Kate Rockwood - Time Out Chicago

Out of the Past

katerock — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:43:47 -0400

December 7, 1941, may be a date that has lived in infamy, but for many Japanese-Americans it’s no more important than February 19, 1942. On that day President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, forcibly relocating 120,000 Japanese immigrants and their American-born children to internment camps in remote parts of interior states like Idaho and Arkansas...

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Originally published March 8, 2007, Time Out Chicago

Out of the Ashes

katerock — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:00:16 -0400

For years, artist Dan Peterman had labored to make something of the building at 6100 South Blackstone Avenue. In the mid-’80s, he joined a group that ran different ventures at the site, including arts studios and a recycling center. But he saw that the structure—which took up about a quarter of a city block—was falling into a state of disrepair: “It was in need of some serious attention,” he says. So, in the mid-1990s, Peterman began the process of buying the building and clearing out the recycling detritus that filled it...

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Originally published October 12, 2006, Time Out Chicago

Cats on Parade

katerock — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:43:48 -0500

As mind-boggling as it is to watch Marusya the cat do a “paw-stand” on the palm of the Moscow Cats Theatre’s ringleader, Yuri Kuklachev, the showstopper has got some stiff competition from the troupe’s 120 cats and four dogs. Ksusha, a tan and brown cat, performs a “tightrope” routine by hooking his front arms over two parallel poles and pulling himself along; Kat travels along the poles by balancing atop a massive, moving disco ball; Lastachka rides a miniature bicycle; while Tamara sits atop a rocking horse, holding the reins with its front paws...

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Originally published December 14, 2006, Time Out Chicago

Dear Second City...

katerock — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 11:53:18 -0500

Ever wonder where Dear Santa letters go? The roughly 17,000 mailed in Chicago end up at the post office, where they sit until, with a little luck, a Secret Santa comes along to deliver the goods. For five years, Heather Winna has sifted through piles of letters to select 12 to answer with the money raised from the Second City That Never Sleeps: Letters to Santa. The 24-hour annual event—which features some of the best improv acts in the city, along with music from the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Robbie Fulks, Shellac, Jon Langford and the Blisters—raised nearly $55,000 last year...

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Originally published December 7, 2006, Time Out Chicago

Too Wee, or Not Too Wee?

katerock — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:45:34 -0400

Dov Weinstein makes his decision to perform Shakespeare using tiny figurines from quarter vending machines seem perfectly logical. “I saw them on the streets of New York, and they’re such great little guys and I thought, Nobody’s really using these to do classical theater; something needs to be done about that,” says Weinstein, who has studied puppetry and Shakespeare...

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Originally published October 5, 2006, Time Out Chicago

How Slow Can They Go?

katerock — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 17:30:20 -0400

Generally speaking, watching a bunch of kids scream at the top of their lungs isn’t our idea of a good time. But film it, trim it to a neat 60 seconds, and play it in slow motion, and there is something fascinating about watching those cute little faces belt out long, deep animal wails...

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Originally published September 21, 2006, Time Out Chicago

Your Knit Parade

katerock — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 01:28:25 -0400

"I used to be shy about knitting in public. But now I'm like, Why not? People do plenty of weirder things when they're out in public," says Jamie Henderson, a knitting instructor and active member of Chicago's Stitch 'n' Bitch group...

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Originally published June 8, 2006, Time Out Chicago magazine

Thirty Years in the Heartland

katerock — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 01:35:52 -0400

If you’ve got even an ounce of granola about you, odds are you’ve eaten at the Heartland Cafe (7000 N Glenwood Ave, 773-465-8005), a health-focused restaurant that’s known as “the heart of Rogers Park” to regular patrons. Opened in 1976 by Michael James and Katy Hogan, both teachers and political activists, Heartland Café has expanded over the years...

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Originally published August 10, 2006, Time Out Chicago magazine