McHenry, IL Arts & Culture and More

Strand Theater opening pushed to 2027

The Strand Theater, future home of the Glaser Players local acting troupe and other community programming, is now set to open in the first months of 2027. John Dumas, the leader of the Brookfield Theater Corporation that will operate the Strand Theater, said the Strand is now set to open in January or February 2027 in downtown Brookfield. Dumas said in September that the group was planning to host a ribbon cutting on Dec. 4 and hold its first performances in the space that weekend.

Brookfield, IL · 2d

NBC Video

partner publisher · 193.4K followers

Inside Dr. Caitlin Lenox's Return to Chicago Med (DETAILS)

Dr. Caitlin Lenox returns to Gaffney in Season 12 after secretly traveling to Zurich for a Prion drug trial connected to her hidden GSS diagnosis. Lenox’s return comes during turmoil in the Emergency Department, where interim administrator Mallory Sloan has frustrated staff by prioritizing profits over patient care, prompting relief from colleagues and especially Dr. Mitch Ripley.

Chicago, IL · 23h

ABC 7 Chicago

Cook County Sheriff's Office transforms prison transport bus into mobile library for children

A former prisoner transport bus has been transformed into a mobile library, bringing thousands of books to children in Cook County communities with limited access to reading resources.

Cook County, IL · 2d

Chicago Public Radio

Review: ‘Heroes of the Fourth Turning’ reflects a generational split on conservatism. But the debate feels stale.

I often joke with friends about how significantly our world shifted in 2020. Our lives essentially split into a pre- and post-COVID-19 existence, and everything that happened in the before-times feels like it occurred in a completely different lifetime. That’s dramatic. But it’s the result of a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic...

Chicago, IL · 1d

newcity.com

Literary Portals: Chicago’s Indie Bookstore Renaissance Is Built Through Community

Once a month in Evanston, women flock to a little storefront on Main Street for “Hot Moms Night.” The space isn’t a bar or a nightclub, it’s a bookstore. These moms are there to have a drink, listen to good music and talk about books. Betsy...

Chicago, IL · 1d

Chicago Public Radio

publisher · 12.7K followers

Longtime Chicago arts leader Michelle T. Boone to retire from Poetry Foundation top role

The Chicago-based Poetry Foundation announced Tuesday that its president and CEO, Michelle T. Boone, will retire at the end of 2027. Boone, who previously served as the city’s cultural commissioner, led a period of change at the foundation, which is among the largest funders of poetry organizations nationally. Boone,...

Chicago, IL · 1d

WTTW - Chicago PBS

UChicago’s Banned Books Scholar on the Chilling Effect of Censorship Efforts Across the US

As a longtime English language arts teacher in Florida, Dulcey Hunter knows firsthand the benefits of students reading banned books in the classroom and conversely, the chilling effect that book bans can have on educators. Since September, Hunter has served as the University of Chicago’s inaugural banned books postdoctoral scholar,...

publisher · 155.7K followers

ABC10

Hundreds try to move Chicago's Bean sculpture in viral internet stunt

publisher · 12.9K followers

WHSV

This Day in History: The famous Route 66 established

Los Angeles, CA · 1d

artsfuse.org

Soul Album Review: Lalah Hathaway’s Chicago State of Soul

On “Made in Chicago,” Lalah Hathaway turns family memories and hometown roots into a dreamlike journey through soul, jazz, and R&B. Made in Chicago, Lalah Hathaway. (Hathaway Entertainment and SRG/ILS Group) Chicago, Illinois, in the late 1960s was a city experiencing a gamut of news coverage. In 1968...

publisher · 127.4K followers

NBC Chicago

Starbucks' viral blind Bearista boxes are here, and fans are lining up to get their paws on them

Long lines were forming outside Chicago-area Starbucks in the wee hours of the morning Tuesday, but it wasn't exactly because of coffee. It's because of cute glass bears. Tuesday, blind boxes of Starbucks' viral "Bearista" glass cups landed at coffeehouses nationwide. According to the coffee giant, the surprise red boxes contain one of five adorable, hand-blown glass cups in the shape of bears: Aspen, Reiny, Bunny and Joy.

rockandbluesmuse.com

Blues Legend Benny Turner To Release ‘My Brother’s Blues: From Texas To Chicago’

Blues Legend Benny Turner To Release ‘My Brother’s Blues: From Texas To Chicago’ feat. Guests Bobby Rush, Jimmie Vaughan, Derek O’Brien, Billy Branch & Carolyn Wonderland. Nola Blue Records will release My Brother’s Blues: From Texas to Chicago, a newly expanded, remixed, reimagined, and remastered edition...

poetryfoundation.org

Poetry Foundation President and CEO Michelle T. Boone Announces Retirement

CHICAGO, November 10, 2026— Michelle T. Boone, president and CEO of the Poetry Foundation, will retire after a decades-long career spanning entertainment, nonprofit arts leadership, and cultural philanthropy. The Poetry Foundation board of trustees has formed a search committee and will select a firm to lead the search for Boone’s successor. Boone will remain at the Foundation through the end of 2027 to ensure continuity and stability as the Foundation enters its next leadership chapter.

publisher · 601.1K followers

People

Hundreds Gather in Chicago for Viral Stunt to Move 110-Ton ‘Bean’ Sculpture ‘7 Inches’ to the Left

A large crowd joined together to try and push Chicago’s Cloud Gate sculpture on Sunday, Nov. 8

publisher · 127.4K followers

NBC Chicago

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.

partner publisher · 193.4K followers

ABC 7 Chicago

'The Royale' tells story of Jack Johnson, 1st Black boxer to become heavyweight champion of world

"The Royale" is a powerful play at Writers Theatre on the North Shore, getting rave reviews.

liveforlivemusic.com

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.

foxy99.com

Soul Train Awards Tape in Chicago for the First Time

The Soul Train Awards were taped in Chicago on Thursday, Nov. 5, a first for the show. The ceremony took place at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. Anthony Anderson hosted. Stars walked a purple carpet before the taping began. The event returned after a two-year...

thelansingjournal.org

Calumet Region’s history comes alive at Sand Ridge Heritage Day

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. — From ancient stone tools and traditional woodworking to guided nature walks and wildlife education, visitors explored thousands of years of history during Calumet Heritage Day on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Sand Ridge Nature Center. The free event, hosted by the Forest Preserves of Cook...

South Holland, IL · 3d

evanstonroundtable.com