“When we go to a skate park, we take up space, and then all of a sudden you don’t see a bunch of guys trying to tell you to move out the way, ’cause we’re the majority now,” says Lid Madrid. “And we’re taking up space, and just changing the way that skate parks traditionally look. Because when our community comes in, you have BIPOC skaters, you have trans skaters, you have gender-nonconforming skaters. It’s, like, unreal.”

Madrid is one of the cofounders of OnWord Skate Collective, a local skate crew that welcomes skaters of all ages and all abilities, prioritizing women, trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people, and anyone else who identifies as LGBTQ+. 

When OnWord hosts a meetup, they start with introductions, pronouns, and positive affirmations. Skaters go around the circle and say things like, “I am enough.” “I’m a badass.” “I will bring authenticity and love into everything that I do.” It creates a sense of safety and community for those not typically welcome at skate parks.

OnWord was founded in January 2021. In typical pandemic fashion, it began over Zoom, with big ideas spoken through screens and a thrilling sense of potential. Madrid and cofounders Bridget Johnson, T Smith, Cath Hodge, and Deb Hwang received a grant from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) to build a DIY skate park. Madrid, then an architecture student, took the lead on designing individual elements like custom beginner-friendly ramps and rails, and then fabricated the parts in SAIC’s wood shop. OnWord participants swapped power-tool tips as well as skate tricks, and they constructed their own skate park. 

They called the project OnSite, and it was the perfect outlet to experiment with skateboarding, inclusive design, and community-building. The first day they built it, and the second day they skated it. Filmmaker Johnson documented the experience on camera, saving Zoom recordings and conducting in-person interviews along the way for a short film.

DuWayne Padilla for Chicago Reader

OnSite was a success, and so was the short that came out of it. The original Breaking the Barrier is full of interviews and action shots of OnWord skaters building the park and skating together; there are young skaters in elbow pads and knee pads, pronoun stickers and top-surgery scars, and an overwhelming amount of queer joy. After a sold-out showing at the Martin, an artist-first event space in West Town, the movie won best documentary short at the Music Box Theatre as part of Premiere, DePaul’s film festival.

But the OnWord crew were far from finished. OnSite and the short film seamlessly paved the way for more changes in the skating world—and for a much bigger film.

“This [SAIC] grant really just allowed us to turn one singular project and one singular event into an entire collective,” Madrid says. They skate together, sure, but in Madrid’s own words, OnWord is first and foremost a community. “It’s a space for skaters—the community of skaters that we have—to share resources, to learn from each other, and also to just hang out and have a good time, and feel included in a skate park.” 

It’s often difficult for nontraditional skaters—anyone who isn’t a white, cisgender, straight man—to find role models and feel welcome in skateboarding. Like some of the OnWord founders, I picked up skating during the pandemic. I live in Uptown near Wilson Skate Park, but I’ve only ventured over a handful of times, and only at non-peak hours. As a queer female and a beginner, I find myself sticking to the adjacent parking lot instead of braving the park itself, feeling a strong sense of unworthiness. And I’ve been lucky—most of the Wilson skaters seem to ignore me, but some women experience direct harassment or inappropriate behavior surrounded by so much toxic masculinity. 

That harassment and the accompanying senses of isolation and unworthiness are exactly what the founders of OnWord want to eliminate.

The OnWord crew host skate meetups and teach lessons; they utilize Madrid’s skills in architecture to teach skate park building and construction; they’re big on skill-swaps, where roller skaters and skateboarders switch wheels and help each other learn; and they also organize events like clothing drives, social hangouts, and town hall conversations.

This work and the relationship-building with OnWord skaters helped Johnson realize that there was potential to turn Breaking the Barrier into a full-length film. It will be the first feature film to come out of her company Dare to Dream Productions, which seeks to tell authentic and positive queer stories with inclusive practices. Like the short film, the documentary will explore identity, equality, and community through interviews with OnWord founders and participants. 

