Our summer festival season is heating up as we head into another June weekend here in Chicago.  Don’t miss out on the festivals, art fairs, and more!

A great Chicago-born music tradition returns to Millennium Park at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage (201 E. Randolph St.) in The Loop with the Chicago Blues Festival on Saturday and Sunday (12 p.m.-9 p.m.).  A diverse lineup celebrating the blues’ past, present, and future will bring living legends and local players to the stage with electrifying performances.  This year’s headliners include Mud Morganfield (Saturday) and Los Lobos (Sunday).  Plus, new this year, is a blues-inspired smokehouse called “Wally’s BBQ Pit” serving up delicious BBQ fare, and drinks, for guests to feast on in between acts!  For a complete festival lineup, visit their website.

One of Chicago’s most legendary street festivals, Andersonville Midsomarfest, is celebrating their 57^th year this Saturday and Sunday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) on Clark Street (Foster Ave. to Gregory St.).  This fest transports guests back in time with charming old-world Swedish traditions complete with delicious international food, live entertainment from dozens of musical and entertainment acts, exclusive artisans and vendors, and family-friendly activities for kids of all ages to enjoy such as a pet parade, face painting, and more!  Plus, don’t miss out on the traditional dance around the Midsommar Maypole!!

If you missed last weekend’s Greek fest in Lincoln Park, don’t fret, as St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (2727 W. Winona St.) is hosting their Lincoln Square Greek Fest this Saturday (3 p.m.-11 p.m.) and Sunday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.).  Once again, attendees can enjoy authentic Greek food, delicious pastries, and Greek spirits as well as live music and dancing, a Hellenic market, a kid zone, and church tours!  Plus, there’s a $10,000 Grand Prize Raffle as well!!

The Old Town neighborhood is hosting not one, but two, art fairs this weekend for all the art enthusiasts out there looking to find plenty of inspiration and more.

The original Old Town Art Fair takes place in the heart of the charming Old Town Triangle Historic District located at 1763 N. Park Avenue.  On hand will be more than 200 nationally Acclaimed Artists; Live Music offering a little jazz, a little swing, some folk, fusion, and blues; a Food Court with unique choices of food and drinks from favorite local restaurants; and a Kids’ Zone with mad science, face painting, arts & crafts, and more!  Plus, attendees can peek into the quaint green spaces of this charming neighborhood on a Garden Walk of over 50 local gardens!!

Celebrating its 48^th year, the Wells Street Art Festival takes place on Wells Street between North Avenue and Division Street.  Over 200 juried artists from across the continent will be featured along with live entertainment provided by locals, performance artists, and tribute bands throughout the weekend, 20+ food and drink vendors selling a varied assortment of tasty cuisine, and a children’s play area where your kids can have their own fun!

Vegandale Fest returns to Grant Park this Saturday (11 a.m.-8 p.m.) with the biggest lineup of sponsors and vendors yet.  Experience all things vegan from over 150 vendors from around the world including products not yet available in stores.  Also, there will be live performances which include Grammy-nominated rapper Rick Ross, a legendary dance party, and a new interactive art installation series!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

On Monday, June 5,the 2023 James Beard Awards named husband and wife chefs Tim Flores and Genie Kwon of Michelin-starred Kasama Best Chef(s)  for the Great Lakes Region.  

Last year, Kasama earned the distinction of being the world’s first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant, as well as a 2022 James Beard Foundation finalist for best new restaurant. (via Eater.com)

Kasama is a Korean bakery and modern Filipino restaurant that was recently featured on ‘Good Morning America’ for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month. 

Opened in 2020 just before the pandemic, Flores explained the concept. “We want to do a casual Filipino concept with Genie’s specialty, which is French-American pastries,” Flores told “Good Morning America.” “Kasama means ‘together’ in Tagalog. So it’s both of our concepts in one restaurant.”

During the day, Kasama offers reasonably priced, delectable pastries and specialty breakfast items, including a Filipino Breakfast of garlic rice, fried egg, and a choice of longanisa sausage or tocino. Lumpia Shanghai is a fried pork spring roll served with sweet chilis. Mushroom Adobo has soy-braised mushrooms, fried egg, and garlic rice. Chicken Thigh Adobo hasboneless chicken thighs marinated in adobo sauce and then grilled and served with garlic rice and pickled green papaya.

Pair any one of these with a Coconut Cortadito, an Iced Black Sesame Latte, ortheirspecial Oh, hot yam! which pairs an ube latte with coconut sap. 

