2025 WINTER LECTURE SERIES
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••••••••• LECTURE LINEUP •••••••••
All of our events are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis. We suggest a tax-deductible donation of $10-20 per attendee for those who are able to comfortably do so. Your donations help us pay our talented lecturers and cover the myriad of expenses that small nonprofits accrue. Our staff is entirely volunteer. You can learn more about our mission here!
MARCH 11, 2025The Women That Dried the Swamp
Learn about the rise of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the scandalous activities of its influential Chicago chapter, and the ways these pioneering social reform activists did a lot of good — and a lot of questionable things, too. Lecture by historian, tour guide, and marketing whiz Olivia Sobieraj. Register starting 2/25/25 → EVENT DETAILS & TICKETS MARCH 25, 2025Scandals of State Street
Suspicious deaths and marital affairs, unconventional love, race scandals, and seedy reputations hidden under glossy veneers… the drama never ended with State Street retailers and their notorious proprietors. Lecture by tour guide & McHenry County Historic Preservation commissioner Anthony Alfaro. Register starting 3/11/25 → EVENT DETAILS & TICKETS |
MARCH 18, 2025Parking, Tolls & Airports, Oh My!
When will we ever learn? Discover Chicago’s unfortunate history of poorly-thought-out privatization schemes for its public assets, from the Skyway, to Midway Airport, to the infamous decision to lease our parking meters to the highest bidder. Lecture by lawyer and history enthusiast Glenn Weinstein, our newest Tour Guide 101 graduate! Register starting 3/4/25 → EVENT DETAILS & TICKETS |
HELPFUL DETAILS ABOUT OUR NEW VENUE
Been to one of our speakeasy events before? We've moved! Please read below carefully.
Been to one of our speakeasy events before? We've moved! Please read below carefully.
Please note that Bad Apple has two locations. Bad Apple Lincoln Park is the one you want to head to, at 658 W Belden. Follow the hallway of history to the very back of the restaurant to find the secret speakeasy entrance to our event. Fun fact: this building has real history as a former speakeasy, and the current owners are the proud decendents of Prohibition-era saloonkeepers!
Plan to arrive between 6:30pm–7:00pm so you have time to grab a drink and settle in before the lecture begins. Arriving early? No problem! Early birds are welcome to order food & beverages at the cozy front bar while you wait for us to finish setting up. The dedicated door to our lecture area will open at 6:30pm. The lecture will begin promptly at 7:15pm and last about an hour.
That's right, our new venue serves a full food menu, with poutine, burgers, salads, & more. Plus, beer, wine, cocktails, etc. You are welcome to order food & eat during the lecture... just be polite about your noise level out of respect for our lecturer & guests.
We're happy to share that our new venue has table seating for up to 85 people. It's still a good idea to arrive early to grab the best seats in the house (seating is still first-come, first-serve).
We strongly recommend audience members be about 16 years of age or older (though the venue is open to all ages). Lectures are likely to include cursing, tales of murder, crime, impropriety, drinking, and scandalous old-timey affairs. This is probably not the best event for young children or prudish grandparents.
Bad Apple has no stairs, and is fully wheelchair accessible. The sound system at the new venue is awesome, and televisions around the room will display images and slides! While we lack the organizational capacity to provide live captioning at our events, we will post a video recording of every lecture, with captions, to our website a few days after the event for all to enjoy. Other accessibility concerns? Email us.
How do I get there? Public transit is what we recommend! The venue is a brisk 9-minute walk from the Fullerton CTA station. If you insist on driving, there is paid street parking along Lincoln, as well as a parking garage half a block north.
Plan to arrive between 6:30pm–7:00pm so you have time to grab a drink and settle in before the lecture begins. Arriving early? No problem! Early birds are welcome to order food & beverages at the cozy front bar while you wait for us to finish setting up. The dedicated door to our lecture area will open at 6:30pm. The lecture will begin promptly at 7:15pm and last about an hour.
That's right, our new venue serves a full food menu, with poutine, burgers, salads, & more. Plus, beer, wine, cocktails, etc. You are welcome to order food & eat during the lecture... just be polite about your noise level out of respect for our lecturer & guests.
We're happy to share that our new venue has table seating for up to 85 people. It's still a good idea to arrive early to grab the best seats in the house (seating is still first-come, first-serve).
