We've moved our blog!

Back in October, we were excited to launch Andersonville's website redesign and rebranding!

We wanted to be a one stop shop for all things Andersonville - so we combined ALL of our partner websites (andersonvilledevcorp.org and eco-andersonville.org) into the NEW andersonville.org - this also includes an integrated blog, andersonville.org/blog. We hope that you'll find all of the information you need - from neighborhood news, to business resources, to environmental initiatives - in one easy place!

We'll be leaving All Things Andersonville as-is, so you can always refer back to our past content. Don't forget to update your bookmarks and feed readers to point to http://www.andersonville.org/blog/ for all the latest and greatest info.

See you at the new site!

Andersonville City Made Fest Beer Lineup!

Quite a few folks have been particularly excited about the 'local craft beer' aspect of our upcoming Andersonville City Made Fest (apparently it is popular!), so we wanted to give you a sneak peak of what we will be pouring this weekend.  It is a really great lineup for a diverse array of palettes.  Our quantities of some of these beers will be limited, so come and get them before we run out!

If you love beer so much that you would like to help us serve it, we are still looking for a few more beer booth volunteers for the weekend.  Click here to get more information and see the times that are still available.  

Okay, without further ado...the beers of the 1st annual Andersonville City Made Fest:  

4 PAWS BREWING - Edgewater (Sunday Only)

Brindle Amber Ale:  Brindle Amber Ale is a smooth drinking, well-balanced ale. Bring it to a BBQ or a dinner party; it goes well with pretty much everything.  5.5% ABV

Bitchin' Brown Ale:  Bitchin' Brown is 4 Paws' first collaboration beer! We brewed this beer with Hamburger Mary's to create an extremely local brew perfect for the City Made Fest! It is a malt forward brown ale with great fall roasty flavors.  5.5% ABV

ALE SYNDICATE - Logan Square

Sunday Session:  A mellow brew. Light, but deliciously hoppy, you can have a few and still remember the fun.  4.8% ABV

BEGYLE BREWING CO. - Ravenswood

Black Cherry Saison: Black Saison with Michigan Sour Cherries.  7.0%ABV

Calypso's Song:  Replicale Golden IPA with Single Malt.  6.4% ABV

FINCH’S BEER CO. - Mayfair

Threadless IPA : Our Threadless/Finch collaboration IPA is a balanced experience of both perceived hoppiness and true bitterness.  It pours a darker amber color and finishes with a citrus flavor.  The specialty grain bill includes Victory and Melanoidin malts which when combined this truly evolves in to a balanced IPA.  6.0% ABV

Secret Stache Stout: Secret Stache Stout is a robust stout.  The specialty ingredients, vanilla bean and lactose, lend to its complexity and full flavor.  While no actual chocolate was used to brew this beer, heaps of chocolate malt give the beer its color as well as its chocolate and coffee notes.  5.3% ABV

HAMBURGER MARY’S BREWPUB - Andersonville

Speakeasy Saison:  Belgian Farmhouse Ale with soft floral and caramel notes, and mild fruity finish. Brewed with Belgian candi sugar, oats, wheat and specialty malts from Belgium. 6.4% ABV

LAGUNITAS BREWINGCOMPANY - California, soon to be Douglas Park

We know, we know - Lagunitas is technically not 'City Made' yet.  But they are opening their brewery and tasting room this fall, and were so excited about the event and getting out and meeting beer-loving Chicagoans, we decided to let them in our festival.