Johnson speaks with such admiration for the OnWord members turned interviewees. “I love just seeing the joy in people’s lives that OnWord has brought to them,” she says. “How they look forward to our meetups on the weekends, and how we’ve kind of become like a family that’s not just about skateboarding.”

Breaking the Barrier will also highlight accessibility, with a broad focus on the south and west sides.

“I think something that we like to keep in mind is that the type of spaces that we wanna create don’t have all that much impact if the people we’re tryna reach can’t get to it,” says Smith, one of the founders. “So it’s been super important for us to be mobile, especially in a place like Chicago where it’s super segregated, where a lot of people don’t even necessarily feel comfortable going to certain areas just because it’s unfamiliar to them, or they don’t have a car to get there, or they might have to leave the event at night.”

Chicago has plenty of LGBTQ+ community resources, but they’re disproportionately on the north side. “Then, everybody else is kinda just left out,” says Smith. “Even if you can get there, in terms of transportation, I think having something centered on the north side sends a certain type of message to various communities.”

And they’re correct—the city doesn’t have any skate parks south of 31st Street, and most of the well-known skate shops like Uprise or Wilson Yards, for example, are on the north side, which means that huge portions of Chicago don’t have access to skating resources and spaces. Burnham Skate Park on 31st is one of the only parks not located up north. “Burnham was not even built or designed by skaters,” Madrid says. “The people who made that were, like, a sidewalk company. So there are ginormous holes in the skate park where your wheels can get caught. And that’s so unfair, you know what I mean?”

DuWayne Padilla for Chicago Reader

OnWord wants to get funding for a truck, large enough that they can transport their mobile skate park anywhere. (For now, it lives in Madrid’s garage.) They also want to transport their film. After the festival circuit, OnWord wants to bring Breaking the Barrier to Chicago public schools and local LGBTQ+ groups. They plan to screen the film and offer Q&A sessions, host interactive skate workshops, and create safe, open spaces for young queer people to talk about identity and belonging. 

It will also be a full-circle moment for Johnson as a filmmaker. “Creating my first feature film has always been my dream since I was 12,” says Johnson. “I’ve met some beautiful souls during this journey so far, and I’m looking forward to meeting more, especially getting the opportunity to showcase the film at schools. I can’t wait to go back to my old elementary school and see my old teachers who encouraged me to follow my dreams.”

On paper, Breaking the Barrier’s target audience generally includes teenagers to 30-somethings, the skateboarding community, and Chicagoans, given its rootedness in the city’s people and physical spaces. However, that’s another barrier the filmmakers want to break.

“We’re hoping to connect to a bigger audience,” Johnson notes. “Because it’s not just about skateboarding, but finding a safe space and what community means to a variety of different people in Chicago.”

“I want everybody to see it,” Smith adds. “I want everybody to hear it.” 

They continue, “When I talk about OnWord and what we do and why we exist, I always say: If you were to have a conversation with someone and ask them to picture a skater, they’re probably not gonna picture most of the people that show up to our events. So we wanna challenge that, we wanna go beyond that norm, we wanna break that stereotype of having a certain image when you think of a skater. Literally anybody can skate! And anybody does skate, right?”

And that’s the deal—anybody is welcome at OnWord. Breaking the Barrier will be a reflection of that inclusivity, and an example of the power of films made by queer people, of queer people, for queer people.

When Johnson was first discovering her sexuality, she leaned on her love of film. Like many people, however, she felt overwhelmed with queer media depicting tragic endings, breakups, and often death. Johnson knew that Breaking the Barrier should be feel-good and inspiring instead. 

“Maybe skateboarding is not for everyone, but there’s always something that you’ve always wanted to do, and hopefully this film empowers people to wanna actually pursue that,” she says. “We want to be the representation and role models we never had growing up.”

