, with pleasant ambiance and helpful staff. Band was good, with a nice mix of classic and current rock, not boring at all. A nice evening out!

Commander Alejandro Gutierrez and his staff go the extra mile to welcome all veterans to this post!read more

Blue Tone Sports & Slots Lounge is a new, hot, local spot nestled in Hometown, IL. On any given…read moreweekend Blue Tone might host LIVE Music, Comedy, Karaoke, or host private events/parties. Recently I've enjoyed a couple of Friday evenings at Blue Tone Sports and Slots Lounge with friends enjoying a Live Band (that was AWESOME) in the house one Friday and The Comedy Blues set this Friday! Hilarious show, it was really a good time! The atmosphere is chill. There was a nice spread that was complimentary. Blue Tone really knows how to roll out the red carpet! Drinks were delicious. I had a slushy kind of sweet drink that was phenomenal. The proprietors are friendly and stayed on their feet mingling with crowd to make sure everyone was having a good time. Shout outs to the staff at Blue Tone-- Darrell & Mgr. Tiff -- they were at every table throughout night, checking to make sure customers were well taken care of. It was a nice size crowd on this evening, as was a relaxed atmosphere of simply adult chill. Blue Tone should be on your radar!!

The performance of beyond the nutcracker was far from normal. First, the dancers were awesome and…read morethe symphony was great. But the storyline was poorly modified and very implemented. Gothic churches in most of the country images? It seemed like it was Vietnam instead of China? South Africa flag? I will be not returning to see this next year. I will be going to be going to another traditional performance of the nutcracker next weekend because I don't want to miss the regular story.

The dance was very boring and not even related to the nutcracker. Only the music was related.read more

I really enjoyed the Day hanging on the lake with my family and friends. The environment was joyful…read moreand peaceful. I felt safe and was able to relax and just enjoy the music, the entertainment, the food and all the beautiful people that were out there just having a wonderful time. It was nice to see friends that I haven't seen in many years..... it was a really good choice hosting the event on the lake. I look forward to going again next year.