September 10, 2026 Vol. 14 No. 11
41st Annual
The 2026 Printers Row Lit Fest is set for Saturday, September 12 & Sunday, September 13, 10AM – 6PM. This FREE event takes place on the streets of South Dearborn, from Ida B Wells to Polk St, Chicago, IL. Come Rain or Shine!
Page 2
Thu-Sat, Sep 10-12, 8 & 10pm……………………………………………..Clark Sommers W’ba(sh)
Sun, Sep 13, 4pm & 8pm……………………………………………………..Clark Sommers W’ba(sh)
Mon, Sep 14, 7pm & 9pm……………………………………..………………Dan Kaufman Trio
Tue, Sep 15, 8pm & 10pm…………………………………………..…………Petra’s Recession Seven
Wed, Sep 16, 8pm & 10pm……………………………………………….Bethany Pickens
Thu-Sat, Sep 17-19, 8pm & 10pm…………………………..…………….Paul Marinaro Quartet
Sun, Sep 20, 4 pm & 8pm………………… ……………………….…………Paul Marinaro Quartet
Mon, Sep 21, 8pm & 10pm………………………………………..………..Al Jarreau Tribute featuring vocalist Bruce Henry
Tue, Sep 22, 8pm & 10pm……………………………………………………Jeremiah Hunt Quintet
Thu-Sat, Sep 24-26, 8pm & 10pm…………………………………..……Isaiah Spencer Quartet
Sun, Sep 27, 4pm & 8pm…………………………………………..…………Isaiah Spencer Quartet
Mon, Sep 28, 8pm & 10pm…………………………………..……………..Diego Hedez & Marion
Mallard Quartet
Tue, Sep 29, 8pm & 10pm…………………………………………………Steve Schneck Quartet
Wed, Sep 30, 8pm & 10pm………………………………………………Sabertooth Organ Quartet
Page 3
SOUTH LOOP NEIGHBORS
South Loop Neighbors is a non-profit membership based organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in South Loop’s neighborhoods and preserving the area’s landmark districts.
South Loop Neighbors represents South Loop residents who are concerned about:
· Ensuring high-quality, reasonably-sized real estate development as well as infrastructure
improvements that respect the unique character of our community
· Preserving and protecting the area’s Landmark Districts, including Printing House Row and
· Promoting quality education, recreation, services, retail, community activities, and events
Historic Michigan Boulevard
· Maintaining a socially, culturally, and economically diverse neighborhood
· Developing strong relationships with key city officials to ensure they respect, hear, and act on the concerns and ideas of the South Loop community. South Loop Neighbors serves members and residents within the area bounded by Ida B. Wells to approximately 25th Street and from the Chicago River to Lake Michigan. Www.Southloopneighbors.org
South Loop Neighbors
Elected board
President – Jim Wales
Vice President – Jack Chalabian
Secretary – Benjamin Cottrell
Treasurer – Rob Hard
Director—Susan Zinner
Director Planning & Development Tyler Jones
Director—Diana Turowski
Director—Paul Jacobs
Director—Lauren Pace
Follow us on Facebook to stay connected to what is happening in your community
Page 4
Page 4
Start the battle against pantry moths as soon as you see one
I don’t want to alarm you, but do you realize how easy it is to bring bugs home?
I bought a bag of rice at an ethnic grocery store. At home, I poured the contents from the paper bag into a Ball jar. When I opened the jar some time later, insects flew out that I learned were pantry moths. The bag of rice must have contained eggs or larvae. I threw out the rice and washed the jar, whose sides were covered with the telltale webbing that identifies pantry moths.
Afterward I saw a moth so infrequently that I naively didn’t think about the moths reproducing. But when an occasional moth still appeared months later, action was past due.
What I learned was distressing. “Seeing even one pantry moth is a strong indicator of an infestation, as they are typically present in large numbers, with one female laying hundreds of eggs,” Google AI said. It’s hard to eradicate the moths. The larvae consume their favorite foods — flours, baking mixes, grains, cereals, pasta, nuts, dried fruits, cocoa, tea, legumes, spices, and dry pet food — and then move to dark places like shelf corners, cracks in walls and wood, and the holes for adjustable shelves. There they transform from the pupa stage into adult moths whose only purpose is to procreate.