Reviewers urge you to get there early for Kwon’s French-inspired pastries, which includes such listings as Salmon Danish (yes, you read that right. Just trust the Michelin star,)a Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treat with orange coffee and chocolate, or an Ube and Huckleberry Basque Cake. Coconut Black Sesame Macaroon. Not to be missed are the Citrus Poppy Poundcake with Rhubarb and Creme Fraiche. 

“Kasama  is a very different experience at night than during the day,” said one Google reviewer. “During the day it’s all about Genie’s amazing pastries and Tim’s small plates and sandwiches, much of it served to go. At night it transforms into an intimate fine dining restaurant that is pretty much perfection….Each dish seems to top the one before it, so it would be impossible to pick a favorite. If you are unfamiliar with Filipino cuisine it doesn’t matter, because each dish has a creative twist that has turned it into something completely unique anyway.”

“No other restaurant matches the offering of Kasama!” wrote another. “If you get there before noon, you can enjoy their breakfast sandwich, which is insanely amazing! Otherwise, they offer additional options for breakfast and amazingly unique pastries as well as great coffee choices. Run don’t walk!”

Kasama is located at 1001 N. Winchester Avenue. They are open Wednesday–Sunday from 9am–3pm. (Kitchen closes at 2pm) Pastries and drinks are available for carryout 2pm- 3pm. Dinner service is Thursday-Sunday, by reservation only, for their fine dining, Filipino-inspired tasting menu. For reservations, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

The average American household now has 2.5 TV sets, even when the number of people in that home is only two. Not only is there a TV set in the main living area, but many families have TVs in children’s bedrooms and even kitchens and bathrooms. Television sets can now be mounted on walls, keeping them off furniture, but that leaves households with a new dilemma: how to keep power cables from showing.

Fortunately, there are several options for concealing your cables from view. They each come with their own challenges, with some less expensive than others. Here are three of the most popular options, from most expensive to least.

Move the Power Box

If your cable TV hasn’t yet been installed, the installer should be able to place the cable outlet in the area where you’ll be mounting the TV. If a cable outlet is already in place, consider contacting the cable company to handle it for you. For the power outlet, you’ll likely need to hire an electrician to move the power outlet to its new location, unless you’re comfortable taking on the project yourself. Option 1 is the most expensive option if you choose to bring in a professional to help.

For do-it-yourselfers, read the steps carefully before beginning your power outlet move to avoid injury. You’ll need to turn off the circuit breaker to that outlet before you begin working and decide where you want the outlet to be located before starting your work. You can also move the cable outlet yourself or run a new one if a line isn’t already in place in that room.

Hide Inside the Wall

Instead of moving your outlets, you could run the cables through the wall. This involves cutting a hole in the drywall behind the TV and feeding the cables through, then dropping them toward the floor. If you’re installing the TV on an interior wall without insulation, you’ll be able to easily drop it. Your drop can also be made easier by using fish tape, as demonstrated here.

You’ll need to cut a hole closer to the floor to run the cable through to get power. Unless you’re sure you can make this setup attractive, you may want to have a plan in place to cover up the outlet, such as placing a cabinet or entertainment center below.

Use a Cord Keeper

One of the easiest ways to conceal your cords is to use a cord keeper. Available for less than $20, cord keepers are designed to blend with your wall. While the keeper itself protrudes from the wall, it is far less unsightly than dark cords running from your TV to the power outlet.

If you plan to use a cord keeper, consider hanging your TV on a corner. The protrusion looks less obvious when it runs along a corner, since that area of the room is already recessed anyway. Cord keepers are generally white, so plan to paint them to match the color of your walls.

If you’re one of the many households that choose to hang your TVs, cord management is a must. With a little planning and a do-it-yourself attitude, you can hide your cords without spending a fortune.

“Come on

Oh, baby don’t you wanna go?

Come on

Oh, baby don’t you wanna go?

Back to that same old place

Sweet home Chicago!”

First recorded by bluesman Robert Johnson, 1936

Is there any music genre more emblematic of a place and time like Chicago’s blues scene? To this day, ‘The Blues Brothers’ movie remains the quintessential celebration of Chicago’s most iconic music. 

How’d Chicago Get the Blues? 

Chicago blues was heavily influenced by the Mississippi bluesmen who traveled to Chicago in the early 1940s, according to Wikipedia sources. Muddy Waters, a colleague of Delta blues musicians Son House and Robert Johnson, migrated to Chicago in 1943, joining the established Big Bill Broonzy, where they developed a distinctive style of blues music…more urban than the Southern sounds coming out of Tennessee or Mississippi. They were soon joined by artists such as Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, and John Lee Hooker, and many other legends. 

Every year, the City of Chicago celebrates its status as a blues destination through the annual Blues Fest, held this year from June 8-11 in Millennium Park. 