We strongly recommend audience members be about 16 years of age or older (though the venue is open to all ages). Lectures are likely to include cursing, tales of murder, crime, impropriety, drinking, and scandalous old-timey affairs. This is probably not the best event for young children or prudish grandparents.
Bad Apple has no stairs, and is fully wheelchair accessible. The sound system at the new venue is awesome, and televisions around the room will display images and slides! While we lack the organizational capacity to provide live captioning at our events, we will post a video recording of every lecture, with captions, to our website a few days after the event for all to enjoy. Other accessibility concerns? Email us.
How do I get there? Public transit is what we recommend! The venue is a brisk 9-minute walk from the Fullerton CTA station. If you insist on driving, there is paid street parking along Lincoln, as well as a parking garage half a block north.
A FEW OTHER THINGS TO KNOW
- Registration through Eventbrite is still required. You do not need to print out your ticket or show it to us on your phone— our volunteers will simply check your name against our registration list at the door. Just remember the name of the person who bought your ticket. No passwords this year!
- Didn't get tickets in time? Those unable to secure a spot in advance are still welcome to try their luck at the door, where any available spaces day-of will be allotted on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 7:00pm.
- All in-person attendees must be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Booster shots and flu shots are also strongly recommended. Vaccines work (and history proves it).
- We will not be livestreaming lectures this year. With a larger, accessible venue, it's finally possible for us to accomodate almost everyone in person! We're all about building community in real life, after all. If you still prefer to watch at home, don't worry! We'll post video recordings of each event a few days after each event. Find those recordings here.
- Trying to grab tickets for a group? In the interest of fairness, each registrant can only reserve a maximum of two tickets. If you invited friends, make sure they know they have to reserve their own spot(s)! Wanting to attend with 6 or more people? Consider hosting a virtual watch party at home, or booking a private event with us! More details.
- Please be nice. Presentations and discussions are meant to be inclusive, covering diverse histories and occasionally controversial subject matter. Respectfulness, empathy, and a willingness to listen and engage are key. Inflammatory speech will not be tolerated, and those who cannot engage compassionately with others will be asked to leave.
- Other questions? Visit our event FAQ or email [email protected]. Event details are subject to change up to two weeks prior to the event.
All of our events are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis. We suggest a tax-deductible donation of $10-20
per attendee for those who are able. Your donations help us cover the costs of hiring speakers, pay for our website,
cover our annual tax & paperwork filings, buy supplies, and otherwise compensate for the myriad of expenses that
small nonprofits accrue. Our staff is entirely volunteer. You can learn more about our mission here!
per attendee for those who are able. Your donations help us cover the costs of hiring speakers, pay for our website,
cover our annual tax & paperwork filings, buy supplies, and otherwise compensate for the myriad of expenses that
small nonprofits accrue. Our staff is entirely volunteer. You can learn more about our mission here!
2025 WALKING TOUR SEASOn
Our all-volunteer team will begin planning summer walking tours in April!
Tour season typically begins in May.
Stay tuned! Thanks in advance for your patience.
Interesting in giving tours for us this summer?
Click the link to learn about our (free!) tour guide trainings. Sessions begin 3/30!
Tour season typically begins in May.
Stay tuned! Thanks in advance for your patience.
Interesting in giving tours for us this summer?
Click the link to learn about our (free!) tour guide trainings. Sessions begin 3/30!
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SELF-GUIDED FUNCOMMUNITY SUPPORT BINGO!This Bingo board has 25 suggestions to help you explore your city, support local businesses, get engaged, reach out to friends, and practice self-care. Print it out and get started in your own community!
1. Print or download the board 2. Play BINGO! 3. When you win, send a picture of your board to our email. 4. We'll send a little thank-you gift in the mail for being an explorer, ally, and contributor to your community! |
subscribing to our events |
You can follow us on Eventbrite to be notified when we post new events. If you prefer to be notified a different way, you can use the app "If This, Then That" to create custom notifications. Here's how:
— Create an account on IFTTT — Click "My Applets" then "New Applet" — IF = RSS Feed, "New Feed Item" Paste this link: https://zapier.com/engine/rss/2898980/chi4chicagoans/ — THEN = Choose your notification preference! — When we post a new event, IFTTT will let you know. |
Stay tuned... |
PLEASE NOTE:
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Help us plan an event in your neighborhood!
We're prioritizing tours in the following areas. Contact us to get involved:
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