DuWayne Padilla for Chicago Reader

While audiences will eventually see the accomplishments of OnWord in front of the camera, the filmmakers also want to ensure that they’re approaching the work behind the scenes with similar intention. The film industry is known for grueling hours, low pay, and even hazardous working conditions, but OnWord’s collaborative DIY approach and commitment to working with diverse local filmmakers will combat this.

“It’s very toxic, how some film crews are run, and how you’re working 14-16 hours without very many breaks,” Johnson says. “And so what we’re trying to do is work less hours and also have more positivity on set.”

Through a mix of school connections and social media, OnWord has created a film crew made up of women and LGBTQ+ Chicagoans, most of whom are also skaters and share a passion for OnWord’s mission in the skate community.

OnWord’s last barrier? The funding. Lucia Agajanian is currently signed on as a producer for Breaking the Barrier. The team has an Indiegogo campaign set up to raise money for production, and they’ve been applying for grants and pitching the idea to get other producers on board. They’re hoping to carry the momentum of the short film and make some headway on funding this summer, all while keeping up with their usual programming.

OnWord will host OnSite 2.0 on August 6, 7, and 8, and have a chance not only to build a new DIY skate park, but also to conduct more interviews and really flesh out the documentary. The finished Breaking the Barrier will go all the way back to those early Zoom calls between the cofounders, ending with this product of their tremendous efforts.

“The film will really start with the origins of OnWord, and then [go] to wherever we end up,” Johnson says. “Like I think that’s the beauty of it—we’re kinda just following our skaters and seeing where life takes them.”

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

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Camae Ayewa, aka Moor Mother, has always been one to cite her sources. In addition to performing as a member of Philly-based free-jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements, the contralto wordsmith has frequently paid homage to the jazz, blues, and gospel canons in her solo work, beginning with her 2016 debut, Fetish Bones, and continuing through last year’s Black Encyclopedia of the Air. Ayewa described those canons in a 2021 interview with Pitchfork: “Not only is it Black American classical music, but it’s also a liberation technology.”

Moor Mother’s new album, Jazz Codes (Anti-), is a collage-style tribute to Ayewa’s musical forebears. She conceived it as a companion piece to Black Encyclopedia, and Jazz Codes is undoubtedly the clumsier sibling. While it’s a solid record for Moor Mother novices, and there are plenty of bangers throughout, Ayewa’s verses lack the freshness they have on previous releases—missing are the white-hot fervor and spontaneity of Fetish Bones and the volleying wit she showcased on Brass, her 2020 collaboration with rapper Billy Woods of Armand Hammer. 

Too often, Jazz Codes is blatantly, underwhelmingly on the nose, with heavy-handed samples and stilted lines such as “Be sharp / So sharp. . . . See sharp / Be natural” (from “Ode to Mary,” a nod to jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams). “Meditation Rag” is a particularly sore thumb; its verses SparkNote a century of jazz history with a wink and a nudge. That’s not to besmirch the sonic makeup of Jazz Codes, though. Ayewa has assembled remarkable collaborators: harpist Mary Lattimore, pianist Jason Moran, flutist Nicole Mitchell, and her Irreversible Entanglements compatriots, to name a few. But as far as Ayewa’s love letters to Black American music go, it doesn’t get better than the Brass track “The Blues Remembers Everything This Country Forgot.” That one still gets truer too.

Moor Mother’s Jazz Codes is available through Bandcamp.

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“When we go to a skate park, we take up space, and then all of a sudden you don’t see a bunch of guys trying to tell you to move out the way, ’cause we’re the majority now,” says Lid Madrid. “And we’re taking up space, and just changing the way that skate parks traditionally look. Because when our community comes in, you have BIPOC skaters, you have trans skaters, you have gender-nonconforming skaters. It’s, like, unreal.”

Madrid is one of the cofounders of OnWord Skate Collective, a local skate crew that welcomes skaters of all ages and all abilities, prioritizing women, trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people, and anyone else who identifies as LGBTQ+. 

