Welcome to autumn and all of its gorgeous chill! Even though many of us are still trying to observe a measure of caution while socializing and traveling through public spaces, the world keeps turning and there’s a bevy of events and exhibitions scheduled for the coming weeks. One way to feel good about going out is making sure that you’re taking health precautions as you need to, and one path to health is getting tested for the presence of COVID-19. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his 1963 book Strength to Love, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Take care of yourselves so you can enjoy the falling leaves and sweater weather to the fullest.
Two main organizations are offering free mouth-swab testing to Chicago residents: you can schedule a drive-up or walk-up test with Curative or Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE). Both offer results by email and I’ve been told the process at many of the locations is pretty quick. In and out and then you can head back to your backyard and enjoy yelling at your family some more!
Look at and listen:
- Bandcamp Day has become a semi-regular event as the digital retailer spends those Fridays passing along their cut of revenue made from digital music sales back to the musicians that use their services. My colleague Leor Galil has written about this several times since it started in March, and compiles links to records available for purchase on Bandcamp that the Reader has reviewed. A bunch of great listens in these articles!
- I just discovered that my Chicago Public Library branch offers fishing poles to borrow (it’s near a lagoon that the Park District keeps stocked with fish). Here’s a 1990 article about Sherman Park’s history.
Events coming up:
- Sat 10/3, 3 PM: 6018North and Homeroom Chicago co-present their annual Water Music procession and outdoor experimental music and jazz event, this year ending with a socially distanced concert on the rocks near Bryn Mawr and the lake. It’s free to attend, but registration is requested so the organizers can keep an eye on head count.
- Sun 10/4, 11 AM-5 PM: Stop by Logan Square’s Comfort Station to shop and listen to music at the fifth annual ZINEmercado, a festival of zines and other self-made publications.
- Through 11/22 with special events Mon 10/5 and Tue 10/6: Visual artist Jenny Holzer presents a new text-based public artwork, You Be My Ally, commissioned by the University of Chicago. In addition to projections on some of the university’s Hyde Park campus buildings (viewable by downloading an augmented reality app), two trucks with LED messages from Holzer will be driving through campus, other neighborhoods on the south side, and downtown on Monday and Tuesday.
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