These messages from Chicago, where the Blues Fest just concluded in Grant Park.
Things at the Blues Fest would have been a whole lot better if there had not been a full-out thunderstorm around 1:30 P.M. This turned the grass to mud and it was definitely shades of Woodstock.
Still, the headliner at 8:15 p.m. on the main stage was B.B. King, who, I was told, had not played the Blues Fest for some years. We heard him and then mucked out way back to my place, with completely dirty shoes and feet.
The other fun thing I did recently in Chicago was to attend Avenue Q for the second time. The first time, I saw the New York cast at the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas.
This time, the lead male part in Chicago was actually better than the New York lead, and all the other performers were just as good. This is a great show: fun, insightful, and delightful.
I’ll be letting you all in on the Field Museum’s new exhibit about natural weather forces, which features experiencing what it is like to stand in the path of a tornado, from a camera experienced same. Other natural disasters are also explored. The George Washington Carver exhibit remains on view through some time in July, and it is well worth the price of admission.
I was struck at what a big debt Carver owes to the state and colleges of Iowa (he was admitted to Ames, Iowa State University, and he later taught there). I was disappointed at the dragons exhibit, but the kids seemed to like it.
Attended Printers Row on Saturday. It is the largest book publishing event in the Midwest. Likewise, the Blues Fest is the largest free blues fest in the United States.
Stay tuned for further bulletins on what the newest Field Museum exhibit about natural disasters is like.