IPA:  A sessionable all-day IPA.  A bit of Caramel Malt barley provides the richness that mellows out the acidity of the hops.  6.2% ABV

Fusion 16:  An ale brewed to be light, crisp, and easy to slam. A true hydraulic refresher on a hot day... or any day! 4.8% ABV

Little Sumpin' Sumpin':  A truly unique style featuring a strong hop finish on a silky body.  A filtered hoppy wheat beer that is great for both IPA and Hefeweizen fans. 7.5% ABV

Little Sumpin' Wild:   A Higher-Gravity seasonal version of the year-round Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale --it's made with Westmalle Trappist yeast that creates those curious phenolic off-flavors that are becoming all the rage. 8.8% ABV

LAKE EFFECT BREWING - Old Irving Park

Lake Effect Snow Wit Bier: Our twist on this classic Belgian style lies in the marriage of Midwest wheat with European hops. This ale is naturally cloudy and creamy yet surprisingly light bodied. A hint of citrus will welcome you to this brew while your finish will be crisp with a slightly spicy zing.  5.2% ABV

Cruisin for a Brewsin Belgian Style IPA:  Spicy Belgian phenolics blend harmoniously with citrusy American Centennial and Cascade hops to give this beer a smooth yet complex flavor. Enjoy the dark golden color and spicy hop aroma of this unfiltered ale. This ale finishes dry giving it a crisp and assertive hop finish. 7.5% ABV

METROPOLITAN BREWING - Andersonville

Flywheel Bright Lager:  Flywheel is our malt-heavy Pilsner. We like to call it a Chicago-style Lager. The kinetic beauty of aromatic hops grabs you by the nose and proclaims: this is German-inspired beer.  5.0% ABV

OFF COLOR BREWING - Logan Square

Troublesome:  A Blended Wheat Beer. A blend of two different beers; the first is a somewhat uninteresting wheat beer and the second is an overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus. Blended with coriander and salt at the tail end of fermentation to create a mild, lemony tartness and a fuller sensation of mouthfeel.  4.5% ABV

Scurry:  A Dark Honey Ale. This surprisingly dry beer retains all the aroma and nuance of honey (from bees) and molasses (not from bees) creating a perception of sweetness through cool, controlled fermentation.  5.3% ABV

REVOLUTION BREWING - Logan Square

Anti-Hero IPA:  An American hop assault that features a four hop blend, which creates a crisp bitterness and imparts massive floral and citrus aromas.  6.5% ABV

Bottom Up Wit: Belgian-style witbier brewed with coriander and orange peel.  5% ABV

A Little Crazy: Belgian-style pale ale dry hopped with Cascade and Citra hops to drive home the aroma of fresh citrus rind.  6.8% ABV

Deth's Tar (6 oz):  A play on Chairman of the Party Josh Deth’s name, this Russian imperial stout is aged in four different types of bourbon barrels, then blended for the resulting thick and dark brew.  11.4% ABV

Can't wait to see everyone out and about this weekend - thank you so much for your energy and excitement!

Andersonville City Made Fest - Meet Our Vendors!

Chicago flag earrings by Something Beautiful

In addition to having a fabulous lineup of Chicago-based musicians and Chicago craft beer, our inaugural Andersonville City Made Fest will also feature a diverse marketplace of artists and small producers creating their work right in the city of Chicago!  We are really excited about this group; most have never done Midsommarfest so this will be their first taste of the awesome Andersonville street festival environment.

First, a HUGE thank you to our fantastic sponsors.  The SoFo Tap has been holding down the fort south of Foster for years now, and they are so excited about bringing this new event to their neck of the woods. Andersonville Wine & Spirits has been a mainstay on the corner of Foster & Clark, and they carry many of the local brewers being featured at City Made Fest.  I-Go Car Sharing is truly homegrown and has been helping Chicago residents go car-less for years and they will be at the festival with great deals for new members.  Crew Bar & Grill is getting ready to undergo a major face lift, and they invite you to become a Beer God and sample their huge selection of great brew.  And, of course, our two sponsors who will be serving their delicious product at City Made Fest - Revolution Brewing and Lagunitas Brewing Co.

And now for our other vendors, after the break.

Andersonville City Made Fest - Beer & Band Line Up!