The moths don’t carry diseases that harm humans and pets, but I still wanted them gone. But how does one do battle against an enemy that can even eat through cardboard boxes and plastic bags?
I checked every food shelf for signs of the moths — food clumps, webbing, and worm-like larvae. Climbing up and down a stepladder to reach upper shelves after knee replacement surgery was risky but unavoidable. All dry goods were transferred to airtight containers. I vacuumed and washed down shelves with white vinegar, which kills the larvae. The only infested food I found was dry cat food, but that wasn’t reason for relief. There are so many places the moths can lodge, like under the refrigerator and the stove.
Traps, which have synthetic female sex pheromones that attract and trap adult male moths on a sticky surface, caught about a dozen moths the first week, then none for a while, then more. The time gap suggested different generations. My hope was that when larvae emerged as adult moths, either the males would be trapped before mating, or the females wouldn’t be able to get into the airtight food containers to lay their eggs.
It’s now about four months since I put out traps, and I haven’t trapped a moth in seven weeks. Dare I hope that they’re gone? I’m not taking any chances. Here’s what I continue to do:
• Cut off their food supply. Any newly purchased dry goods are stored in impermeable containers — after they’re frozen for four days to kill possible eggs or larvae.
• Use deterrents. Open envelopes with bay leaves, rosemary, and dried orange peels are on my shelves. The moths don’t like their smell or that of cloves, mint, lavender, thyme, and black pepper.
• Continue to use pheromone traps for a while, just in case there are still eggs or larvae that haven’t hatched.
Keeping a clean kitchen and pantry is not a guarantee against pantry moths. Take it from me: a single bag of infested food can cause a lot of work.
Sylivia returns the next week.
by Beth Finke
This is the sixth of a series of excerpts from Beth Finke’s Writing Out Loud Memoir of how she was approached and then started a number of Senior Memoir Writing Classes and helped give them voice to their stories.
“Sorry I had to miss class, but we were on vacation, visiting my daughter and ouir grandchildren. And just seeing them, especially my one granddaughter, she just reminds me so much of my daughter as a child, I wrote up a little something about her, and I can’t wait to read it for everybody.”
I start class by letting them know I’ve come up with a new ritual to solve the which-writer-goes-first problem. Each writer will close their eyes, fiddle through a zippered, woven cloth pouch the size of an iPhone, choose a Braille Scrabble tile, then ceremoniously pass the pouch to their neighbor. Whoever picks “A” reads their work aloud first, then “B,” and so on. Letters on the tiles appear in print as well as Braille. “If you learn to read Braille, “I tease, “you could cheat and pick the tile you want.”
I give her a cheerful, “Welcome back!” And I really mean it.
Fascination with the Braille on the tiles keeps the writers from getting miffed about who has chosen “A” and who got “X.” We don’t announce who will be the next one to read; the element of surprise keeps us all listening.
“I’m F!” Sylvia calls out after “E” finishes reading. I hear her shuffle her papers. Many papers.
Buoyed from the positive reaction to the Scrabble tiles, I stick my neck out and tell her about the Christopher Reeve radio essay she’d missed, and how, after the positive response that short radio essay had received, I’d decided to limit our word count to 500 words. “That’s five minutes of reading,” I say.
“I’m ready for her objections – I’ve researched this . Experts recommend people speak between 140 and 180 words a minute if they want to be understood clearly. Five minutes gives each reader plenty of time.
No comment from Sylvia. She just starts reading.
Our kitchen timer dings when five minutes are up. “Okay, you’ll have to end there.
“But I’m not done yet!”
“Remember our new rule?” My eyebrows are up. The other writers catch on.
“I’m G!” Minerva calls out. I love that woman. We all turn our attention to her, and Sylvia gives in.
After Minerva, Alice reads her essay about the day her family’s house burned. She was five years old. Her father was away at work, but her monther was home and carried her out to safety. Assured her daughter was safe, Alice’s mother went back in the house to save Alice’s baby brother. She never came back.
Alice ended up being raised by her father as an only child. She doesn’t shed a tear while reading her piece to us. “That was the first time I ever remember switching which bed I slept in,” she says. “Otherwise, I probably would have never written about that.”
1ONE COMMUNITY NEAR SOUTH
Upcoming: RSVP here: https://bit.ly/OneCSept2026 for our September 22 meeting to discuss public safety issues. Come at 6:00pm to order food & drinks; meeting starts 6:30pm at Victory Tap, 1416 S. Michigan Ave. Police District Council member Adrienne Johnson will join us; District 1 Commander Sheamus Mannion also invited. NEW DATE FOR FALL ALDER FORUM: 6:30-8:00pm, September 29 at Grace Place, 637 S. Dearborn; Alders Dowell (3rd), Robinson (4th), Lee (11th) and Conway (34th) are all confirmed. RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/AlderForum and please share the link with neighbors.
Hello neighbors!
We’re going to have a busy September, hope you’re ready for back-to-back meetings? Our September 22 meeting will be a deep dive into public safety issues, part of preparing for the Fall Alder Forum. Bring your questions on police-related matters as well as any other issues you’d like to discuss with our Alders.
The Alder Forum https://tinyurl.com/AlderForum is our twice-yearly opportunity to discuss issues impacting the Near South with four Alders who represent pieces of our gerrymandered community. It’s a rare opportunity to drive consensus around anything and everything, so start thinking now about your priority questions.
Hope you’ll save the dates and plan to attend both meetings!
September 22
https://tinyurl.com/AlderForum
To RSVP for the September 29 Alder Forum
AMTRAK RAIL YARD
Shout-out to Ald. Lee who has been pressuring Amtrak officials to meet with the community for open, comprehensive discussions of their plans for the Canal St. railyard. After an initial meeting, Ald. Lee asked to postpone the one scheduled for August 26 to a date when more representatives could be there, and when they would be better prepared to answer questions they weren’t able to address at an initial meeting last week. This is, of course, tied to the White Sox interest in acquiring this land for a new ballpark across the river from The 78. We’ll surely hear more about Ald. Lee’s position at our September 29 Forum. https://tinyurl.com/AlderForum
Marj & the
One Community Team
Alderman Lee. Photo: Charles Thrush/Block Club
Editor’s Letter: September 2026
BY BRIAN HIEGGELKE | September 2, 2026
As we were finalizing the September issue, I spent a week immersed in the art culture of the Twin Cities in preparation for a special section next summer. I met with artists, curators, gallerists, writers and other supporters of the local scene. A recurring topic was the way the community there had solidified through mutual support during the uprising in the wake of the George Floyd murder—many artists and gallerists live and work not far from the site of that heinous event—and this past winter’s ICE occupation, which resulted in the federal government murdering two U.S. citizens in broad daylight. In the face of all of this, the artistic community grew closer than ever.
While few American cities have suffered in recent years to the degree that the Twin Cities have, these times have inflicted a collective trauma across the country. And community is more important than ever. Each fall, the arts community comes together like no other time of the year, when the fruits of creative labor expended over many months, even years, are shared with the world.
Bestselling author Audrey Niffenegger, who also contributed this month’s cover image, says it took more than a decade to write the follow-up to “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” John Corbett, of Corbett vs. Dempsey, first told me about his quest to find the Pope.L tapes when we spoke at the Armory Show in New York City back in September of 2024.
The creative process unfolds over time in other ways as well, especially in the cumulative power of longevity. Multiple institutions are reaching milestones this fall and are celebrating in creative ways with all of us, including Bad at Sports, Ragdale and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, all featured in this edition.
There is so much to take in this fall, as reflected in this issue, which is typically our biggest of the year. As you read our stories and make your plans, take note, too, of the forty pages of advertisements reflecting the creative plans of nearly eighty organizations, as they expand the range of content we can share with you in our city of cultural abundance.
And when you set your September agenda, and find yourself in the theater or at the museum, you will be entertained and also enriched for an hour or few by the work that artists created over hours, years or a lifetime. But don’t overlook that you are in the company of a community, one of which you are a vital part.
—BRIAN HIEGGELKE
Look for Newcity’s September 2026 print edition at Chicago-area locations this week or subscribe to the print edition at Newcityshop.com.
IN THIS ISSUE
Fall Arts Preview 2026
When Pope.L Played in a Band
Resurrecting the late artist’s musical legacy
Motivations to Obey
Ginger Krebs brings “Protected By Invisible Fence” to the MCA
The Radical Care of Shaker Design
In a world where making, belief and community are deeply intertwined
Time Between Worlds
Audrey Niffenegger on her sequel to “The Time Traveler’s Wife”
The Dawn of a New Festival Era?