Kingston Mines: From Theatre to Legendary Blues Club 

Lincoln Park’s Kingston Mines, 2548 N. Halsted Street, is the largest and oldest continuously operating blues club in Chicago, according to its website. For year-round blues, no club has a richer history or has played host to more legendary performers. 

The place was founded as the Kingston Mines Theatre Company and Café on Lincoln Avenue in 1968, named after Kingston Mines, Illinois, where the father of one of its actors, Jack Wallace, worked, according to Wikipedia sources. Their most notable production was ‘Grease’ which premiered in 1971. Actress Marilu Henner originated the role of ‘Marty’ before moving to Broadway a year later. The theatre company expired in 1973, while the Café survived as a blues club and café.

To this day, you can order specialties like Southern Fried Okra, a Chicago Style Hot Dog, Chicago-style Ribs, and their special Kingston Mines Burger, topped off with desserts like beignets and Eli’s Cheesecake. 

In 1972, Oak Park’s Dr. Lenin “Doc” Pellegrino, M.D., bought the club from the and renamed the Kingston Mines Café. It moved to its current location at 2548 N. Halsted in 1982. He owned it until his death at 92 in 2018.

The club motto, “Hear Blues – Drink Booze – Talk Loud – You’re Among Friends!” was a Doc original.  Aswasthisone, hanging on the back wall of the stage: “Illegitimus non Carborundom,” Latin for “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”

“Doc” knew his business. ‘With urban blues you’ll hear performers sing about jobs in factories, jobs in mills, rental problems, unemployment and prejudice. It’s a big city blues.’ The other side of this binary come from humbler settings: ‘With rural blues, things are more about farming, driving a mule, problems with the bossman, the small town existence.’ The intermingling of the two is what makes Chicago distinctive. ‘Rural blues with a large overlay of urban blues still hanging on. This is Chicago blues.’”

• Excerpt from “Kingston Mines: ‘Doc’ Pellegrino Can Still Hear the Blues” by Jacob Knabb on Centerstage Chicago (June 7, 2005, via the Chicago Bar Project. 

Their lineup over the years reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of blues royalty:  Magic Slim, Koko Taylor, Sugar Blue, Billy Branch, Junior Wells, Mike Wheeler, Joanna Connor, and scores of other musical greats.

Kingston Mines is open Thursdays and Fridays from 7pm–4am and Saturdays from 7pm-5am. They offer a variety of discounts to veterans, seniors and students off their cover charge (usually $15.)  For more information, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Now, I am definitely not a runner, but I know so many of my friends enjoy running for their main exercise. I’ve done some research and have found some tips for a better running experience. I know some are well known but others perhaps not. In any case, it’s good to take a refresher and make your run more fun and productive. 

Have a good playlist for your run. Music really gets you going and keeps you going. It also can combat mental fatigue which is helpful especially when you need to run after a trying day at work. Keep the beats more than 128bpm. Think: dance party! Not a big music fan? Some people love running to podcasts, or a good audio book. Whatever floats your boat. 

Make sure your running clothes are going to help, not hinder you. Your bottoms need to fit properly so you’re not stopping to pull them up. Thin layers on top are best as you will need less coverage no matter what the weather is as you warm up. Ladies, make sure your sports bra is sufficient to hold everything together. Bouncing boobies can be very uncomfortable. Shoes are of course the most important. It is a good idea to go to a store where you can be fitted by a professional who will understand that running shoes are different than walking shoes.  

Breathing is important. Breathe through your nose for 3 beats then out your mouth for the same count. Be mindful. Running is tough when you are struggling for breath. Search online for breathing exercises for running. 

Of course, you may be huffing and puffing because you are going too fast and for too long. Always start out with a training schedule that will work you up to the level you are looking for. This is most important especially if you are training for long distances. Warm up properly on a stationary bike or do some foam rolling. The warmup is designed to loosen stiff muscles and get the blood flowing.

Before you even jog that first step you should do some strength training. Strength training will help with your cardio while building up your lower muscles in your legs and glutes. You can check out https://www.stylist.co.uk/fitness-health/workouts/strength for some good exercises. 

Track your run. You can use a Fitbit, smart watch or just your phone. Plan a route and pace. You can even virtually run with a friend if you like. Running with someone if possible is always good as it creates accountability.  

Stretching is more important after exercise than before. Some stretches warming up is good but after a long run it’s imperative. It helps you rest and recover from the pounding you receive from running. Do hip flexor stretches. Hips take a lot of punishment in running. Look up post running stretches. 

So if you are considering trying running make a plan and get out there. I’m told there is a great thing called “The runner’s high”. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago