Are You Ready for Some Illinois Fun?
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(September 19, 2021) Get ready for for some fun. We’re throwing a little bit of everything at you this week. We have music, chickens, farmers and beer in the woods. What’s not to like? In addition, we’re traveling all over the state to talk to folks. So, we have one question: Are you ready?
Cool stuff with Mike and Peggy
I don’t know why there’s so much stuff going on right now. But that’s fine. Peggy and I want to make sure you know about these events.
Beer in the woods
Friends of the Forest Preserves (FOTFP) modestly calls 5th Annual Beer in the Woods “the best beer and nature festival in the Chicagoland area.” The main shindig happens at LaBagh Woods on Saturday, September 25 from 1 – 6pm. You can participate in bird walks led by friend of the show Jeff Skrentny. How about a lichen walk, or a family wellness walk? Maybe you want to participate in yoga. Do you like frogs and snakes? The Frog Lady has presentations. And, of course, there’s BEER! Perhaps Supreme Court Justice Brett Cavanaugh will show up. But I digress.
However, Saturday is not the only day of the extravaganza. You can participate in virtual programs all week long, leading up to the event. Learn about the natural world, enjoy beer with a brewmaster, and even find some inner peace with a virtual yoga class. Depending on your level of participation, tickets range from $15 to $60.
IIT Pumpkin Launch
Meanwhile, are you ready for some pumpkins? Nothing screams Halloween like pumpkins flying through the air. That’s why the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago Recycling Coalition and Xfinity are sponsoring a pumpkin launch. But it’s today, from 12:30 to 3:00pm. So get moving. In addition to flying pumpkins (which I assume will be composted), there’s a pumpkin bouncy house, face-painting, pumpkin doughnuts and more. Go to the Keating entrance of Ed Glancy Field. Whatever that means.
“Monty and Rose 2“
You can now rent or buy “Monty and Rose 2: The World of Monty and Rose” by clicking here. Film director Bob Dolgan is another friend of the show. The film is a follow up to the 2019 short. I haven’t seen it yet. But I have no doubt it is just as charming as the first film.
FarmFED Co-op
The last couple of years have been a challenge to all of us. Farmers are no exception. So we like it when good things happen in farming communities. The latest is a project called the Farm-Fresh Enterprise Development Cooperative, or FarmFED Co-op. Natural Awakenings Chicago has a story about the effort in the September issue. (Full disclosure: co-host Peggy Malecki publishes NA Chicago.)
[The co-op] will operate a facility that preserves the freshness and nutrition of local food through processing and freezing, allowing growers to bring bulk produce to the facility and make it available in a form suited for larger buyers such as schools, hospitals and retail grocery stores.
The community has pulled together and plans to purchase a former Johnson True Value Hardware Store in town. They will upgrade it to accommodate a processing line, commercial kitchen and 4,000 square feet of cold storage. All of this follows Local Food/Local Places grant, awarded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Katie Funk and Jeff Hake operate the nearby Funks Grove Heritage Fruits and Grain. Currently, they are interim co-managers of the co-op. They plan to turn the reins over to others soon. Jeff joins us on today’s show to talk about the success of the fundraising effort. It’s even better than that this WCBU.org article reports. Could be that Katie and Jeff are just that good. We’ll find out. You can contribute to the FarmFED Co-op here.
Windy City Coop Tour
Are you ready for some chickens? They come your way next Saturday and Sunday in the form of the 11th Annual Windy City Coop Tour. The tour showcases backyard poultry, eco-yards and urban livestock across Chicago! During this self-guided tour, hosts open their yards to visitors and share their experience keeping backyard livestock in an urban setting. It’s part of the nation-wide movement toward sustainable urban backyards.
Fun fact: Jennifer Murtoff is the MidWest’s only chicken consultant. At least, that’s what she says on the website for her business, Home to Roost. She joins us today to preview the coop tour.
Fresh from the Midwest
Finally, are you ready for some music? We don’t get to play many tunes, mainly because of YouTube and Faceborg rules. Boo! But today, a couple of live musicians promote the WRWO 94.5 FM/LP “Fresh from the Midwest” music festival on October 2. We’re fans of WRWO in Ottawa, Illinois, because our show airs there, although on a week-delay basis. The music fest will be held at Illini State Park in Marseilles from 11am to 5pm. Though the concert is free, donations will be accepted for a new playground at the park (#playingforplayground).
The acts include our guests today, Christina Eltrevoog and Tom Gaffney. Eltrevoog (pronounced Eltra-vogue), performs as one half of the duo MMCM. She also volunteers at WRWO as a presenter of a concert series called Song + Story. Live performance videos of that can be viewed on WRWO’s YouTube channel. She is also planning to launch “Fresh from the Midwest” on the station. It will feature new music from artists and bands hailing from Illinois, the greater Midwest, and beyond.
Gaffney formerly worked for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. However he recently re-discovered his love for music, especially during the pandemic. He and his wife Jody often play out of their garage with several friends, prompting him to quip that they are a “senior garage band.” He says they might call the band the “Garage Mahal.”
Katie Troccoli is a force of nature, the founder of WRWO and Here and Again Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Ottawa, IL. The organization is dedicated to arts, entertainment and education. She also has more energy than any four people you know. We’re looking forward to this segment. Are you ready, too?