Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
In today’s newsletter, we’re talking about “Chicago Fire,” the popular NBC television show filmed right here in town.
The show wraps its 12th season this evening — an occasion a local barber is celebrating, as it also marks his 12th year of working on set, cutting hair for cast members.
Below, we hear from Sunni Powell about this life-changing job.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on this weekend’s Sueños Music Festival, cicada-infused Malört and more community news you need to know this afternoon. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Englewood barber who works on ‘Chicago Fire’ to host watch party
Reporting by Elvia Malagón
‘Fire’ barber celebrates: For the past 12 years, Sunni Powell has worked as a barber on the set of “Chicago Fire,” which will end its 12th season on Wednesday. Powell plans to celebrate the occasion by hosting a watch party — open to the public — at his shop, Powell’s Barbershop, 1122 W. 63rd St., in Englewood.
Reopening after struggles: Powell reopened his barbershop last year in the E.G. Woode business incubator, a collective of Black-owned businesses. The reopening had marked a new chapter for Powell’s business after a gunman in 2016 opened fire inside his shop, killing one person and wounding another. Wednesday’s watch party is a celebration of resilience, one that Powell expects some of the show’s crew members will attend.
Goodbye Wallace Boden: On the finale, viewers are expected to find out what will happen to Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden, the character played by Eamonn Walker. One of the original “Chicago Fire” cast members, Walker is leaving the show as a regular but is expected to appear on some future episodes.
‘Changed my life’: Powell credited the actor for his success working on set. Walker “demanded that a Black man be his barber from the get-go, and it’s changed my life,” said Powell, who also cuts the hair of stars Joe Minoso (who plays Joe Cruz) and Daniel Kyri (Darren Ritter). He described Walker as a big brother and inspiration, adding that working on the production stabilized his life.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Sueños 2024 — what to know: More than 25 major reggaeton and Latin artists will perform in Grant Park this weekend, bringing tens of thousands of music fans to Chicago. We’ve got information on the festival’s bag policy, entry rules, transit options and more, if you plan to attend.
- Bill calling for interest rate disclosures fails: The Illinois Legislature will not move forward with a bill that would have required nonbank lenders, mostly online companies, to disclose the annual percentage rate on small business loans.
- Remembering Robert Fent: Mr. Fent was an engineer who loved baseball. Friends and family remember him as a kind, introverted man who looked out for his family, his dogs and his teammates. He died May 12 at age 48.
- Angel Reese buys stake in soccer team: The Sky rookie is now an investor in DC Power Football Club, a new professional women’s soccer team.
- 3 stars for ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’: In this thunderous prequel, Anya Taylor-Joy burns with intensity as the future “Fury Road” warrior, writes Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper.
OUR CITY IN COLOR 🎨
Sunflower mural in Lincoln Square brought light during the pandemic
Reporting by Genevieve Bookwalter
Eddie L. Kornegay III moved to Forest Park from Atlanta in December 2019, excited to find work as a painter and live closer to his dad. There was no way he could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the city three months later.
But Kornegay, 33, whose artist name is Teddyy Gramm, says he was lucky. A friend of his father was looking for a muralist to paint a dozen or so landscapes on buildings that he owned or managed. After everything shut down in March 2020, he commissioned Kornegay. So, the Chicago-area newcomer spent the next eight months working outside, getting to know the city and talking with passers-by about art.
“I was able to do murals from April of 2020 to December of 2020. It was a great time. One of my best years yet,” Kornegay says. “It made you forget about the pandemic, that it was happening.”
One of the murals he painted is a lush landscape scene that wraps around the corner of an apartment building on the southeast corner of North Wolcott Avenue where West Ainslie Street turns into an alley in Lincoln Square.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Cicada-infused Malört shots are all the buzz at Lombard brewpub
Reporting by Ambar Colón
Want to try a shot that won’t be around for another 17 years? A suburban brewpub is pouring shots of cicada-infused Malört to celebrate the arrival of two adjacent broods of the insect in Illinois.
Noon Whistle Brewing in Lombard got the idea to create the drink as a fun way to spread the word about the establishment. The brewpub says its twist on Malört uses real bugs collected from a park next to the restaurant. The $5 shots, which have “a flavor reminiscent of succulent lobster,” will be around for two or three weeks.
“Everyone already hates Malört, so it’s like, let’s just make it even worse,” said Joey Giardiniera, the restaurant’s creative director.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
When it comes to representing Chicago, what TV show or movie gets it right? Explain.
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Chris Woldt
