Gapers Block has ceased publication.
Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
TODAY
Saturday, December 20
Slowdown
BY DAY
Saturday, March 31 2012
Facets Night School: The Bengali Detective
Facets Cinemathequepresents its 10th session of Facets Night School screenings paired with lectures & discussions about the films. Tonight's film is the 2011 fantasy detective story The Bengali Detective, making its Chicago premiere tonight. Discussion of the film will be led by Neil Calderone, director of The Chicago Cinema Society. Facets Night School runs Saturday evenings through April 21; the lectures begin at midnight with a $5 fee. See the Facets Website for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets in advance. Facets: 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue. For all inquiries about Facets Night School, contact Susan Doll at (800) 331-6197 or suzi (at) facets (dot) org.
Damion Romero @ Lampo, Hyde Park
Experimental drone musician Damion Romero, known for his acoustically-based forays into room-tone and self-generating feedback systems, presents Quartet, a new work incorporating four-channel speaker sound, at the Renaissance Society's Bond Chapel in Hyde Park (1025 E. 58th Street, Chicago). Sponsored by Lampo as part of their Winter series, the concert is FREE and no RSVP is required, though seating, of course, is limited. 8 p.m. start time, see Transmission for more details.
WCR All-Stars vs. Indianapolis
The Windy City Rollers' travel teams square off against the Naptown Tornado Sirens tonight at the UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave., today. The first match is at 6pm. Tickets are $20-35 online or at the box office.
The Book: Past, Present and Future @ First United Methodist
Are books-as-physical object going the way of the dinosaur? Or is that an overly alarmist view? Come to First United Methodist Church today for the lecture "The Book: Past, Present and Future," presented by Anthony Grafton. Grafton is a professor at Princeton, a leading historian of the book, and the author of The Footnote: A Curious History. The lecture is part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. Get tickets here or call (312) 494-9409. First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington, at 2pm. $10; $5 for teacher and students.
43rd Annual Chicago's Biggest Liar Contest @ Herdegen-Brieske Funeral Home
10 of Chicago's most dishonest storytellers compete in The 43rd Annual Chicago's Biggest Liar Contest. Produced by This Much Is True and Story Lab host Scott Whitehair, there's no telling how this evening will go down exactly, but rest assured - you'll hear some whoppers. Competing for the title of Biggest Liar and the accompanying trophy - the coveted Hogwash Cup are: Keith Ecker; Don Hall; Rebecca Kling; Monte LaMonte; Paulette McDaniels; Colleen Mulligan; Sheri Reda; Eve Shapiro; Dave Stinton; and Kristen Studard. Show starts at 8pm, tickets are $15 at the door and available in advance online at Brown Paper Tickets. Show takes place at Herdegen-Brieske Funeral Home (1356 W. Wellington). Free parking is available in the lot at Herdegen-Brieske, and CTA options include the Wellington Brown Line Stop and the #11 and #9 buses.
Furious Frank @ Subterranean
Furious Frank celebrates the release of their second album, The Map & the Territory, with a release party at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave. Four Star Brass Band, Descarga and Meds open, and burlesque dancer The Lady Jack also performs. Tickets are $10 online or at the door, which opens at 8pm. 21+
Forgotten Chicago 175th Birthday Party
Chicago turned 175 this month, and Forgotten Chicago is throwing a party. Tonight at the Greenhouse Lofts, 2545 W. Diversey St., from 7pm to 10pm, enjoy drinks, food and rarely seen images of Chicago's forgotten or overlooked buildings and infrastructure. Tickets are $75.75 if ordered by 3/12, $81.75 after and $85 at the door if available. Learn more here.
Chicago Beer Fest @ Union Station
What's that sound? It's the sound of the beer train pulling in to Union Station. (OK, not really, but it is time to drink!) The Chicago Beer Festival will fill Union Station today with two sessions for your beer-loving pleasure. Tickets are $40 per session (1-4pm and 6-9pm) and include access to free samples from dozens of breweries (local, national, and international) including 5 Rabbit, Argus, Pipeworks, Bell's, Abita, Spaten, Sapporo, Rogue, Brewery Ommegang, and more! Food will be available as well, at an additional cost. More on Facebook. Union Station is located at 210 S. Canal St.
The Yolks @ Burlington
The Yolks are one of the more sporadic local bands with sets that could be their own dirty garage rock tunes or a slew of covers. Either way, they're always entertaining. They play the Burlington, 3425 W Fullerton, with the Biz. Doors at 9PM. It's $5 and 21+.
Airbnb "Airshare" Meetup
Airbnb holds an "Airshare" meetup in Chicago at Doejo's former office, 2934 N. Broadway, from 3pm to 6pm today. The theme is "books, bikes and beer" -- bring books to trade, donate used bikes or parts to Working Bikes, and toss a couple bottles of beer into the communal cooler for a DIY sampling. There will also be people on hand to teach you how to brew at home, build a bookshelf and go on a cross-country bike tour. Free, but RSVP requested.
A History of Chicago's O'Hare Airport @ Logan Square Library
The Logan Square Library (3030 W. Fullerton) hosts a lecture by author Michael Branigan from 3-5pm today, who will be talking about his book A History of Chicago's O'Hare Airport, which traces the history of that little patch of ground that serves as one of the world's busiest airports. Free.