When OnWord hosts a meetup, they start with introductions, pronouns, and positive affirmations. Skaters go around the circle and say things like, “I am enough.” “I’m a badass.” “I will bring authenticity and love into everything that I do.” It creates a sense of safety and community for those not typically welcome at skate parks.

OnWord was founded in January 2021. In typical pandemic fashion, it began over Zoom, with big ideas spoken through screens and a thrilling sense of potential. Madrid and cofounders Bridget Johnson, T Smith, Cath Hodge, and Deb Hwang received a grant from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) to build a DIY skate park. Madrid, then an architecture student, took the lead on designing individual elements like custom beginner-friendly ramps and rails, and then fabricated the parts in SAIC’s wood shop. OnWord participants swapped power-tool tips as well as skate tricks, and they constructed their own skate park. 

They called the project OnSite, and it was the perfect outlet to experiment with skateboarding, inclusive design, and community-building. The first day they built it, and the second day they skated it. Filmmaker Johnson documented the experience on camera, saving Zoom recordings and conducting in-person interviews along the way for a short film.

DuWayne Padilla for Chicago Reader

OnSite was a success, and so was the short that came out of it. The original Breaking the Barrier is full of interviews and action shots of OnWord skaters building the park and skating together; there are young skaters in elbow pads and knee pads, pronoun stickers and top-surgery scars, and an overwhelming amount of queer joy. After a sold-out showing at the Martin, an artist-first event space in West Town, the movie won best documentary short at the Music Box Theatre as part of Premiere, DePaul’s film festival.

But the OnWord crew were far from finished. OnSite and the short film seamlessly paved the way for more changes in the skating world—and for a much bigger film.

“This [SAIC] grant really just allowed us to turn one singular project and one singular event into an entire collective,” Madrid says. They skate together, sure, but in Madrid’s own words, OnWord is first and foremost a community. “It’s a space for skaters—the community of skaters that we have—to share resources, to learn from each other, and also to just hang out and have a good time, and feel included in a skate park.” 

It’s often difficult for nontraditional skaters—anyone who isn’t a white, cisgender, straight man—to find role models and feel welcome in skateboarding. Like some of the OnWord founders, I picked up skating during the pandemic. I live in Uptown near Wilson Skate Park, but I’ve only ventured over a handful of times, and only at non-peak hours. As a queer female and a beginner, I find myself sticking to the adjacent parking lot instead of braving the park itself, feeling a strong sense of unworthiness. And I’ve been lucky—most of the Wilson skaters seem to ignore me, but some women experience direct harassment or inappropriate behavior surrounded by so much toxic masculinity. 

That harassment and the accompanying senses of isolation and unworthiness are exactly what the founders of OnWord want to eliminate.

The OnWord crew host skate meetups and teach lessons; they utilize Madrid’s skills in architecture to teach skate park building and construction; they’re big on skill-swaps, where roller skaters and skateboarders switch wheels and help each other learn; and they also organize events like clothing drives, social hangouts, and town hall conversations.

This work and the relationship-building with OnWord skaters helped Johnson realize that there was potential to turn Breaking the Barrier into a full-length film. It will be the first feature film to come out of her company Dare to Dream Productions, which seeks to tell authentic and positive queer stories with inclusive practices. Like the short film, the documentary will explore identity, equality, and community through interviews with OnWord founders and participants. 

Johnson speaks with such admiration for the OnWord members turned interviewees. “I love just seeing the joy in people’s lives that OnWord has brought to them,” she says. “How they look forward to our meetups on the weekends, and how we’ve kind of become like a family that’s not just about skateboarding.”

Breaking the Barrier will also highlight accessibility, with a broad focus on the south and west sides.

“I think something that we like to keep in mind is that the type of spaces that we wanna create don’t have all that much impact if the people we’re tryna reach can’t get to it,” says Smith, one of the founders. “So it’s been super important for us to be mobile, especially in a place like Chicago where it’s super segregated, where a lot of people don’t even necessarily feel comfortable going to certain areas just because it’s unfamiliar to them, or they don’t have a car to get there, or they might have to leave the event at night.”

