Splendor in Riviera one last time before closing
Dave Hoekstra: Spare time has been rare for Peggy Kraft over the years. When she isn't preparing thousands of meals at the Riviera Restaurant on Route 66 in Gardner, she listens to opera or drives to nearby Joliet to see her favorite singer, Englebert Humperdinck, perform at the Rialto Square Theatre.
Dave Hoekstra: Spare time has been rare for Peggy Kraft over the years. When she isn't preparing thousands of meals at the Riviera Restaurant on Route 66 in Gardner, she listens to opera or drives to nearby Joliet to see her favorite singer, Englebert Humperdinck, perform at the Rialto Square Theatre.
Hockey Hall of Fame shoots, scores
Dave Hoekstra: A young friend just married a huge sports fan. He's the kind of guy who likes to drive around North America taking in essential sites like minor league baseball stadiums in Toledo, Ohio. She, not so much. But the travel over the next 50 years gives her a chance to shop, sightsee and check out regional cuisine. This prevents any marriage from becoming cold steel on ice.
Dave Hoekstra: A young friend just married a huge sports fan. He's the kind of guy who likes to drive around North America taking in essential sites like minor league baseball stadiums in Toledo, Ohio. She, not so much. But the travel over the next 50 years gives her a chance to shop, sightsee and check out regional cuisine. This prevents any marriage from becoming cold steel on ice.
Buddy Charles played just for you
Dave Hoekstra: Buddy Charles was Chicago's most beloved piano man because he knew how to personalize every phrase. He hit all the right notes. They were always from the heart. Charles, who died Thursday at age 81, spent 61 years playing Chicago's taverns, joints and piano bars.
Dave Hoekstra: Buddy Charles was Chicago's most beloved piano man because he knew how to personalize every phrase. He hit all the right notes. They were always from the heart. Charles, who died Thursday at age 81, spent 61 years playing Chicago's taverns, joints and piano bars.
Hideout acts to back Barack's D.C. hoopla
The Chicago music community is preparing to have a ball on the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington. The Hideout roadhouse will co-host "The Big Shoulders Ball: Chicago Celebrates Change" at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Black Cat, D.C.'s premier independent music club. Featured performers include Andrew Bird, Tortoise, the Waco Brothers, Eleventh Dream Day, Jon Langford, Sally Timms, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Ken Vandermark, Freakwater, Icy Demons and Judson Clairborne, plus guests to be announced.
The Chicago music community is preparing to have a ball on the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington. The Hideout roadhouse will co-host "The Big Shoulders Ball: Chicago Celebrates Change" at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Black Cat, D.C.'s premier independent music club. Featured performers include Andrew Bird, Tortoise, the Waco Brothers, Eleventh Dream Day, Jon Langford, Sally Timms, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Ken Vandermark, Freakwater, Icy Demons and Judson Clairborne, plus guests to be announced.
King College Prep band marching to Washington
Dave Hoekstra: The King College Prep marching band takes it to the streets every summer. In perfect formation the students strut out of the school at 4445 S. Drexel and roll past the Sutherland Hotel, two blocks south of the school, where Louis Armstrong used to play in the lounge and Miles Davis was a regular at Christmas. They move through the vibes of the original Regal Theater on King Drive.
Dave Hoekstra: The King College Prep marching band takes it to the streets every summer. In perfect formation the students strut out of the school at 4445 S. Drexel and roll past the Sutherland Hotel, two blocks south of the school, where Louis Armstrong used to play in the lounge and Miles Davis was a regular at Christmas. They move through the vibes of the original Regal Theater on King Drive.
