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Happy August! It's official, the Chicago Cubs will host the All-Star Game for the first time in more than 30 years. You just have to wait until 2027.
A natural area in Winnemac Park that had been blooming with native plants has been mowed down without any warning to volunteer stewards, the park advisory council or community at large. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
The big story on my beat this past week has been the public outcry over the Park District’s decision to mow down a blooming natural area in Winnemac Park on the city’s North Side. Volunteer stewards who help manage the park’s prairie plantings — weeding out invasives, collecting seed and educating neighbors — were devastated to watch as plants were chopped down while in full flower. But they were equally dismayed by the Park District’s lack of communication. Even if the mowing made sense from an ecological standpoint, it didn’t, they said, make sense from a personal standpoint. These natural areas were not an immediate success, Winnemac’s steward, Amy Williamson, told me.
Indeed, the conversion of more conventional park lawns into prairie or wetland plantings has at times met with resistance, particularly from people who view parks primarily as places for recreation. But as the public has become more familiar with native plants and their ecosystem benefits, natural areas like Winnemac’s have gained staunch supporters. There are now plenty of people who visit a park daily, not to toss a football or frisbee, not to picnic or play a pickup game of pickleball, but to see what’s in bloom. They have a relationship with “their” natural area, a space that for many is as close as they’ll get to experiencing — in their own backyard — a landscape that replicates Chicago’s native habitat. The Park District sparked these relationships, first by introducing the concept of natural areas, and then by fostering buy-in and promoting the stewardship program. So, district officials shouldn’t be surprised that people have strong feelings about what happens to those areas. This is a case of a large bureaucracy overseeing an asset that’s public, but to its users feels intensely personal, and as such demands a more personal approach to management. It will be interesting to see if that’s a lesson the district takes to heart.
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U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (WTTW News)
Danny Davis, who has represented Illinois’ 7th District in Congress for nearly three decades, will not be running for a 16th term in office. The Chicago Democrat on Thursday announced he will not be running for reelection next year and has instead thrown his support behind Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford to fill his congressional seat. “I want to thank the thousands of people who believed we could make a difference,” Davis said at a press conference in Chicago. “Chicago, Illinois has done some marvelous things — marvelous things. Yeah, the road has not always been the easiest, but I tell you I’ve had so much fun doing this job, I would do it for nothing. I would pay to do it.”
Some backstory: Davis, 83, will leave Congress as one of the most senior members of the House of Representatives and the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.
A native of Arkansas, Davis moved to Chicago in 1961 and eventually began his political career serving as alderperson in the city’s 29th Ward from 1979 to 1990 and later as a Cook County commissioner from 1990 until 1997. Davis threw his hat into the ring for the 7th District seat, which covers downtown Chicago and portions of the South Side, as well as several western suburbs, in 1996. In the years since he has regularly cruised to reelection in the strong Democratic district, often receiving more than 80% of votes.
What's next? Beyond Ford, at least eight other candidates have launched bids for Davis’ seat. That includes Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who officially announced her candidacy Thursday.
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RaeCola (Courtesy of the Artist)
Twin sisters Rachel and Nicole Henderson — aka the DJ duo RaeCola — are about to have a very special homecoming. The South Side natives may now live in Los Angeles, but on Sunday they’ll be making a triumphant return to their hometown to DJ at this year’s Lollapalooza music festival. Their musical style is known as “booty bass,” which emerged out of Miami’s booming club scene in the 1980s and is characterized by booming low bass lines.
“I think booty bass has always been appealing,” said Rachel Henderson. “It has, like, a low end to make you want to move.” “It’s like you can’t stay still,” added Nicole Henderson. But she said Chicago’s music scene was also a huge influence growing up.
“Being from Chicago, we have so much inspiration from the sounds that we would hear even just on the radio growing up and in the background in different areas,” said Nicole Henderson. But up next, a first performance at Lollapalooza, which Nicole Henderson said feels a little strange.
“This has been such a dream within the past few years (to play Lollapalooza), but growing up, I wasn’t really someone who was going out to festivals and parties and things like that, so it feels very unreal,” said Nicole Henderson.
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For folks who love paper and notebooks, pens and journals, Aug. 2 is no doubt a date they’ve had circled in their old-school planners for months. It’s the fourth annual Stationery Store Day, a big day for shoppers and an even bigger day for mom-and-pop stationers.
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Before Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago, there was a massive music festival happening right on the lakefront. It was called ChicagoFest, and it was the brainchild of then-Mayor Michael Bilandic, who was inspired by the success of SummerFest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It kicked off on this date in 1978 and its inaugural year featured headlining performances by Frankie Valli, Journey, Muddy Waters, and dozens of others. It boasted 16 stages over the course of its two-week runtime, with each stage featuring a retail, national and local sponsor. As WTTW points out, “Tickets were a mere $3.50 in advance and $4 dollars at the gate, which at the time seemed like a lot considering how much corporate sponsorship was involved.” The festival became a political football between Chicago politicos. Bilandic’s successor, Jane Byrne, threatened to cancel the festival in 1980. While she failed, ChicagoFest only lasted five years and a move to Soldier Field. In 1983, Mayor Harold Washington ended the festivities but ChicagoFest paved the way for summer festivals as we now know them in this city.
Every Friday, WTTW News science and nature reporter Patty Wetli highlights the best ways to get outside.
Can you feel summer slipping away? Welcome to August! On your mark, get set, start cramming in all the activities you haven’t made time for yet. Here’s a weekend activity that’s off the beaten path: Moth monitoring at Greene Valley forest preserve in Naperville, Friday, 9-10:30 p.m. Ecologists will lead a guided walk and participants will also have a chance to contribute to a community science project. Registration required; sign up online or call 630-933-7248. There are dozens and dozens of parks, beaches and natural areas along Chicago’s lakefront. If you find yourself visiting the same ones over and over again, check out Openlands’ handy map of 100 spots to explore. Urban Rivers is building a new floating wetland this weekend at Bubbly Creek, an infamous offshoot of the Chicago River. Volunteer slots are still open for Saturday night and Sunday. Sign up here. How’s this for a twist on the Lake Michigan boat tour: Cruise the Indiana shoreline with a National Park Service ranger as your guide. The fun- and fact-filled Riding with a Ranger Tour departs from Michigan City twice daily, Friday through Sunday, through Labor Day, and follows the Indiana Dunes coast. Book a small, customized pedal-powered tour with Chicago Bike Adventures. One option for these 3- or 6-hour rides is a focus on urban greenery. Maximum of four riders.
What’s your favorite movie that takes place in the Chicago area? Tell us why.
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