Chicago has plenty of LGBTQ+ community resources, but they’re disproportionately on the north side. “Then, everybody else is kinda just left out,” says Smith. “Even if you can get there, in terms of transportation, I think having something centered on the north side sends a certain type of message to various communities.”

And they’re correct—the city doesn’t have any skate parks south of 31st Street, and most of the well-known skate shops like Uprise or Wilson Yards, for example, are on the north side, which means that huge portions of Chicago don’t have access to skating resources and spaces. Burnham Skate Park on 31st is one of the only parks not located up north. “Burnham was not even built or designed by skaters,” Madrid says. “The people who made that were, like, a sidewalk company. So there are ginormous holes in the skate park where your wheels can get caught. And that’s so unfair, you know what I mean?”

DuWayne Padilla for Chicago Reader

OnWord wants to get funding for a truck, large enough that they can transport their mobile skate park anywhere. (For now, it lives in Madrid’s garage.) They also want to transport their film. After the festival circuit, OnWord wants to bring Breaking the Barrier to Chicago public schools and local LGBTQ+ groups. They plan to screen the film and offer Q&A sessions, host interactive skate workshops, and create safe, open spaces for young queer people to talk about identity and belonging. 

It will also be a full-circle moment for Johnson as a filmmaker. “Creating my first feature film has always been my dream since I was 12,” says Johnson. “I’ve met some beautiful souls during this journey so far, and I’m looking forward to meeting more, especially getting the opportunity to showcase the film at schools. I can’t wait to go back to my old elementary school and see my old teachers who encouraged me to follow my dreams.”

On paper, Breaking the Barrier’s target audience generally includes teenagers to 30-somethings, the skateboarding community, and Chicagoans, given its rootedness in the city’s people and physical spaces. However, that’s another barrier the filmmakers want to break.

“We’re hoping to connect to a bigger audience,” Johnson notes. “Because it’s not just about skateboarding, but finding a safe space and what community means to a variety of different people in Chicago.”

“I want everybody to see it,” Smith adds. “I want everybody to hear it.” 

They continue, “When I talk about OnWord and what we do and why we exist, I always say: If you were to have a conversation with someone and ask them to picture a skater, they’re probably not gonna picture most of the people that show up to our events. So we wanna challenge that, we wanna go beyond that norm, we wanna break that stereotype of having a certain image when you think of a skater. Literally anybody can skate! And anybody does skate, right?”

And that’s the deal—anybody is welcome at OnWord. Breaking the Barrier will be a reflection of that inclusivity, and an example of the power of films made by queer people, of queer people, for queer people.

When Johnson was first discovering her sexuality, she leaned on her love of film. Like many people, however, she felt overwhelmed with queer media depicting tragic endings, breakups, and often death. Johnson knew that Breaking the Barrier should be feel-good and inspiring instead. 

“Maybe skateboarding is not for everyone, but there’s always something that you’ve always wanted to do, and hopefully this film empowers people to wanna actually pursue that,” she says. “We want to be the representation and role models we never had growing up.”

DuWayne Padilla for Chicago Reader

While audiences will eventually see the accomplishments of OnWord in front of the camera, the filmmakers also want to ensure that they’re approaching the work behind the scenes with similar intention. The film industry is known for grueling hours, low pay, and even hazardous working conditions, but OnWord’s collaborative DIY approach and commitment to working with diverse local filmmakers will combat this.

“It’s very toxic, how some film crews are run, and how you’re working 14-16 hours without very many breaks,” Johnson says. “And so what we’re trying to do is work less hours and also have more positivity on set.”

Through a mix of school connections and social media, OnWord has created a film crew made up of women and LGBTQ+ Chicagoans, most of whom are also skaters and share a passion for OnWord’s mission in the skate community.

