Open in NewsBreak

Kentland

See all locations
Customize your news
56°F
publisher avatar

Arts & Culture

American Songwriter

partner publisher · 245.4K followers
article img

Born 131 Years Ago Today in Indiana, the Father of the Grand Ole Opry Who Helped Lead Country Music Into the Mainstream

On this day (November 9) in 1895, George Dewey Hay was born in Attica, Indiana. While Hay never sang a note or played an instrument, he is largely responsible for the booming industry that is country music today. Every time you see your favorite country performer sing under the dazzling lights of the Grand Ole Opry or tune into a Saturday night broadcast, you have Hay to thank. After beginning his career in print journalism before shifting to radio, the businessman launched what would morph into one of country music’s most cherished institutions on November 28, 1925.

Attica, IN · 1d

myfamilytravels.com

website

This Hidden Indiana Dinner Theater Pairs A Homemade Buffet With Incredible Broadway Musicals

The menu here actually changes to match whatever musical is on stage. A dinner themed around the show you’re about to watch?. I need to know who plans that. The owners named the place after the dating site where they met. They also got married in a small Indiana town that shares the same word.

Hillsboro, IN · 6d
article img

myfamilytravels.com

website

This Indiana Shrine Has an Outdoor Walk Through the Life of Jesus, Complete With Life-Size Scenes

You can pull up a chair at a life-size Last Supper table here. Then you can keep walking and step right into an empty tomb. That alone made me stop scrolling. Forty life-size bronze sculptures line a winding, paved path. Each scene has a button you can press to hear a short story and meditation.

St John, IN · 3d
article img

metv.com

website

The Rifleman's Chuck Connors gave Chicago a shoutout in 1961

Even an Old West cowboy needed a change of scenery sometimes!. Chuck Connors was best known for his role as Lucas McCain on The Rifleman. As a hardworking rancher with a strong moral compass, McCain was the perfect picture of a classic Western hero. But off-screen, Connors was quite a bit more of a city boy than his TV counterpart.

Chicago, IL · 1d
article img

American Songwriter

partner publisher · 245.4K followers

Born 83 Years Ago Today in the Windy City, the Drummer Whose Band Went From the Top 5 to Making Commercials for Coca-Cola and the US Navy

On this day (November 9) in 1943, Lee Graziano was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is best known as the drummer for the 1960s pop band The American Breed. They notched a few top 40 hits in the mid-60s. Their biggest chart success was the 1967 single “Bend Me, Shape Me,” which landed in the top 10 in the United States and Canada. They also recorded jingles for major corporations, including Coca-Cola, Bell Telephone, the United States Navy, and American Airlines.

Chicago, IL · 1d

everafterinthewoods.com

website

8 Old-School Illinois Bowling Alleys Where Shoes, Lanes And Food Still Cost Like 1985

A bowling alley in Illinois started out as a 1911 garage, and it later became a filming location for Groundhog Day. Yes, the Bill Murray one, and I can’t stop smiling at that detail. Another spot rolls on 12 wood lanes beneath a historic theater. A third still keeps...

Illinois · 4d

chicagocrusader.com

website

Storefront Theatres Join Forces for New Play

Perceptions Theatre and Coalescence Theatre Project bring award-winning playwright Kelundra Smith’s darkly comic drama about five Black women healthcare workers to Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Perceptions Theatre has partnered with Coalescence Theatre Project to develop and showcase new plays by more artistically diverse voices on Chicago’s storefront theatre...

Chicago, IL · 4d

everafterinthewoods.com

website

Chicago’s Legendary Blues And Music Landmarks Are Getting A Big New Chapter Illinois Fans Will Love

Billy Branch was the very first act to play a certain Chicago blues club on its opening day in 1984. Four decades later, his new music became the first release on that same club’s brand-new record label. I love that kind of full-circle story. It isn’t the only fresh...

Chicago, IL · 3d

E! News

publisher · 298.6K followers

KATSEYE's Megan Skiendiel Suffers Concussion Amid Tour

Megan Skiendiel is dealing with some gnarly health issues. The KATSEYE member shared that she had suffered a concussion amid the band’s current tour, which prompted the cancellation of their Nov. 5 show in Chicago and their upcoming Nov. 7 performance in Minneapolis just days after canceling their Nov. 3 Detroit concert.