Brent Heyl on the city’s music landscape
Kokandy’s Musicals for Now
Chicago’s rising storefront company on the look of success
Plus six sets of can’t-miss fall events
Art 50 2026
Chicago’s visual vanguard AND
Poetry “For F”
A new poem by Laine Derr
And so much more…
Regan Burke
The Birth of the Modern Democratic Party
September 6, 2026
In the early Clinton for President campaign, I moved to Little Rock from my home in Chicago to work as Clinton’s campaign scheduler. I had plenty of campaign experience with upstart little-known candidates whose campaigns were short on funds. In other words, I had a knack for getting Bill and Hilary Clinton around the country utilizing volunteer drivers, advance people and discount event producers.
Despite rumors of Clinton’s womanizing in 1991, a lot of Democrats believed in him. When I told a political friend I was moving to Little Rock, he said “Good Luck!”, his acknowledgement of another bad life decision I was slinking into. As the campaign scheduler, I needed a big bench of nationwide advance people to create events. I knew plenty of former presidential campaign veterans who loved Bill and Hilary Clinton and others who were just happy to help. No one was in it for a potential White House job because no one actually believed he could win. Bill Clinton positioned himself as the underdog and we love underdogs, or at least we used to.
In early March 1992, James Carville directed me to schedule Clinton at the Stone Mountain Correctional Institution in Georgia, a boot camp for young male prisoners. He and the Clinton consultants, advisors and friends reasoned that a photo of Clinton strolling with black inmates and Southern white male politicians would cinch Clinton’s appeal to the state’s Reagan Democrats (white voters) and he’d win the Super Tuesday Georgia Primary.
I assigned an advance team for the hastily organized event. The lead member of the group called me a few hours after he’d arrived and had gotten the lay of the land.
I called Carville: “James, are you sure Stone Mountain is a good idea?” He assured me the bold move would boost our poll numbers.
The day after the event Carville called me: “This is not your fault,” he said in that red-hot Cajun voice of his, “I take full responsibility.” He was trying to take the fall. I knew right then the campaign staff on the road with Bill Clinton were blaming me for the debacle (I left the campaign soon after). And debacle it was. Bill Clinton’s New Democrat (conservative) campaign advisors were determined to make him the law-and-order candidate. The photo on the front page of every paper in the South helped Clinton win the Georgia Primary, but not without a price. The national press excoriated Clinton for his racial insensitivity.
Democratic candidate Jerry Brown (former governor of California) said, “Clinton and the other politicians looked like colonial masters trying to tell white voters ‘Don’t worry, we’ll keep them in their place.’”
I was reminded of Stone Mountain recently in reading an article by historian Jamar Tisby about a naive racial reconciliation attempt on Stone Mountain. Of course the Clinton campaign wasn’t attempting to reconcile the races—quite the opposite. They perpetrated racial divide in order to win .
And some of those same Democratic advisors, friends and consultants are still at it, running for office, advising others and pontificating.
Time & Location
Sep 12, 2026, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
865 S Park Terrace, Chicago, IL
About the event
Members Vendors: Free
Non-Members Vendors: $10 payable @ https://www.southloopneighbors.org/donate
Join as a Member: https://www.southloopneighbors.org/plans-pricing
SLN will have a donation table at the Yard Sale and will accept donations that morning until 10:00AM. SLN will sell donated items as a fundraiser and any unsold items will be donated to a local non-profit thrift store (not returned to the donor).
Spots are 1st come 1st serve. Most folks like to line up along the path going through the park or sidewalks around perimeter of park. SLN does not provide tables, but you are welcome to bring your own and many sellers use blankets on the grass to line items up if they don’t have tables.
Questions? email: [email protected]
Tickets
Condo Corner | October 1st | 7PM | Cafe Bionda
Going green without Breaking the Bank
Join your fellow neighbors and learn about free LEDs, new EV legislation, landscaping for a good cause and whether solar options are possible for condo owners. Email Diana to reserve your spot.
Page
Next CAPS Meeting 6pm
Nov 11 In-person
Roosevelt Collection
$405,000