OnWord’s last barrier? The funding. Lucia Agajanian is currently signed on as a producer for Breaking the Barrier. The team has an Indiegogo campaign set up to raise money for production, and they’ve been applying for grants and pitching the idea to get other producers on board. They’re hoping to carry the momentum of the short film and make some headway on funding this summer, all while keeping up with their usual programming.

OnWord will host OnSite 2.0 on August 6, 7, and 8, and have a chance not only to build a new DIY skate park, but also to conduct more interviews and really flesh out the documentary. The finished Breaking the Barrier will go all the way back to those early Zoom calls between the cofounders, ending with this product of their tremendous efforts.

“The film will really start with the origins of OnWord, and then [go] to wherever we end up,” Johnson says. “Like I think that’s the beauty of it—we’re kinda just following our skaters and seeing where life takes them.”

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Chicago Winery (739 N Clark St), a working winery, private event venue, tasting room, and restaurant presented by First Batch Hospitality, will open this fall in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. As a space to gather and share in wine, food, and life’s special moments, Chicago Winery is proud to differentiate itself by focusing on chef-driven cuisine, the onsite winemaking process, and our mission to serve neighbors with genuine Midwest hospitality.

“We’re excited to join the River North community and look forward to sharing our locally made wines and heartfelt hospitality with the city,” said Dan Pearl, SVP of Operations. “Chicago Winery, like all of our wineries, will be tailored specifically to represent the city we call home.”

Chicago Winery will feature a portfolio of wines alongside a menu of refined, modern American cuisine by Executive Chef Andrew Graves, an alum of Chicago’s Alinea Group. The Chicago native joins Chicago Winery after leading culinary programs at The Promontory and Dusek’s Tavern.

The design and architecture of the space are influenced by the city’s role as a transportation hub throughout its history and the golden age of passenger train travel in the 1920s and 1930s. The spaces are meant to represent the connections we value most—the love of the journey—between people and processes as well as food and wine.

Each aspect of Chicago Winery is its own experience, yet all expertly connected. A tasting room is nestled into the restaurant. A winding staircase connects public settings to a chic and opulent private event space that is equal parts warm, sexy, comfortable and cool. Archways lure guests into the spaces beyond while small details fascinate and stimulate the senses. Throughout these distinct moments, warm blonde wood meets flashy black and gold details, mixed metals, and deep jewel tones. Cozy seating, fireplaces, and mirrors offer a warm and comforting respite.

The building encompasses a 2,000-square-foot winemaking facility and barrel room, sourcing grapes from regions around the country. The team, led by Executive Director of Winemaking Conor McCormack and veteran First Batch winemaker Erik Subrizi, will craft small-batch boutique wines onsite from several different varietals. Chicago Winery is expected to produce nearly 3,500 cases from 50 tons of grapes in its first year. The team will provide classes, tours, and other hands-on opportunities for a more immersive experience in the world of winemaking.

“We are excited to contribute to the city’s growing winemaking scene and vibrant hospitality landscape,” added Subrizi. “Philosophically, I believe grapes should speak for themselves and avoid a heavy hand in the cellar. I learned this approach early on from my first mentors, which included experiences on organic vineyards in Italy’s Tuscany and Piedmont regions.”

With a deep passion for hospitality, the team’s anticipatory service will transport guests away from every day into an inviting place to get lost in the moment. For those celebrating a special occasion, Chicago Winery will feature a private event space and a four-season terrace with a retractable roof, perfect for hosting full-service weddings, corporate events, and private dining with the exquisite backdrop of a beautiful winery and an outdoor view of the Chicago skyline.

In the coming months, the team will unveil exciting details about the restaurant, tasting room, and winemaking process. Visit www.chiwinery.com or follow along on social @chicagowinery to stay updated on the latest opening news.

Featured Image: First Batch Hospitality

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Lights, camera, action!

Millennium Park’s beloved Summer Film Series returns to the lakefront every Tuesday at 6:30pm at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

Presented by ZENB, this summer’s lineup features classics ranging from Encanto to Dirty Dancing, with select films inspired by dance in celebration of the citywide “2022 Year of Chicago Dance.” 

So, whether you’re coming with your kids, your grandparents, or a date, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Plus, we’ve thrown in some of our favorite city activities to pair with this summer’s lineup to make it a day packed full of Summertime Chi fun. Check them out below!

Tuesday, July 12

In the Heights

Lin Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical comes to the big screen, following a bodega owner who sings about a better life in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood. Afterwards, you can sing your heart out at one of our favorite karaoke bars!

Tuesday, July 19

Encanto

Keep singing along the week afterwards, this time to the family favorite Encanto, following a Colombian girl who grows up in a magical household as the only one without powers. Paired with a visit to Color Factory Chicago, this makes for the ultimate kids’ day out.

Tuesday, July 26

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Journey with Harry during his first year at Hogwarts in this first installation of the Harry Potter series, featuring witches, wizards, and everything in between. Bring the kids and order takeout from our top picks for a truly magical picnic experience!

Tuesday, August 2

Dirty Dancing

This classic romance takes place at a Catskills summer resort, where a naive 17 year old girl falls in love with her smooth-talking dance instructor. This one makes for a great date night – maybe you could even go for a couples kayak tour beforehand.

Tuesday, August 9

Knives Out

An exciting thriller that thrusts the audience into a detective’s investigation of a renowned crime novelist, revealing dark secrets and red herrings in his search for the truth. Grab your grub at some of our favorite restaurants beforehand to stock up for a night of mystery.

Tuesday, August 16

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings

This addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows martial arts master Shang-Chi as he confronts his past after returning to the Ten Rings organization. Immerse yourself further by ordering some of our top picks for authentic Chinese food ahead of time.

Tuesday, August 23

Save the Last Dance

Set in our very own Chicago, the story of an interracial couple plays out through a joint love for dance. Watching this might inspire you to show off your own moves, and we’ve got you covered with these epic dance clubs nearby.

Tuesday, August 30

Strictly Ballroom

A championship winning ballroom dancer pairs up with an ugly duckling, risking his career to pursue their unconventional dreams of winning the National Championships. Bring a few friends and check out some of our favorite bars afterwards to make this the perfect girls’ night out.

The Millenium Park Summer Film Series has been a favorite summer activity for generations of Chicagoans, and for good reason too. From the front row to the back of the Great Lawn, the 40 foot LED screen makes sure that wherever you are, you’ve got a great seat. 

So what are you waiting for? Grab a blanket and head out on this upcoming Tuesday to relax under the night sky with family and friends. 

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MILWAUKEE — Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a strained right shoulder after leaving his Tuesday night start early due to soreness in the shoulder.

Hendricks had his shortest start of the season, lasting just three innings in the Cubs’ 8-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. He threw 69 pitches and his velocity was lower than usual.

Hendricks, 32, said Tuesday night that he felt fine before the game but could tell something was off as soon as he threw his first warm-up pitch. Hendricks went through a similar issue with the shoulder in early June, causing him to take 12 days off between starts.

Hendricks is 4-6 with a 4.80 ERA.

“Being cautious, dealing with this a little bit before, we’ve got the All-Star break coming up, giving him a little rest and building him back up is the smart thing to do,” Cubs manager David Ross said before their Wednesday afternoon game at Milwaukee.

Hendricks said he expects to undergo an MRI. Ross said Wednesday that exam hadn’t taken place yet.

The Cubs have been dealing with numerous injuries to their pitching staff. Hendricks joins teammates Alec Mills, Wade Miley, Drew Smyly and Marcus Stroman on the injured list.

The Cubs recalled right-hander Anderson Espinoza from Double-A Tennessee in a corresponding move Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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