Minneapolis, MN · 4d

hoodline.com

website

Young Artists Take Over Obama Presidential Center for True Chicago Summit

Young artists and content creators are converging on the Obama Presidential Center as the nonprofit True Chicago hosts its 9th Annual Conference, a day built around live performances, panel discussions, and face time with industry leaders. The gathering is taking place at The Forum, the Obama Presidential Center's event space, according to organizers.

Chicago, IL · 3d

takemetotn.com

website

9 Illinois Restaurants So Unusual They Deserve Their Own Reality TV Shows

Somewhere in Illinois, your burger can roll up to your seat behind a toy U.S. Army locomotive. It travels on a tiny track, trailed by model cars and a Lego caboose. I still can’t decide if that’s adorable or genius. The train is only one oddball on this...

Chicago, IL · 2d

wjol.com

website

Bolingbrook Man Wins Forest Preserve’s October Photo Contest

Matthew Dunn spent time in early fall looking for spots in the preserves where the fall landscape would come alive as the leaves changed, and his efforts certainly paid off. Dunn’s photo of a picturesque creek winding through a forest ablaze with fall color at Hammel Woods in Shorewood was selected as the winner of the October installment of the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Preserve the Moment photo contest.

Bolingbrook, IL · 2d

ndigo.com

website

Behind “The Greatest” – The Family That Shaped Muhammad Ali

Chicago has long claimed Muhammad Ali as one of ours, but some people don’t know that he is actually not from the Windy City. Prime Video’s original series The Greatest looks at him as a young Cassius Clay and how he became the larger-than-life figure and icon we celebrate today.

Chicago, IL · 1d

NBC Chicago

publisher · 127.4K followers

Fall Out Boy announce Soldier Field show on new ‘Twilight of the Punks' tour

After several days of cryptic teases, Fall Out Boy has officially announced their next world tour will make a stop at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The “Twilight of the Punks” tour will feature the iconic band alongside The Offspring, Good Charlotte and The Story So Far, and it will span the world next year, according to a press release.

Chicago, IL · 1d

WROK 1440 AM / 96.1 FM

partner publisher · 37.3K followers

Illinois Musicians Can Now Press Vinyl Locally, Cutting Wait Times And Expenses

Chicago's first vinyl pressing plant in three decades just opened in Hermosa, bringing record production back to a city that lost the capability years ago.

Chicago, IL · 1d

hoodline.com

website

Camerata Chicago Brings Handel's Messiah to Oak Park, Wheaton, Hinsdale

Camerata Chicago is bringing Handel's Messiah to three western suburbs this month, pairing Part I of the beloved oratorio with the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus and the coronation anthem Zadok the Priest. The orchestra and chorus plan to perform the Hallelujah Chorus twice during each concert, with the second pass turned into an audience sing-along.

Hinsdale, IL · 3d

hoodline.com

website

Chicago's Rico MJ Brings Michael Jackson Tribute to Kankakee's Majestic Event Center

A Chicago performer who has spent years channeling Michael Jackson's signature spins and glittering costumes is bringing his tribute act to Kankakee for one night only. Enrico “Rico” Hampton, known on stage as Rico MJ, is scheduled to perform Michael Jackson's greatest hits at the Majestic Event Center on Saturday, Nov. 28, with Motown singer Lisa Joyce opening the show.

Kankakee, IL · 1d

liveforlivemusic.com

website

This Week in Live Music History: Phish Opens for Big Star’s Alex Chilton in Chicago, 1990

Photo: Steve Eichner/WireImage — Jon Fishman performs with Phish at Wetlands Preserve in New York City, 1990. By the end of the ‘80s, Phish was playing all over New England and just beginning to venture into other parts of the country, sometimes opening for other artists in cities where the budding jam band wasn’t yet a major draw. In March 1990, Phish visited Chicago for the first time, playing the Lounge Ax, a 300-capacity club in Lincoln Park. Eight months later the band returned, this time opening for a somewhat surprising headliner: Alex Chilton, best known as the leader of the acclaimed ‘70s power pop band Big Star.

Chicago, IL · 1d