Our first ever Andersonville City Made Fest will take place Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22 on Clark Street between Argyle & Carmen.  Featuring an array of Chicago-based musicians, brewers and artisans, this new festival is a celebration of all of the great stuff being made right here in our city. There has been a lot of buzz around this new event, and we are working hard to build a strong foundation for another outstanding Andersonville event to continue on in the future.

I know many people are excited about our line-up of local beer and Chicago musicians, and frankly so are we!  Our stage line-up features a small sampling of a diverse array of genres that make up the (much, MUCH) larger Chicago music scene - folk, blues, indie rock, hip hop, world, latin - and will be a great chance to see established performers and discover new and up-and-coming talent.

Andersonville City Made Fest Stage Schedule (look ma, no cover bands!)

Saturday, September 21

12:00 pm Stephen Leonard

1:30 pm Canasta

3:30 pm Furious Frank

5:15 pm Psalm One and Sexy Decoy (coincidentally will be on Chicago Tonight on WTTW this evening - 8/29/13 - to discuss her work and a PBS documentary.  Read more here).

7:00 pm Funkadesi

Sunday, September 22

12:00 pm Emily Hurd

1:45 pm Mol-K

3:30 pm Cameron McGill

5:15 pm Lurrie Bell

7:30 pm Sidewalk Chalk

And now...the BEER!  In the past few years the Chicago craft beer scene has exploded with dozens of new breweries opening all over the city.  The beauty of City Made Fest is it will feature craft brews from the larger operations but also from some of the smaller producers who have opened recently (some right in Andersonville's backyard) and are busy gaining new fans. We are also happy to welcome a brewery that is making a very big splash by opening a huge new facility in Chicago this fall!  We are pleased to feature at City Made Fest:

Revolution Brewing
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Metropolitan Brewery
Finch's Beer Co.
Off Color Brewing
Begyle Brewing
Hamburger Mary's Brew Pub
4Paws Brewing
Ale Syndicate
Lake Effect Brewing

We will have a lot more updates coming your way in the next few weeks as we prepare for this first time event.  Thank you for all of the excitement Andersonville - we know it is going to be amazing!

Andersonville City Made Fest is a fundraiser for the Andersonville Development Corporation (ADC), a 501(c)3 non-profit community organization.  To read more about ADC, visit their website. 

2013 Midsommarfest Photos - All In One Place!

This week I went through probably 1500 photographs from Midsommarfest weekend, and picked out some of my favorites to put in albums on Facebook.  Links to the five albums I created are below (you don't need to be on Facebook to view them), so please share with your friends and tag anyone you know!

2013 MIDSOMMARFEST PHOTOS

FRIDAY NIGHT

SATURDAY MORNING (Opening Ceremony & Maypole Dance)

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

DOGS! DOGS! DOGS!

A huge thanks to Starbelly Studios Photography for all of these great shots.  If you need a photographer for an event, seriously, check him out.  He is in the neighborhood, great to work with, and takes photography very, VERY seriously!

Andersonville's Third Thursdays - starting June 20th!

Don't be sad that the Farmer's Market isn't back for another week!  Thursday night is also a fun night to hang out in Andersonville, and this week it is going to be even better.

This Thursday, June 20th from 5:00-8:00 pm, join over 30 Andersonville businesses for the neighborhood's  first ever Third Thursday event.  They will be offering special treats and deals that evening, making it a great night to hang out in Andersonville and get a jump start on another fun Chicago weekend!

Participants this month include:  Andersonville Guest House, Bucky Gear, Ceres' Table, City Olive, The Coffee Studio, Edgewater Historical Society, Fireside Restaurant, Found Vintage Living, FOURSIDED, Good Deal Garage, Green Genes, GreenSky, Hamburger Mary's, The Haymaker Shop, Jameson Loves Danger, Lake Shore Schools, Milk Handmade, Mr. & Mrs. Digz, Notice, Painted Light Photography & Framing Gallery, Presence, The Red Balloon, Room Service, Roost, Scout, SHE ART Chicago, Simon's Tavern, Swedish American Museum, , Toujours Spa & Salon, Turley Road, Urban Mischief, Vincent, White Attic, Women & Children First, and Woolly Mammoth.

