Author Robert Marovich To Speak At Uptown Library On Saturday

Robert Marovich, the author of A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music, will speak at the Uptown Library next Saturday.

A City Called Heaven charts the humble origins of a majestic musical genre and its close ties to the city where it found its voice.

A Gospel music historian, founder of The Journal of Gospel Music, and host of the radio program "Gospel Memories" on WLUW, Marovich will share his take on the city's rich gospel music heritage.

Books will be available for purchase, and the author will sign books at the conclusion of the program.

This program is presented as part of the 2017-2018 One Book, One Chicago season, exploring the theme "Music: The Beat of Our City" through Greg Kot's book I'll Take You There.

The program runs 2pm-3pm on Saturday, February 3rd. The Uptown Branch Library is located at 929 W Buena.

Inspired Youth Seeks Tutors

Photo courtesy of Inspired Youth website

Inspired Youth provides one-on-one tutoring/mentoring to low-income public school students on Chicago’s North Side. Altogether we serve around 100 youth ages 5-18. With educated adults or high school students as tutors, we focus on school homework and extra reading, writing, arithmetic which the program provides.  The goal is to give students the academic skills and emotional foundation to graduate from high school, go to college, and become productive citizens.

The Tutoring Program takes place at the Bezazian Branch of the Chicago Public Library, 1226 W. Ainslie, between the Argyle and Lawrence el-stops, just west of Broadway.

Volunteer tutors are needed Wednesday, 3:30-5pm, and Thursday, 3:30-5pm, when we work with 1st through 4th graders.  We also need volunteers on Mondays, 6:30-7:50pm, when we work with 5th through 8th graders and a few high school students. 

To learn more, visit www.inspiredyouthchicago.org or email inspiredyouth2@gmail.com.

Get Toasty, With Community Bonfire At Margate Park

On Wednesday, February 7th, gather round the fire at Margate Park! There will be a community bonfire for all ages, free of charge, with marshmallows provided, between 5pm and 7pm.

"The Community Bonfire Series invites community members to experience their park by firelight. Spend the evening in the park roasting marshmallows, learning about wildlife and getting to know your neighbors.

We'll provide the marshmallows, but please feel welcome to bring any other ingredients you'd like to add. Join us within the first 15 minutes of the event for a brief lesson on campfire building as we get things going."

Margate Park is located at 4921 Marine Drive.

Trash Movie Nite Presents A Valentine's Day Double Feature At Fat Cat

Lost that loving feeling? Come on over to Fat Cat (4840 N Broadway) on February 14th for an un-Hallmark Moment.

• "LOVE OBJECT shows at 8pm
• MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981) (Uncut, and extra bloody) shows at 10pm

We'll have a fully re-stocked DVD spindle of movies for the taking with your donations. We take donations so we can keep Trash Movie Nite FREE year round.

VHS trailer reel, FREE giveaways, and horror-themed vendors!

21+ and totally free to enter!"

Andersonville's First Winter Sidewalk Sale This Weekend

The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce announces its first Winter Sidewalk Sale, with businesses on both the Uptown and Edgewater sides of Andersonville participating. The sale will take place indoors at each participating business (with some sidewalk expansion if the weather is nice!) featuring discounts on winter merchandise, special sales, and unique finds throughout the district spanning.

The Winter Sidewalk Sales also coincides with the monthly Andersonville First Friday series, with the sale officially kicking off Friday morning. Some businesses will even feature special FIRST FRIDAY ONLY offers and then change up their sale offer for Saturday and Sunday.

Participating businesses on the Uptown side (south of Foster) will include:

• Crossroads Trading Co., 5127 N. Clark
• Foursided, 5061 N. Clark
• Milk Handmade, 5137 N. Clark
• Ridman’s Coffee, 4758 N. Clark

Check here for all the participating businesses and the specials.

Primary Election On March 20th - Election Judges Sought

From Ald. Pawar's weekly newsletter:

"The March 20th Primary Election is less than two months away. You can check the status of your voter registration or register to vote at chicagoelections.com.

