Hardy Boys
The name Ron Hardy may not mean much to today's dance-music generation, but without his inventive turntable climaxes in the late seventies and early eighties there may have not been a scene at all. Hardy, who played at the legendary Music Box club, never got to really enjoy Chicago's house-music explosion like fellow pioneering DJ Frankie Knuckles due to his sudden death in 1991, but thanks to his nephew, Bill Hardy, his legacy will live on. Bill founded ParteHardy Entertainment to advertise and distribute Ron Hardy's recordings and he recently received enough donations ($843.80 to be exact) from Chicago house fans to buy the legend a well-deserved tombstone for his bare grave plot in Springfield. "Out of respect for this wonderful man, I felt he deserved to be remembered for his contributions," says Bill. Ron's tombstone has been purchased and will read "Godfather of House Muzic" with a possible engraved picture of the house founding father. "He was such an inspiration and every DJ out there has adopted the techniques he created whether they realize it or not."

Name Game
You don't have to be named the Dude or Lebowski to appreciate the value of a lifetime of free bowling. And that's exactly what Chicago's Lucky Strike just put up for grabs. Owner Steve Sobel is hosting a contest to rename his restaurant and bowling alley, a change necessitated by the impending Chicago arrival of the national Lucky Strike chain this year. "They're a big national company and we're just a small Chicago chain, so we decided the best way to handle this was to change our name," Sobel says. Bowling aficionados and creative dreamers alike should visit www.namethatalley.com to officially enter their suggestions. The winner, to be announced by Sobel on August 26, will receive a pass for a lifetime of free bowling at any of the 3 Chicago area Lucky Strike locations. What is Sobel looking for in a new name? "I want it to convey bowling, but not hit you over the head with it," suggests Sobel, adding that, "it has to be original." And while only one lucky Chicagoan can win a lifetime of bowling bliss, all contest entrants will receive the world's greatest consolation prize--an hour of free bowling.

The Girl-Next-Barstool
With the release of the 2006 Chicago Bar Babes calendar, Colin Hicks and photographer Jeremy du Brul provides us with the perfect device for our deviance. Featuring fourteen sultry babes posing in twelve Chicago bars and nightclubs, the calendar challenges the overly polished look taken by many popular men's magazines and calendars. "We didn't want too many girls with the overwhelming model look. No big fake breasts either," quips Hicks, the calendar's co-creator. "It's not really a girl-next-door look, but more of a girl sitting next to you at the bar." How has this exposé of Chicago's realistically hot girls worked out thus far? "The response so far has been overwhelming," says Hicks, who's throwing bunch of events at Chicago clubs to publicize the calendar. "We really couldn't ask for anything better."

(2005-07-26)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment