FOOD & DRINK

Best Naperville Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants in IL. We delve into three of the best Naperville Hole-in-the-Wall restaurants: Everdine’s Grilled Cheese Co., Nature’s Best Cafe, and Kogii Kogii Express. Naperville, Illinois, is home to a vibrant and diverse culinary scene, particularly when it comes to hidden gems. They are one of the best Hole-in-the-Wall restaurants in Naperville.

Two Midwest locations in Detroit and St. Louis are expected to open soon.

Gotskind’s Shoes and Clothing opened in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on the West Side in 1934. It eventually moved to Oak Park and then opened in Oakbrook Terrace and downtown Naperville, the only store that remains.

A pop of color and craft washed over the Water Street District in downtown Naperville on Sunday, July 14, with The post Water Street Fine Art & Fine Craft Fair adds “character” to Naperville appeared first on NCTV17.

As part of its annual Naper Nights Community Concert Series, Naper Settlement presents The Ultimate Garth Brooks Tribute on Friday, July 19, preceded by an homage to country music by the ever-popular Hillbilly Rockstarz. The Ultimate Garth Brooks Tribute featuring Shawn Gerhard is a high energy show out of Nashville,...

Catch the Imagine Dragons “LOOM” tour in Detroit and Chicago during August. Tickets available now for both lawn and standard seating at Pine Knob and Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre. Compare prices on Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub, and Ticketmaster. “Radioactive” stars Imagine Dragons just dropped their sixth and latest...

Little did Elvis know when he recorded that song how appropriate it would be for December 4, 1956, at Sun Record Studios in Memphis. The new Stolp Island Theatre in Aurora is presenting Million Dollar Quartet as its premiere production. Rock and roll pioneer Sam Phillips (Sam Pearson) started the studio in 1950. During the course of the day, Carl Perkins (Christopher Wren) had come into the studio to record some new material. Jerry Lee Lewis (Garrett Forrestal) was yet unknown and he was in the studio to play the piano on the Perkins session. Later in the afternoon, 21 year old Elvis Presley (Alex Swindle) stopped by to pay a casual visit. Elvis’ girlfriend, Dyanne (Madison Palmer), is along as well. She has a few solo numbers and joins in on the harmony. She holds her own against this million dollar group. As the Perkins session started, Elvis joined in. During the session, Johnny Cash (Bill Scott Sheets) arrived at the studio. The woman running things in the control booth is Marion (Haley Jane Schafer). She is in the booth the entire show until the end when the jam session is really going on. She sings some beautiful harmonies. This group of extraordinarily talented actors – they are also gifted musicians – entertained the audience in the new, intimate 98 seat Stolp Island Theatre for 2.5 hours. You are right there. You feel you are part of the show. Sam Phillips is the “narrator” if you will. He takes the audience through the story of that day plus all the other things these recording artists were going through. Lots of talk about RCA and Columbia record companies and contracts. He is a wonderful weaver of stories. For those who do not know, Carl Perkins wrote Blue Suede Shoes and he was not thrilled that Elvis sang it on the Sullivan show. He felt he should have been the one. The songs performed in this show are the ones that they actually sang on December 4. There was a studio engineer who had the sense to realize this session needed to be recorded. We should be very grateful he did. These were four of the best musicians and recording artists – all pioneers. It’s about time Sam Phillips gets some well deserved recognition. He created it. The music is classic rock and roll. You will sing, clap and cheer. Completely spontaneous. These performers bring Elvis, Carl, Johnny and Jerry Lee back to life. Jerry Lee was the last of this quartet. He passed in October of 2022. At the end of Sam’s telling of this once in a lifetime session, he brings out a camera and takes the very famous photo of the 4 of them around the piano. You do see it and hear the actual recording. It is an emotional moment. What might have been…

Happy Friday & welcome to the First Line Friday link-up! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line of Husband Auditions by Angela Ruth Strong! I LOVED this book (you can read my review here) and its hilarity, heart, faith, friendship, and super swooniliciousness. I am so excited that Angela will be at this year’s JustRead Rendezvous – an author/reader event that will take place in Downers Grove, Illinois, on Friday, November 15th. More details below – I’d love to see you there!

The Naperville Municipal Band Summer Concert Series continued at Central Park on Thursday, July 18, with a tribute of John Philip Sousa – Traveling the USA with SoUSA. The Naperville Municipal Band is led by Conductor and Music Director Emily Binder. Associate Director is Bill Jastrow. Concert goers enjoy the narrative of emcee Steve Lord.

Located in the serene suburb of Lisle, Illinois, The Morton Arboretum stands as a premier destination for nature lovers and garden enthusiasts. Spanning over 1,700 acres, this expansive botanical garden isn’t just a feast for the eyes with its lush landscapes and diverse plant collections. It also features massive,...