The Board of Elections is actively seeking people to serve as judges of election for the primary. Judges of election are the officials who are responsible for the conduct of the election in the precinct polling place. The job is challenging, interesting and personally rewarding.

Judges are paid $140 for serving on Election Day along with an additional $50 for attending training. In each precinct, the judges share in the responsibilities, the duties and the authorities that include:

• Opening the polling place and setting up voting equipment at 5 a.m. on Election Day;
• Conducting a fair, impartial and secure election in the precinct polling place, allowing voting from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Tabulating the vote totals for the precinct and transmitting the results to Election Central after the polls close at 7 p.m.

To serve as a judge of election you must meet all of the requirements listed below. Judges of Election must:

• Be registered voters in Cook County (U.S. citizens at least 18 years of age);
• Be able to speak, read and write English;
• Be able to perform basic math;
• Be of good understanding and capable;
• Not be a committeeman, precinct captain or candidate and must agree not to serve as a judge if they become one;
• Notify the Board of Elections if a person who shares his or her residence becomes a candidate, and must not serve as a judge in that election in any precinct where that candidate is on the ballot;
• Be of good repute and character and not a registered sex offender anywhere in the United States and not have committed a crime that would require registering as a sex offender anywhere in the United States;
• Agree that if the judge applicant is removed as an election judge due to misbehavior, neglect of duty or other cause, the person will not be paid for training or election day service;
• Agree that if a person fails to perform all of the services required of a judge, the compensation may be reduced accordingly;
• Agree that by law, the name, address and party affiliation are subject to public disclosure; and,
• Agree that the Board of Elections may use any personal data provided in the Judge Application for the Board's internal operations.

For complete information on serving as a judge of election, including the application, please click here."

You can fill out an application here.

Housekeeping Matters: Our Events Calendar Is Working Again

One of UU's New Year's resolutions was to get the events calendar on the right sidebar updated, something that hasn't happened since the contributor who had maintained it moved on several years ago.

It's up and running again, and we'll do our best to keep it current. It shows regularly scheduled events, like CAPS meetings, as well as one-time-only happenings.

To use it, click on each event for the times and location. There will be a hyperlink that will link back to the original UU post, where you can get more details.

Please let us know if we've missed anything that should be there.

Hong Ngu, Vietnamese Street Food Restaurant, Coming To Argyle

Now - January 2018

Then - Summer 2016

Signage has gone up for the new restaurant at 1113 Argyle Street, Hong Ngu.

The storefront will be receiving a Curb Appeal Rebate Grant from Uptown United, and it has a much cleaner appearance than it did in recent years. There's newspaper taped to the windows, indicating that renovation work is going on inside as well.

Hong Ngu will serve Vietnamese street food, and is owned by Oanh Ngo, who also owns Snow Junkie, the shaved ice shop in Wrigleyville. In a 2016 Chicago Eater article, Ms. Ngo said, "Most of the restaurants on Argyle are old fashioned and very busy with their decor. We keep the traditions of Asia like the street food decor inside without putting 100 dishes on the menu."

We have not heard of an opening date yet, but will keep you informed.

Tuesday Is Last Day To Donate To Toiletries Collection Drive

Last November, we posted that Cook Country Commissioner Bridget Gainer was collecting toiletries and other small items for women at Cook County Jail.

Currently, the women receive a bar of soap upon arrival, so receiving small toiletries go a long way. Items specified for donation include travel-sized shampoos, conditioners, bars of soap, small combs, white socks, composition books, and cards with stamped envelopes.

The deadline for donating is Tuesday, January 30th, so if you've been intending to bring something over, this is for you! Collection points are in the graphic above.

Share Your Haircut - Hair Cuttery Offers Haircuts To The Homeless

Need a haircut? Go to any Hair Cuttery on Monday or Tuesday, February 5 or 6, and they will provide a free haircut for a homeless child or adult in the same community.