Visit our Facebook invite, RSVP, and check out the latest deals that are being offered tomorrow night!

Mark your calendar for two more Third Thursday events on July 18 and August 15.

Things to love about Midsommarfest 2013: Beer sales support great local organizations

If you were looking for a reason to grab another beer at one of our Andersonville Community Beer Booths (located at Catalpa, Balmoral, and Berwyn), look no further:

Each time you buy a beer at Midsommarfest, you can help support schools and other great organizations in our neighborhood!  The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce is donating a portion of our beer proceeds to these local organizations: Friends of Peirce Elementary, Friends of Trumbull Elementary* and the Swedish American Museum.

Each of these organizations are providing volunteers (parents, staff, and other friends) to staff the beer booths during the weekend.** So, step right up to the beer booths at Catalpa, Balmoral & Berwyn, give your friendly beer booth volunteer a high-five and tell them you'll have another one for the kids & community!

*Yes, Trumbull Elementary is closing, however the dedicated group of parents and staff behind Friends of Trumbull are still looking to raise money to support educational efforts in the community. 

**Just so you know, there is no child labor involved - what were you thinking?

Things to love about Midsommarfest 2013: FREE family fun

Everyone knows that Midsommarfest is a great place to have a cold beer and listen to great music, but there is also LOTS for families with kids to do during the day, thanks to the Family Fun Area, sponsored by Alamo Shoes.

Open from 11:00am-5:00pm on Saturday and Sunday, the Family Fun Area will feature:

• Scale the always-popular inflatable climbing wall 
• Get in the fast lane with our 22' inflatable slide
• Crafts and theatre games with Dream Big Performing Arts
• Face painting by College Nannies & Tutors
• Chicago's Bicycling Ambassadors
• Crafts and games with an international flair exploring other cultures with Little Linguists Academy (Saturday only)  
• Activities with Design Dance (Sunday only)
• Toys Et Cetera featuring craft activities, in addition to their kid's talent show!      

As always, ALL activities in the Family Fun Area are FREE! And, don't forget, admission to the festival for kids 12 and under is also FREE.

In addition to the Family Fun Area, the Summerdale Stage (at Clark and Summerdale) features a great line-up of entertainment that kids of all ages are sure to love! The Summerdale Stage is sponsored by Lake Shore Schools.

SATURDAY, JUNE 8

11:00 AM     Mad Science

12:00 PM     Ruff n' Stuff Pet Parade (stop by store to enter!)

1:00 PM       Trowbridge Guitar Studio

2:00 PM       Dream Big Performing Arts

2:30 PM       Little Linguists

3:00 PM       Raisin Rhyme

4:00 PM       LiveWire

5:00 PM       The Revelettes - Chicago's grooviest go-go gals

SUNDAY, JUNE 9

11:00 AM     Radio Disney

12:00 PM    Andersonville Suzuki

1:00 PM      Goodman Theatre's The Jungle Book

2:00 PM      Toys Et Cetera Kids Talent Show

3:00 PM      Dream Big Performing Arts

3:30 PM  Design Dance

4:00 PM      Laura Doherty

AND, that's not all!

The Swedish American Museum & Brunk Children's Museum of Immigration will also be offering FREE admission during Midsommarfest weekend (Saturday & Sunday, 11:00am-4:00pm), as well as children's activities in front of the museum during the day. 

Things to love about Midsommarfest 2013: Get a free beer for shopping local

Have you had your eye on that cute shirt for a while? Are you thinking about booking a massage to relieve some stress? Midsommarfest 2013 is the perfect time to treat yourself!

