By now you are aware of the annual Progressive Dinner and arts festival on Madison Street. This year’s event will be held July 20. For advance tickets call (708) 366-2543.
The street entertainment will be first-class this year, although the number of restaurants is fewer than in past years. Starship Sub will sponsor Paul McKenna‘s group, but they will have to perform somewhere farther east, probably near Doc Ryan’s, since the dinner’s western terminus will be at Desplaines Avenue this year.
Street artists will include chalk artists Glenn and Georgia Braun, as well as Steve Fisher. The Gasse School of Music will present some young artists in quartet, trio and duo pieces for your enjoyment. Vocals will be supplied by Kathryn Atwood.
Pineapple Dance Studios and Erika Ochoa‘s students will exhibit Middle Eastern dancing, music and costumes. Erika’s husband, Adrian Fortis, a classical guitarist and a member of the Guitar Circle of Chicago, will hypnotize you with his performance. The husband and wife team are regulars at the Old Town School of Folk Music and will be performing there on July 16 at 8:30 p.m. with Lamajamal, a Chicago group that plays Gypsy surf music, according to their Web site.
A trip up to the Pineapple Studio at 7518 Madison St. is almost like stepping into a Middle Eastern paradise (which, by the way, is a Persian word). Artists get together to celebrate their differences, music, dance, foods, beauty and other cultural aspects of life. Would that they could rule the world
McKenna’s group features Paul on guitar, harmonica and vocal; Mike Romano on drums; Pete Mazzeri on sax and bass; and Bob Pliiett on lead guitar.
All the music will be strategically placed so that one group will not clash with another.
On July 12 the G.K. Chesterton Society will discuss “The Resurrection of Rome” at Centuries and Sleuth’s, 7419 Madison St., at 2 p.m.
On to the birthdays: Everyone’s favorite, Zeno Jacquat has a birthday on July 9 – may he have many, many more birthdays. Also on the 9th of July are Lisa Faber, Bridget Marinier, Diane Bugajsky, Matt Cappolino, Tim Houren and 101-year-old Fern Campbell; On July 10, Jackie Vince Clifton, Augie Hegg, and happy anniversary to Jennifer and Mark Hosty; on July 11, John and Diane Rice have an anniversary and birthday celebrants are Cassidy Brown, Lisa Kowalski, Diane Howard Beatty, Adam Powers and last but not least Peggy Grams; on July 12, Mike Martinski, Rick Martinski, and a special happy birthday to Minnie Maxwell; July 13, Cheryl Jargstorf, Brian Casey, Linda Brhel, Laura Hodges; July 14, Grant Neubeiser, Ruth Loyd, Anthony Huynh, and Ramya and Carl Telarovic have an anniversary; on July 15, Carol Byars Smith, Chris Cody and Lester Nixon have birthdays; and on July 16 special happy 90th birthday to Dorothy Hatch. Also celebrating a birthday on the 16th are Leonard Karlin, Daniel Stroth, Sammy Marino and Mitchell Bloch.
Jackie is a former Chicago and Elmwood Park schoolteacher with an undying love for music, friendly pets and a host of life’s other treasures too numerous to list. She was born on the far southwest side of Chicago in a great neighborhood when it was a great time to be young.