Unwrapped! The Majestic Store's Terra Cotta Has Been Completed

click to enlarge

On Thursday, the final pieces of terra cotta tile from the old Rubloff Building/Majestic Store at Leland and Broadway were put in place, and the plastic wrapping came off the new CTA storage building that takes its place.

The restored cream and blue terra cotta is magnificent, our favorite part of the former Majestic Store (Everything For Men). It's all part of the Wilson station reconstruction. We understand that there will eventually be display cases installed on the dark brick portions of the building.

Thank you to reader JMM for being our eyes on the street.

New Mixed-Use Apartment Building Proposed At Ashland and Lawrence (Updated)

rendering by Hanna Architects, Inc.

Update: We received this statement about the current ownership of the property on February 5, 2018:

"Relative to article about the Southeast Corner of Lawrence and Ashland that appeared in the January issue of the Uptown Update, please be advised that this property has not yet been sold.  In fact, the owner, Tom Baker, wants to assure all of his loyal customers that he will continue servicing their vehicles with the excellence that they have been accustomed to.  Please call Tom Baker at 773/989-0444 for your vehicle service."

Original Post: Plans have been unveiled for a new residential rental building to go on the southeast corner of Lawrence and Ashland, at the site of a long-time car repair shop. The exact address, according to the summary sheet on Ald. Pawar's website, is 1535 W Lawrence / 4757 N Ashland.

Trianon Development bought the property, located just a half-block west of Uptown's border, last October for $2,150,000. It proposes to build a 39-unit apartment building with two commercial spaces on the ground floor. The corner is currently home to long-time repair shop Lawrence & Ashland Auto Service.

The proposed building will be four stories high, and will include 3 one-bedroom apartments (830sf each) and 36 two-bedroom apartments (12 at 1200sf, and 24 at 900sf). There will be five on-site affordable apartments under the ARO, and there will be 35 interior garage spaces. Rents are to be determined.

A zoning change is requested and will be reviewed by Ald. Pawar and his Zoning Advisory Committee, probably at the February meeting. You can see the specifications here and the architectural drawings here.

Many Uptowners have had their vehicles serviced by Tom Baker and Lawrence & Ashland Auto over the decades, and losing them will be hard. No idea whether or not they will relocate. If you hear, let us know.

42 grams Documentary To Play At Gene Siskel Film Center Beginning Saturday

The story of Uptown restaurant 42 grams, which went from an underground dining experience (Sous Rising) - to a brick-and-mortar storefront in the former Chester's Chicken location - to worldwide foodie fame and multiple awards for chef Jake Bickelhaupt - to its sudden and unexpected closure last June, is told in a documentary entitled (what else?) 42 grams.

It's been playing on the independent film festival circuit for a few months, and beginning Saturday it comes to the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. Co-owner Alexa Welsh will be there for a question-and-answer session after each Siskel screening:

• Saturday, January 27
• Sunday, January 28
• Wednesday, January 31
• Thursday, February 1

It's also available on all major On-Demand platforms including iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, Microsoft Movies & TV, Vimeo, and Vudu.

You can read Richard Roeper's review of the film here. You can follow the film's appearances on 42 gram's Facebook page. The film's website is here.

Girl, 12, Missing From Uptown (Updated: Located)

Update: The Chicago Police sent out an update at 2:53pm on Friday saying that Ms. Hall has been located. As is their custom, they gave no further details.

Original Post: Abigail Hall, age 12, is missing from her home on the 800 block of Eastwood. She was last seen on Wednesday at 5:30pm.

She was last seen wearing jeans, sky blue cloth sneakers, and an olive green waist-length jacket. She had additional clothing with her when she left.

She is African-American, with a medium complexion, dark blonde hair, and brown eyes. She is 5 feet tall and weighs 110 lbs. She has a birthmark in the shape of a Christmas tree.

If you information that can help locate her, please call 9-1-1 or the Area North Special Victims Unit at 312-744-8266. Her missing persons case number is JB129550.

Help Available Filling Out Property Tax Exemption Forms

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer sent out this notice about assistance workshops her office is sponsoring to help residents fill out exemption applications for property tax bills.

"The Cook County Assessor's office recently mailed out Homeowner and Senior Citizen Exemption applications for your 2017 property tax bills. If you would like one-on-one help with filling out the forms, my staff is hosting four workshops in the coming weeks to assist constituents.

• Tuesday, January 30 from 9am - noon
  47th Ward Alderman Pawar's office, 4243 N. Lincoln
• Thursday, February 1 from 9am - noon
  45th Ward Alderman John Arena's office, 4754 N. Milwaukee
• Friday, February 2 from 9am - 11am
  44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney's office, 3223 N Sheffield Ave
• Friday, February 2 from noon - 2pm
  48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman's office, 5533 N Broadway St

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

• Government-issued photo ID
• Most recent property tax bill
• 2016 Federal Income Taxes (only if applying for senior freeze)

Please remember the deadline to submit exemptions is Wednesday, February 7. Please call my office at 312-603-4210 for any additional assistance."

Chicago Market Celebrates Its New Membership, So Party With Them

Chicago Market Co-op is approaching 1000 members, and hints that good news is coming very soon.

To celebrate the 1000-member threshold, they are holding a party Saturday afternoon for co-op members and non-members alike.

In part, this is what the email they sent Wednesday said:

"Chicago Market is about to reach an incredible milestone in its history. After a super strong "12 Days of Ownership Campaign" in December, Chicago Market is proud to announce that we are about to have 1000 Owners!

Think about that for a second.

Almost 1000 people have committed their money, their time and their energy to make this cooperative grocery store, and the community surrounding it, a reality. Heading into 2018, thanks to their dedication, we're closer than ever. We're hoping to have good news to share soon on the Gerber site; a new market study shows that Chicago Market is an even more viable business than we ever thought; and we're working on big, important steps like hiring a general manager and designing our store. 

When co-op people have something to celebrate, they like to have a party. Which is why everyone, Owners and non-Owners alike, is invited to come together on Saturday, January 27, at 2 p.m. to raise a glass to our community of cooperators. RSVP here.

Each of those 1000 people are part of a community that is doing incredible things, even before our store opens its doors. They're attending delicious events, buying food from local farmers, learning about relevant issues, or volunteering at food pantries. They are spreading the word to their friends and neighbors about this incredible community of people who care about making their city a better place.

These are just the first 1000. In order to open this store, we'll need more than that - our bank wants to see us at 2000 by year's end.

But for our community, right here and right now, this is a very big deal. And you made it happen.

Chicago Market
http://www.chicagomarket.coop/"

Community Justice Center Satellite Office Is Open For Walk-Ins In Uptown

From Ald. Osterman:

"Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Community Justice Center North Satellite Office Open. Reminder that Kimberly Foxx, the Cook County State’s Attorney, now has a satellite office open at 4956 N. Sheridan, at the corner of Sheridan and Argyle.

Stop by on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month with any questions or concerns from 10am-12pm."

You can read more about what the Community Justice Center does here.

Sheridan Park Neighbors Association To Discuss Wilson/Magnolia TOD

DLG Managment's TOD proposal for 4600 Magnolia (jonathan SPLITT architects)

courtesy Sheridan Park Neighbors Association:
Sheridan Park Neighbors Association will host a meeting at 6PM on Tuesday, February 6, at Emerald City Coffee, 1224 W. Wilson.

The major topic of discussion will be the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) proposal for the NW corner of Wilson and Magnolia by DLG Management. Plans call for a 5-story, brick and masonry development with 20 two-bedroom, 4 one-bedroom garden units and 4 studios. Because of its proximity to our $204,000,000 rehabbed Wilson L station, no on-site parking is planned. The site is currently home to a mostly vacant strip mall.

Uptown United (the chamber of commerce for Uptown) has given their support. If you feel strongly for or against the development, you are encouraged to attend. The choice is yours, Sheridan Park. We can maintain status quo on this corner or vote for a change that could spur development throughout Sheridan Park. 

Facebook event listing here.

Full plans for the development on Ald. Cappleman's website.

Chabad of Uptown Sponsors "Lunch and Learn" Next Tuesday

"Do you work in or around Uptown? What are you doing for lunch on Tuesday, January 30th?

Join us for Lunch  & Learn with Rabbi Levi Notik. Enjoy delicious Kosher Sushi and a great experience as we explore relevant Jewish topics using ancient wisdom to guide us in a modern society. 

Tuesday, January 30th from 12–1pm at Chabad, 1109 W. Lawrence Ave.  Come and bring a friend."

The Facebook event page is here, and the website page is here.

Community Safety Alert: Attempted Teen Abduction

Ald. Osterman posted a community safety alert on Tuesday. Please be alert for this suspect and the vehicle, and be sure any children you are in contact with know not to go anywhere with strangers.

based on the witness's description of the vehicle,
it may look like this (Wikimedia)

"[Tuesday] morning at approximately 8am, a 13-year-old boy was walking on the 5100 block of North Clark Street when a man in a car pulled up and told him to get into his car. The victim went home and contacted his parents.

About the offender: White male, small, thin build, short straight gray colored hair, clean-shaven face, wearing black sunglasses

About the vehicle: Dark blue 4-door vehicle, possibly a Toyota Corolla

What you can do:

• Be aware of this situation and alert your neighbors.
• Call 911 to report any suspicious persons, vehicles, or activity in your neighborhood.
• Do not walk alone. Identify safe havens along your route between destination and home, such as businesses or trusted neighbors.

If you have any additional information about this case, please contact Area North Detectives at (312) 747-8380."

"The Renslow" Rendering Surfaces For Former Man's Country Site

5015 N. Clark, "The Renslow" (Quest Realty)

We now know what to expect on the site of the now shuttered Man's Country Bathhouse in Alderman Ameya Pawar's 47th Ward:

According to Crain's Chicago Business,

"A developer will name a new Andersonville condo building after the pioneering gay Chicago entrepreneur who ran a business on the site for 44 years before his death last year.

A new nine-unit structure to be built at 5015 N. Clark St. will be named The Renslow, after Chuck Renslow, who died in June at age 87. From the 1950s on, Renslow operated multiple gay-oriented publications, bars and, at the site on Clark Street, Man's County, a bathhouse he opened in 1973.

Quest Realty Group bought the site and an adjacent building at 5019 N. Clark for just under $2.2 million from Renslow's estate Jan. 22, according to Quest principal Jason Vondrachek. The building at 5019 has a commercial tenant that will stay in it [UU Note: Full Kit Gear], but demolition will begin in spring on the other building, where Man's Country closed in early January, Vondrachek said.

Naming the building for Renslow, Vondrachek said, was 'an easy decision. Chuck was out front and center before a lot of people were comfortable with that aspect of their lives being shared. We wanted to honor what he did.'" Continue Reading

Ald. Cappleman: Chicago Market, Housing & Women's Rights

From Ald. Cappleman's latest email update:

"In the last few years, there have been many highly visible changes in the 46th Ward, but I also want to highlight some behind-the-scenes work I've been doing to improve both the ward and the City of Chicago.

With the Gerber Building nearing completion, I'm working with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to iron out details that would make it possible for the entire space to be used by Chicago Market, a cooperative grocery store focused on providing local, organic foods and building community. The newly rehabbed CTA Wilson Station was a game-changer for the area, and it's crucial that its accompanying retail space captures the essence of the community. Chicago Market does that and more. The community support is very strong for a cooperatively owned grocery store that hires from the neighborhood, provides access to healthy, local, sustainable products and transparently shares information about where your food originates.

Chicago Market will reach a milestone of 1,000 owners this week. If you're already an owner, be proud and consider inviting your friends or neighbors. If you're not an owner, NOW is the time to join us and be a person who affects change!

For more information and to join, click here.

You can also come celebrate with Chicago Market to meet board members, owners and those interested in becoming members on January 27 from 2-5pm. For more information and event location, click here. 

RECENT VOTE ABOUT USING TIF FUNDS FOR PRESENCE HOSPITALS
Presence Health sought $5.5 million in TIF funds that had been promised years ago to convince the company to move its headquarters to 200 S. Wacker. In return, the company agreed to open four community health care centers in under-served Chicago neighborhoods where there is high poverty and fewer options for health care.

Although many of my colleagues voted yes to expand health care access, I and others voted no because of our belief that all women deserve full and complete access to care, including reproductive health care. Since Presence Health follows the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, the company does not provide women with adequate information or options regarding miscarriage management, birth control and abortion. I was among 18 aldermen who voted no on this ordinance, which ultimately passed with 31 votes.

CHICAGO FLEXIBLE HOUSING SUBSIDY PROGRAM ORDINANCE - CO-SPONSOR
I joined the Mayor of Chicago as the co-sponsor of this ordinance that prioritizes permanent housing for those who do not have housing and are frequent users of crisis response systems, such as emergency rooms. This measure is even more comprehensive than the housing-first model, which I convinced the mayor and Department of Family and Support Services to use as a pilot project for those previously living under viaducts (see report here).

The Flexible Housing Subsidy Program is an even more coordinated response that includes the City's Department of Family & Support Services, Department of Public Health, Department of Planning and Development and Chicago Housing Authority. It's based on a similar program already being used in Los Angeles.

What we learned from housing people living under the viaducts is that the process to get them into permanent housing was lengthy due to complicated funding requirements and a lack of eligible rental units. This flexible housing subsidy program will simplify the process for both landlords and tenants, and will more closely reflect private sector leasing processes, to make it easier to house people quickly.

Just as it did with the Los Angeles model, the initial $1.8 million allotted for this program is expected to grow and be sustained by attracting non-traditional and cross-sector investors such as hospitals, health care systems, and philanthropic organizations.

Because there is a substantial potential savings for Medicaid due to reduced emergency room admissions once someone has been housed, I will also be working with our state officials to fight for Medicaid to use a small portion of these savings to pay for the intensive case management services that will be part of this program.

A PLAN TO ADDRESS PRISON RECIDIVISM
My office is participating in the Justice and Mental Health Collaborative, a group that is funded by a Department of Justice grant to work on recidivism issues in Cook County. My staff joined the collaborative to bolster the efforts of the city Intergovernmental Task Force on Recidivism that I am spearheading.

The Justice and Mental Health Collaborative, which is a year old, is working to identify alternatives to repeated incarceration for people suffering from mental illness. Recently, because of my leadership, two city agencies--the Department of Family and Support Services and the Chicago Department of Public Health--also joined in the collaborative.

The task force already had an impressive list of participating agencies including Office of the Chief Judge, Office of the Cook County Board President, Cook County Sheriff, Cook County State’s Attorney Office, Cook County Public Defender, and Chicago Police Department.

Now, I have involved city agencies that are a natural fit with the work the collaborative is doing, since the city provides or funds resources for those being released from jail. Recidivism among people living with mental health issues is a prevalent issue in the 46th ward, and I believe this group’s work has the potential to make a significant change for these individuals.

Best,
Ald. James Cappleman

Celebrate New Orleans Style Mardi Gras In Uptown

Get your tickets now for Fat Cat's 10th Annual Mardi Gras bash! There will be two seatings for the all-you-can-eat Louisiana Crawfish Boil, at 5:30 and 8pm, on Tuesday, February 13th. The night will include Zydeco music, Abita beer, hand-crafted hurricane punch bowls, Sazeracs, beads beads beads, chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya, red beans and rice, Cajun fried catfish, hush puppies, cornbread, and king cakes.

Get your tickets here by February 1st and get a discounted price. Prices go up beginning February 2nd.

Fat Cat is located at 4840 North Broadway, at the corner of Gunnison.

One Foggy Uptown Eve

"The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."

So said Carl Sandburg (our Ravenswood neighbor) in the aptly named Chicago Poems. Sunday night's weather made his words a reality. Thank you to reader Allan Roysdon, who recorded some familiar scenes wrapped in an unfamiliar haze. (Click to enlarge each photo.)

Tax Season Volunteers Sought

The Center for Economic Progress is seeking volunteers for tax season, including at Truman College.

Visit economicprogress.org/volunteer to learn more, register and begin your online training as a Tax Preparer, Tax Site Specialist or Savings Coach (Savings Coach roles available at these locations: Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville, Loop, Uptown, Aurora, Chicago Heights and Elgin).

 If you have any questions, always feel free to reach out to us at volunteer@economicprogress.org or 312-630-0288.  For further details, please see our December 26th post.

Join Uptown Arts Center At Opening Reception On Saturday

The Uptown Arts Center is holding a reception on Saturday, January 27th, to celebrate the opening of its newest exhibit. Join participating artists as they exhibit the art works created during this unique collaboration between the Uptown Arts Center and North Side Housing’s Uptown Men's Shelter.  Refreshments served. Free & open to the public.

A percentage of art  sales will be donated to benefit North Side Housing.

The reception runs between 3pm and 6pm. The Uptown Arts Center is located on the 4th floor of the historic Preston Bradley Center at 941 West Lawrence.

Observing Epiphany With A Plunge In The Lake

Brrrr! No matter how long you live in Uptown, there's always something new to learn.

Thanks to reader Bill Biederman, who was there to record it, we discovered that it's a religious rite in the Russian Orthodox Church to take a plunge into water on Epiphany, which is celebrated by Orthodox Christians on January 19th. Priests are there to bless the waters, and the faithful dip themselves in three times, to symbolize a spiritual purification for the new year.

In Uptown, the icy water is Lake Michigan. And so, last Friday at Montrose Harbor, there was a priest, and rescuers, and photographers, and people willing to go in for a brisk and chilly purification ceremony.

Bless their hearts - that takes a lot of faith (and gumption).

Michael Pfeiffer, Former Crew Server, Missing (Updated With Sad News)

UPDATE: Michael was located, but the news is not good. His family issued a statement on January 23, saying

"As the news has indicated, our Michael has been found and it is with a heavy heart that we share he is no longer with us. Our family would like to thank each and every one of you for all your shares, prayers and positive thoughts.

Knowing Michael was loved by so many helps provide comfort during this difficult time. We are in the process of bringing Michael home and an update with funeral arrangements will be forthcoming.

Again, we wish to thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown. Your continued prayers are much appreciated."

Don't Get Conned By The Armani Jacket Scam

The international "Armani Jacket Scam" has come to Uptown, according to a reader. He or she says,

"Please warn Uptown residents about this individual driving around the neighborhood pretending he is lost asking for directions to the airport. He has a thick Italian accent. He claims he is in town for a fashion show and works for Armani.

He claims he has a box of jackets he does not want to take back to Italy because of duty taxes and will try to sell it to you. Evidently these goods are counterfeit. This is the second time I bumped into this perp."

According to photos, the man is driving a silver Jeep with Minnesota plates. If you are approached by anyone with an offer to buy jackets, call 911 to report a con game. You can also call your local police district's CAPS Office if you have any details that might help identify him. South of Lawrence is the 19th District (312-744-0064) and north of Lawrence is the 20th District (312-742-8714).

Chance The Rapper Visited Uptown Last Night

Guess who showed up at the Pedersen-McCormick Boys and Girls Club on Friday night? Chance the Rapper made an unannounced appearance to help distribute winter clothing to club members. He stayed for a couple of hours giving autographs, talking to the attendees, and posing for photos.

The Pedersen-McCormick club, located at 4832 N Sheridan, is one of 23 Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, which serve 17,000 youth annually. Their services, activities, and after-school programs are available to anyone between the ages of 6 and 18. Membership is $20 per year.

This isn't Chance's first unannounced visit to Uptown. Last March, he visited Courtenay School for a career fair. Good guy, that Chance.

More photos of Chance and the club members are below. Click to enlarge.