Again this year: If you SPEND $30 at any locally-owned Andersonville retail location or service provider (from a haircut to dry cleaning to dog grooming and more!) during Midsommarfest weekend (June 7, 8, & 9), bring your receipt to the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce booth and get a coupon for a FREE BEER during the festival.

Once again, you can help support the businesses in the neighborhood that are sometimes overlooked during the festival (c'mon...we KNOW you patronize the bars and restaurants). So, go ahead and check out that new shop that you've seen on the street, FINALLY take that bag of clothes to the dry cleaner, or get your dog (or yourself) looking pretty for strolling through the festival!

The small print: Valid for purchases of at least $30 Friday, June 7 - Sunday, June 9. Store or service provider must be locally-owned and located in the Andersonville retail district (Ainslie-Victoria, Magnolia-Ravenswood). Purchases at bars, restaurants and outdoor Midsommarfest vendors are excluded from this promotion. One beer coupon per person. The Chamber booth is located at Clark and Rascher on June 7 and at Clark & Berwyn on June 8 & 9. You must be 21 years of age or older with a valid photo ID to receive this promotion.

Want to know more about Midsommarfest? Click here!

The Midsommarfest 2013 Stage Line Up Is Here!

It is hard to believe, but in just five short weeks we will be kicking off the neighborhood's favorite weekend of the year, our 48th annual Andersonville Midsommarfest!  

WHAT IS MIDSOMMARFEST ALL ABOUT?
Midsommarfest is the time of year when Andersonville comes together to celebrate our vibrant, friendly and diverse neighborhood.  It is also the main fundraiser for the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce and the Andersonville Development Corporation, who work with our renowned locally-owned business community. Much of what you see throughout the year, from our Farmer's Market and Neighborhood Guide to the streetscape recycling bins and the new bike corrals, have originated from our office.  Most of these initiatives have been started in the past 10 years, and almost none of it would have happened without the incredible growth of Midsommarfest and the support of people like you.

But as always, there is more work to be done, and we need your help to ensure a strong Andersonville.  This year, we are asking for a $10 donation at the entrance gates.  We hope you will consider donating, and view it as a small investment in a great neighborhood!

AND NOW FOR THE MUSIC...

This year we are thrilled to feature entertainment on all five stages for the entire weekend!  We have Swedish entertainment (including, for the first time, the premier ABBA cover band ABBA Salute on Saturday night!), kids entertainment, up-and-coming local acts, long time festival favorites, Chicago singer-songwriters, a few DJs, crowd favorites the Chicago Spirit Brigade and the Windy City Cowboys - the list goes on and on.  And speaking the list, the full line up of the 2013 Andersonville Midsommarfest stage schedule is after the jump!

Congratulations To Our Andersonville Honors Award Winners!

It was a wonderful evening last night at the Swedish American Museum for our 2nd Annual Andersonville Honors Gala!  Wonderful food, delicious wine and (local!) beer, terrific music and just all around Andersonville good vibes.  Below are the winners in each category, congratulations to them and to each of our nominated businesses.  Andersonville is lucky to have you all!

The crowd warms up for the awards ceremony with some beer from Andersonville's own Metropolitan Brewery.

40th Ward Alderman Patrick O'Connor presents the Kurt Mathiasson Award to Dennis Stanton.  Dennis was accepting the award on behalf of his mother Marlies Stanton, the owner of the Swedish Bakery since 1979.  She will be honored again on Saturday, June 8 during the Midsommarfest opening ceremony.

Alma Gutierrez of Cassona accepts the Eco-Andersonville Award from 48th Ward Alderman  Harry Osterman.

Cheetah Gym owner Reza Toulabi and manager Angie Frank accept the Service Organization of the Year Award from 40th Ward Alderman Patrick O'Connor.

48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman presents First Slice Pie Cafe with the Welcome Addition Award for the best new business to open in Andersonville in 2012.

Hamburger Mary's owners Brandon & Ashley Wright were genuinely surprised and humbled to win the Good Neighbor Award!

