Twelve years ago, when the late Gary Comer visited his former elementary school, he was brought to a room where ten new computers sat unused because the school lacked the funds to power them. Today, Paul Revere Elementary is outfitted with a wireless network, new software programs, and a $10 million investment.

Comer, the son of a railroad employee, graduated from Paul Revere Elementary in 1942. In 1963, he started Lands’ End Clothing Company, and in 2002, he sold it to Sears for $1.9 billion. Of that fortune, $100 million has since been poured into developing and revitalizing his childhood neighborhood.
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Perhaps you’ve seen them before, out on the Midway Plaisance on a crisp autumn afternoon with coolers open and medieval banners flying. And perhaps you’ve been wondering who these men and women clad head-to-toe in armor and medieval crests might be. They are proud members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), which began in 1966 in Berkeley, California, when a group of friends decided to hold a medieval tournament. The idea caught on, and the society has since expanded to include nineteen “kingdoms” spanning the entire globe. But the society does not confine itself to tournaments and battling. Many participants dance, sing, sew, and cook, all in a medieval fashion. Read the rest of this entry »

A hypochondriac’s obsession with disease seems more like material for a psychological drama than a song cycle commissioned by an acclaimed contemporary classical music group. Yet the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) has recently done just that—allowing composer Corey Dargel to use the ailment as subject matter for his piece “Thirteen Near-Death Experiences.” But Dargel insists that he has put extensive thought into the bizarre theme. “I know [hypochondria] seems dark and depressing. I want people to come away with a sense of hypochondria as an extreme form of anxiety and maybe loneliness, but I want them to connect to it,” he says gently. Read the rest of this entry »

“You think six feet of dirt means something?” quips the ghost of Leon Goldwater’s trumpet-toting father in eta’s new production of “Fathers and Sons.” The essence of the story is encapsulated in this sentence. Although the show is not a remake of the original Russian classic, it does explore much of the same emotional terrain. Read the rest of this entry »

Before pianist Reginald Robinson’s Sunday performance at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute, the crowd murmured about the lack of an actual piano. Onstage sat a small keyboard with an impressive amplifier behind it. Whispers went up that ragtime requires something with a little more wood and a few more strings. The room was muted in the dim golden light from the ceiling lamps, as its heavy curtains were closed against the gray rain outside. Large glasses, for fashion or necessity, seemed to be a prerequisite for attendance. The scene bore little resemblance to a swinging ragtime club of yore. Read the rest of this entry »

If you want to pay lots of money in exchange for being asked increasingly obscure and intellectual questions that will leave you hunched over the bar counter, drunk, broke, and brainless, Hyde Park is the place you’re looking for. The University of Chicago Pub, in the basement of Ida Noyes (1212 E. 59th), hosts an intensely competitive trivia night every Tuesday at 8pm that requires participants to draw upon their knowledge of Malaysian geography, Romantic novelists, and theoretical physics, as well as the trivia standards of one-hit wonders and Bears scores. The rewards are high—a cash prize for first place, in addition to random free appetizers and Pub merchandise—but they come at a price: each participant must pay $3 to enter, and the bar is open only to University affiliates and their guests after buying a $10 membership or paying a $3 cover. Read the rest of this entry »

Spring is in the air. Soon birds will be building their nests, couples will canoodle in newly-green parks, and students sick of their dorms or their roommates will begin the hunt for a new (or first!) apartment in Hyde Park. The world-weary staff of the Weekly, who collectively have occupied at least 30 apartments, are here to help you with the last.

This special feature has two sections. In the first part, we offer advice about practicalities such as hiring movers, knowing your legal rights as a tenant, and expanding your apartment search beyond Hyde Park. In the second, we provide information about several major Hyde Park landlords, including locations, prices, and amenities. In addition, last year’s housing issue with additional advice and landlords is available on our website at chicagoweekly.net/housing-guide—but be aware that rents and contact details may have changed. We hope this helps, and we wish you all good luck. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Sunday afternoon, most of Shimer College crowded into a small room to discuss the future of their school. The Assembly—a democratic body in which all students, faculty, staff, and trustees have equal votes—has traditionally been the moral authority of the college, while legal authority rests with the Board of Trustees. In last Sunday’s special session, those two authorities clashed as the Assembly voted on resolutions condemning the Board’s recent actions and the college’s president. Read the rest of this entry »