In addition to winning the Retailer of the Year Award, In Fine Spirits also won the Audience Favorite Award at last nights event and the $250 cash prize from Bridgeview Bank!

And last but certainly not least, we were so thrilled to give the Swedish American Museum, our host for the evening , the award for Arts Organization of the Year.  As Executive Director Karin Abercrombie said last night, the Museum is proud to "keep a little bit of Swedish" in Andersonville.

The Restaurant/Bar of the Year Award went to Lady Gregory's, who was unable to attend last night's event.

Congratulation again to all of our winners and nominees, and thank you for helping to make Andersonville such a wonderful place.

And thank you to Timmy Samuel of Starbelly Studios Photography for the amazing event photos from last night.  Seriously, if you need a photographer, hire him!

Andersonville Loves Trumbull Day: April 4, 2013

Trumbull School: part of Andersonville's National Historic District!

On Thursday, April 4, 2013, from 3PM – 5:30PM, Andersonville businesses will partner with parents and teachers in “Andersonville Loves Trumbull” Day, an initiative to demonstrate the importance of Trumbull Elementary School to the neighborhood. Trumbull is one of the fifty-three schools slated to be closed by Chicago Public Schools at the end of August.

During “Andersonville Loves Trumbull” Day, Trumbull parents, teachers, and friends will patronize local Andersonville businesses en masse to show mutual support for the community and demonstrate the economic impact that the school has on the neighborhood. Along with business owners, they will distribute materials explaining why Trumbull should remain open and how Andersonville constituents can advocate for it.

As the neighborhood chamber of commerce and development corporation, we believe that walk-able, quality schools are an essential element of strong communities. For our commercial district, Trumbull has been an important economic driver for over 100 years, serving our residents and employees and providing customers for our businesses. The building itself is one of the most significant structures in our Andersonville National Historic District. 

Recently, new leadership in the school’s parent-based Local School Council (LSC) has put Trumbull on a strong swing upwards. With a new principal, and thousands of dollars of improvements already invested, Trumbull is well on its way up. 

Trumbull Local School Council member Ali Burke tells us that by CPS' own standards, Trumbull should not be on the list for closure. CPS committed to not close schools that had 80% or greater occupancy. Trumbull’s highly-regarded special education program necessitates that the school have smaller class sizes. When determining Trumbull’s occupancy percentage, CPS deemed it to have lower than 80% occupancy, which is incorrect if the special education standards are applied. The Trumbull LSC fact sheet has more details. 

Below are other reasons why we think Trumbull is important. If you think so too, you can contact your local alderman and  CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett (bbyrd-bennett@cps.edu, 773.553.1500) to tell them to keep Trumbull open.

You can also download a window sign and an information sheet about Trumbull's impact on our local businesses.

Why Trumbull School is important for the Andersonville commercial district: 

Customers. Teachers and parents who work in and visit Andersonville make up a substantial consumer base for area retailers and restaurants. Trumbull serves a population with diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds who in turn are customers and employees of Andersonville businesses and help create a stable residential district.

Strong schools, strong neighborhood. Walk-able, quality schools are an essential element of strong communities. With the turnaround of Peirce School on Bryn Mawr, we have seen the substantial positive impacts of an excellent public school on local property values and community well-being. Trumbull is right in the middle of such a turnaround, with a new, parent-based, highly engaged local school council, a new principal, and thousands of dollars of improvements already invested. Trumbull is well on its way up.

Community cornerstone. The school building could prove a blight if left vacant, as many previously shuttered CPS school buildings currently remain. Such a closure may attract loitering and unwelcome activity and may decrease area property values. Already, the long-vacant Edgewater Medical Center has weighed on the community.

Historic significance. The Trumbull School building is one of the most historically significant structures in our Andersonville Historic District, designed by famed architect Dwight Perkins. It is gorgeous inside and out. It should be maintained, and maintained as a school.